


For A Reason: Inauguration

by mirqueen



Series: For A Reason [1]
Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Drama, Family, Friendship, Gen, Original Character(s), Original Female Character - Freeform, Spiritual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-26
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-01-10 01:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 60
Words: 457,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1153331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mirqueen/pseuds/mirqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a young woman lands in the place she least expected, it changes everything she knew and everything she thought she was capable of. (AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Off The Path

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities.

 **Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

 **Notes:**  
Images  & inspirations for this story: **[For A Reason: Inspirations](farinspirations.tumblr.com) ** is the blog. There is a 'Welcome' link in the side menu that explains how the blog works.

This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be "just a dream" for the characters.

> **Prologue: Off The Path**

Darkness pressed in from all sides, every nook and cranny along the way appearing as if hands and tentacles were stretched out to grab the unsuspecting pedestrian's ankle as they passed by. The buildings on either side of the unpaved path were not exactly infrequent, but sparse enough to give off a feeling of vulnerability that caused me to speed up unconsciously in my trek.

Sometimes it just didn't seem worth it to go the long route back to the dormitory. No matter how many lights lined the paths, there was always a dark corner waiting to scare the daylights out of me, in spite of my resolve to stop jumping at shadows. Quite frankly, the lonely stretch between each section of the campus freaked me out more than I had guessed it might back in early fall. When everything is still in the process of changing colors and daylight still lasts until about nine o'clock in the evening, you don't think so much about late night journeys from work back to your personal little safe haven.

Why hadn't I chosen a more populated college to attend? Sure, the school had great ratings and an interdisciplinary studies degree I was only too happy to sink my teeth into, as well as a work study program that didn't skimp on jobs or hours. The grounds had looked beautiful and serene, green and healthy and vibrant in the middle of September when I had first started taking classes two years prior. In winter, it might have taken on a darker sense of beauty, but what with classes being so close to the dormitory complex for those first four semesters, it wasn't all that big of a deal.

The place felt just plain creepy now. In the middle of the Michigan wilderness was not exactly what one would consider prime property for a young college student to be traveling alone, especially from halfway across the campus in the middle of the night with no one but yourself for company. Forget gangs, serial killers, kidnappers, drunks, and what-have-you… I was a bit preoccupied watching for bears, coyotes, wolverines, and the ever-loving deer that leap out at the least expected moment.

Barely a third of the way home, and already my brain wanted to get me pumped with so much fear and adrenaline that I'd probably just spontaneously combust before I actually got back. I began to wish quite fervently that I hadn't switched library shifts with Keira Delaney the day before. Granted, the flighty redhead had neglected to mention that her shift went about two hours longer than normal this once, thanks to a ridiculous appreciation party for the main library staff. Like they didn't get paid enough to compensate for a lack of parties… Nothing came cheap at this place, including the hired help.

Distracting thoughts like that made the walk a bit better, even if it was a pretty rude line of thoughts. I supposed I could have thought about _Twilight_ or something. Something that was not personally insulting to someone else. Nevertheless, I felt as though I had successfully distracted myself from some of the apprehension. Ashamed though I was to admit it… that alone was worth it. At least, it seemed to be worth it.

Until I found myself wandering in the middle of the dense forest.

How that happened, I didn't really want to know. All I wanted was out. The ground looked black and the trees weren't much lighter in color. If the moon had even dared to show its face, I would have been highly stunned. Everything was shadowed, mysterious, and outrageously frightening. Every minute sound caught my ears and made me freeze, eyes darting like a small woodland creature at my unfriendly surroundings. No way would I remain stuck in there until daytime – not willingly. Surely I hadn't gone that far off the path…

The more I tried to find a nearby edge to the trees around me – a way back to the path that I prayed was not as far as it felt like – the darker it seemed to get. My entire body quivered now, and if I hadn't been shocked mute with fear, whimpering would undoubtedly have followed. Stumbling around in a dark forest was not on my to-do list. Not once did I ever imagine it could be cool to run off into the woods and drain my entire tank of courage by going deeper than I knew how to escape from.

When my panic reached its peak, I literally started sprinting through the trees and heavy undergrowth towards the lightest part of the woods, breathing erratically while my heart pounded out a deafeningly rapid staccato. Somewhere in the back of my chaotic mind, I thanked God that I was wearing jeans, all my warmest outerwear, and my sturdiest pair of flats. As it was November, snow had not yet fallen, but it was absolutely freezing. As I ran, I hysterically congratulated myself on noticing the wetness that suddenly began squelching and splashing under my frantic feet.

That, however, spiked my fear. Why was it suddenly wet? The ground was completely dry while I walked on the path earlier and the wooded area around campus didn't have a lick of water until you reached the outlying edge of the property. Something seemed eerily wrong, but I had no more ideas as to how than I did as to where the exit was.

What pushed me to run faster than my legs could probably move at all under normal circumstances were the sounds that started up to my left. Beyond the dark, foreboding tree trunks, the hardest pawing sound I had ever heard came into being. To add on top of my horror, deep, heavy breathing adjoined the pawing sprint.

At last, my lungs started working again. Every ounce of terror that had plagued me since the evening began came rushing out in a long, shrill scream I had not – until that precise moment of my life – been aware of possessing. To my amazement, the sounds of pawing and breathing disappeared abruptly, as though they had never been there. The absence did not stop my running in the least, but somehow the feeling of strange freedom encouraged my legs and lungs to keep pumping.

All at once after the sounds faded, light bombarded my vision from ahead, and I was so relieved I nearly screamed again out of sheer joy. Maybe a mass murderer waited to take off my head, I wouldn't know, but I would have rather faced a sentient being than a wild animal that sounded as heavy as the one I heard.

The trees thinned like waves rolling over the sand and from the ridge ahead of me, I saw the figure of a tall man silhouetted against the lights of a car. Thank you, God, for bringing me out of this mess.

* * *


	2. Chapter 1: Inimitable

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

_**Chapter Numbering:**_  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays. For example, this chapter is labeled  **Chapter 1: Inimitable**  within my written work, but because of the site's automatic labeling system, the link at the top will show **Chapter 2: Inimitable**. Just so everyone is aware.

**Notes:**  
Mireille is pronounced "mee-RAY" and the restaurant mentioned is entirely made up. The Italian is from online dictionaries, which may or may not be completely accurate.

> **Chapter 1: Inimitable**

"Are you hurt?" called out a gentle, but alarmed voice as I dragged myself up and around the ragged plant life as fast as my limbs could make it happen.

I could hardly respond without any breath to spare and the stranger seemed to understand. The man's long arms reached down and pulled me carefully up onto the road where he stood, keeping a firm grasp on my upper arms to settle me on the hood of his car.

"Try to breathe deeply," the soothing voice instructed me, rubbing my upper arms comfortingly and calmly. Blinded as I was from looking into the headlights on the way up the ridge, I could not even see the stranger's face. But he had been kind so far and my mind was too caught up in the aftermath of my panic to care. So long as he was human, I was set. "Think of it as breathing straight from your toes and bringing the air all the way through your body."

The phrasing of his suggestion sounded incredibly hilarious for some reason. Although I was pretty sure it was just the hysterics kicking in further, I couldn't seem to stop the small gasping laughs that spewed from my mouth.

"It's all right," the stranger continued speaking to me softly. "Just get it all out of your system. You're going to be perfectly fine."

Long moments of such words finally brought me down from the fear-induced adrenaline high and reduced my body to subtle quaking. Some time in the middle of my new acquaintance's easy, relaxing assurances, my eyes had shut of their own volition. It had always been a habit of mine when I was exceedingly stressed.

"I'm sorry," I got out quietly after a while. "You must think I've lost my mind."

"Not at all," he said kindly. Even that simple phrase sounded incredibly sincere. "You must have gotten lost out in the woods. It's never enjoyable to be alone in a dark copse of trees, let alone a forest of this proportion. I imagine you panicked at some sound or shadow?"

"Sounds," I admitted hoarsely, shivering violently at the memory of those enormous feet hitting the ground not far from my own path and those breaths, so thick and immense, puffing out along with it.

"What sort of sounds?" he prompted, when it seemed clear I wouldn't continue.

"I… it was… like big paws. But not just big… They must have been as big as tires or something. They were so heavy sounding. And this loud, heavy breathing… whatever kind of animal that was, it's not something I'd ever want to see in person."

"It might have been a bear," the stranger suggested after a pause, suddenly distant. I almost felt like he was lying. But how would I know? I had just met the man after all. It was just my nerves playing tricks again.

"I don't know. It didn't sound like any bear I've ever heard of." I shook my head to stave off the fear before it returned to me in spades.

"Well, at any rate," the stranger seemed to be shaking himself as well. "I'm glad you're all right."

"Thank you," I told him, reproaching myself in my head for not having said it earlier. "You really helped me. If I hadn't seen your lights, I might have gone the wrong way. And then you knew just how to calm me down."

"Well, I am a doctor," he laughed slightly. "I would certainly hope I know the latter."

"You're a doctor?" I asked in some incredulity. What were the chances?

"Yes," he said, and I imagined a smile was on his face. "I work up at Forks General Hospital."

If I had not been listening so intently, I might have said I misheard. Even with my attention so locked in, I absolutely had to ask, "Could you repeat that, please?"

"What?" he asked curiously.

"What… hospital… do you work at?" I slowly managed to question, fearing exactly what I might hear. The previous time may have only been my bad hearing…

"Forks General," the stranger answered cautiously.

"Forks, _Washington_?" I all but yelped, eyes still tightly shut. If this was a dream, I was not going to give into the urge of checking its validity.

"Yes. You… do know where you are… don't you?" he questioned warily. If he only knew how much more wary I was. Maybe this man was a bit crazy?

"I…" the words fell silent in my dry mouth. My tongue felt very thick and hard to move. What explanation could I give that wouldn't immediately get me locked in a padded cell? I had just been in Michigan, on my college campus, hoping to get back to my dormitory without running into a bear or a wolverine, and now I was in _Forks, Washington_? There was absolutely no way.

I had to be dreaming. Nothing else made sense.

"I must be dreaming," I murmured to myself, trying desperately to make the dream fade back into the oblivion of sleep.

"Are you quite sure you're all right?" There was immense concern in the doctor's voice now, and I feared it was all too easy to diagnose me as decidedly _not_ all right.

And why should I be? If this was not a dream, as I had been so desperately hoping, then I was either capable of teleporting myself or… well, I didn't think the alternative would keep my sanity in tact any better than the teleporting idea. Physically starring in your favorite fiction series is not something that the average person finds in any way sane.

Besides, how could I possibly be in the same world as _Twilight_? It was _fiction_. The Cullens didn't even exist. There was no big white house with a wall of windows and a steel barricade for protection and privacy. There was no Chief Swan, no Mike Newton, no Angela Weber… There was no silver Volvo, no black Mercedes, no Aston Martin Vanquish… Shape-shifters did not exist and vampires masquerading as humans simply did not live here.

And if they did exist, I would already be dead because Alice and Edward would have seen a vision of me somehow spewing the truth to their family. Then Jasper and Rosalie would have immediately suspected me of being a liability and decided to take me out for their own protection. Despite my absolute refusal to ever betray their secret, I wouldn't likely live long enough to say so.

But it didn't even matter. I was dreaming and it would all be over when I woke up.

"You may want to rethink that," came a low, musical tone from further away than the first stranger. Somehow, even in my utmost denial, even with my eyes squeezed shut; I recognized that velvet voice as if I'd always known it personally.

"Son?"

Had the doctor not just spoken out with such alarm, I would likely have done it myself. This… final acceptance forced my eyes open at long last.

There, standing not a foot away from me with his hand resting beside my leg on the hood of that infamous Mercedes S55 AMG and his face turned half away, was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my entire life. Blond-haired, sculpted, kind-faced, tall, and leanly muscular; outfitted in the sharpest set of slacks, dress shirt, and fall coat one could imagine… I ruled out dreaming immediately, to my boggled mind's astonishment. No dream I could concoct was ever as amazingly handsome as the real Carlisle Cullen.

A loud, amused snort sounded nearby, ripping me from my analyzing stupor, and I turned to attach my roaming eyes onto the other inimitable figure.

"Edward," I breathed in sheer astonishment, unable to focus on the startled exclamation from Carlisle that I knew his son's name.

Wow. If I'd had any breath left, it would have whooshed out of my lungs instantaneously at the sight of that slender yet muscled seventeen-year-old standing eight feet away. He was… stunning, for lack of a more descriptive word. I'd thought the books and the movies could have done him some remote justice, but nothing ever would have prepared me to actually look at his gorgeous features in person. His hair was so much… more stylish and… well, _sexier_ , than anything I'd envisioned. Messy it may have been, but it was almost artfully done. And his facial structure was simply perfect. Nothing was disproportionate at all. Every angle and curve to his face was like the swipe of an old master's brush. It looked like Stephenie Meyer's descriptions hadn't _all_ been underachievers.

"She knows all about us, Carlisle," Edward explained to his father, a wide smirk gracing his achingly beautiful mouth as my mental descriptions grew increasingly sappier. The only things I had yet to see in any great detail were those golden eyes. "But she won't tell anyone. She seems to have grown quite fond of us. Well we _two,_ at least."

Fond… Well, yes, I was quite fond of the Cullens. Carlisle was wonderful, Esme loving, Alice perky, Emmett fun, Jasper mysterious, and Edward fascinating. Rosalie was not my favorite person in the world, but as long as she didn't snarl at me or cut Edward down too much, I would be just fine around her.

Edward laughed out loud at those thoughts. A grin unfurled on my own face in response. Something about the way Edward laughed made you feel like joining him.

"Edward, honestly!" Carlisle actually sounded mad. Not that I could blame him. Edward was stuck in my head and could hear everything going through it, but poor Carlisle was still stuck in limbo with a vague comment about me not spilling the beans.

"You're right," Edward gasped slightly from his remaining laughter, forcing himself to recover and rise to full height. "He's still out of the loop, isn't he?"

I didn't speak, still in awe of my two companions and the fact that Edward Cullen was actually sharing an inside joke with me.

"It happens often around here," he assured me with another smirk before turning to his frustrated father. "Sorry, Carlisle, but her thoughts are rather amusing."

"I can see that," Carlisle sighed, and it sounded to me like amusement bled through despite his former irritation.

"He wasn't irritated, believe me," Edward chuckled and finally stepped closer to us. "He just wants to know what we're going to do with you."

"Oh."

"Yes. Oh." Edward rolled his eyes at me. "You're not very articulate in the verbal aspect, are you?"

"Shut it," I retorted, somewhat distantly now that I had caught sight of his eyes close up. They were not golden at the moment; they were black. Mealtime had to be right around the corner.

"Tonight, actually," he muttered, a serious expression overcoming him. "I supposed we'd better talk over just _how_ much you know about us, hadn't we?"

"Finally, a reasonable line of conversation," Carlisle sighed again, turning to look at me straight on.

Oh. My.

_His_ eyes, on the other hand, were as golden as the hand of Midas. It felt physically impossible to look away, but I had to focus if I was going to sound even partially coherent. When Bella said 'dazzled' she wasn't kidding.

"Uh, can you kind of…" Words failed me, so I gestured weakly towards Edward, indicating that Carlisle needed to look away if I was to live through the night.

Another snort from Edward brought back my grin of earlier. Carlisle even chuckled, widening my grin. It was a really good chuckle. Warm and comforting, somehow.

"Sounds about right," Edward murmured appreciatively. "Now, how about we get you in the car, warmed up, and then fed?"

Until he mentioned it, I hadn't felt cold or hungry at all, but the sudden suggestion seemed to send a shiver down my spine and a growl in my stomach.

"An excellent idea," Carlisle agreed, reaching forward to give me a helping hand down. Almost jumping at the cold of his skin, I accepted the proffered hand and slipped down onto the pavement beneath us. "Why don't we head away from the house for now? I'm not sure the others will be as…"

"Accommodating?" I suggested sheepishly. Trust _me_ to get into this kind of situation.

"Unfortunately," the doctor agreed apologetically.

"Alice will see all of this, though," I mentioned, ignoring how at ease I seemed to be with discussing vampires and their special abilities. I didn't even scoff at Edward being in my brain; I actually kind of liked how easy it was for him to understand what I meant, even when my words didn't quite come out right. I guessed to someone like me, this stuff was kind of… not normal, but just expected in this world.

"Good to know," Edward remarked with a small smile. It hadn't erupted into that full-blown crooked grin, but it hinted towards that very strongly. "Crooked grin?"

"Er, yeah," I shuffled my feet embarrassedly, realizing just how intimate my behavior and my thoughts must have seemed to two men who had just met me for the first time. "It's something from the books."

"Books?" Carlisle questioned instantly. "What do you mean?"

"These books tell a story about us," Edward explained, hurrying onward before Carlisle panicked at the idea his family was exposed. "But they don't exist here in our world. Only in… what was your name?"

The question was so sudden that I was speechless for a full minute as Edward's obsidian eyes became riveted to mine. His subtle smirk knocked sense back into me. Turning pink again, I answered, "Mireille. Mireille Holden."

"Mireille," Edward rolled the name off of his tongue like a true Frenchman. I actually giggled at the low, attractive way he spoke. Grinning at me slightly, he bowed sarcastically. Carlisle looked quite amused at his son. "At any rate, Carlisle… In Mireille's world, we are only fictional characters in a novel. So you can understand her disbelief at being around us."

"Well, that certainly explains your earlier questioning," Carlisle chuckled at me, though wonder was in his eyes at the revelation of a completely different reality from his own. Maybe being in the vampire world had eased him up in regards to ridiculous ideas.

"Yeah," I admitted with another sheepish look. A question I had not thought to ask swept into my head then and I was surprised I hadn't asked sooner. "What's the date?"

"October 13, 2003," Carlisle answered promptly. "Why?"

It didn't seem that anything could have shocked me anymore, but now it had. "It's _2003_? But I… I'm from… oh Lord…"

Five years ago. Five! I wasn't even in the actual events of the series yet. This was before Bella even _imagined_ coming to Forks!

"Who's Bella?" Edward asked curiously. If I wasn't still in shock from my evident time traversing, I would have laughed. Who's Bella? Oh my goodness that was strange coming from him.

"Why?" he asked, more seriously this time.

Was it right for me to tell him everything now? Maybe he wasn't supposed to know yet… But then, Alice would tell him at some point in the future, wouldn't she?

"All right," Edward said firmly, "That's enough. We'll talk when we get to Seattle. Push Bella out of your thoughts for now and decide what you'd like to eat on the way there."

"Seattle?" Carlisle asked – not doubtfully, but curiously – with an eyebrow raised.

"Alice will leave us be for now," said Edward with confidence. "And she won't tell the others. We just need to clear some major points of interest before we can talk sensibly with the rest of them. Esme will be kind, of course, and Emmett won't be outright harsh, but…"

Jasper and Rosalie would be, I couldn't help thinking.

"Yes," Edward nodded with some apology to me.

"All right then," Carlisle nodded once, apparently deciding himself. "Seattle it is."

It took me a full, awkward minute to slip into the fine leather interior of the Mercedes beside Edward. Of course, he was sitting on the opposite end of the seat, but he was sitting in the backseat with me all the same. Lucky I was so distracted, because once the sound of Carlisle's tires squealing on the road as he took the curves of the highway came into my ears, I could have become quite panicked. Speed and rollercoaster rides were definitely not my thing.

"I drive faster," Edward shrugged with a rueful smile. Casting an incredulous gaze his way, I just shook my head. Carlisle was doing the same from up front, only with an indulgent smile plastered across his face.

"I really don't want to ride in your car, then," I said halfheartedly. Like I _wouldn't_ want to ride with him? And talk about… well, a lot of things, actually. Edward was just too interesting. He started smirking again and I bit my lip to stop from grinning like an idiot for the tenth time that night.

"Nothing wrong with that," Edward commented dryly.

"Shut up," I muttered. Oh, so mature Mireille. Great job on that one.

"Your mind is a much more amusing place than most people's minds are," was Edward's response.

"Oh, thanks," I said very quietly, face turning slightly pink.

"Have you given thought to what you might like to eat?" Carlisle asked from the driver's seat, and I marveled at his perfect annunciation. I wished I could speak as beautifully.

"I guess… it doesn't really matter where I eat." I shrugged. I wasn't going to put them anymore out of their way than my presence was already going to do.

"What do you like?" was Edward's highly aggressive demand, something at which I bristled. I knew he was like that, but to actually experience his commanding personality was a touch more personal.

"You don't have to be rude," I snapped back. Edward looked ready to insult me or hit me, I could not tell which.

"Enough, both of you," Carlisle intoned sternly. Edward scowled and sat back, arms crossed over his chest. "Mireille, please. I'm not going to go bankrupt paying for your meal."

"How did you—?" I gaped at the accurate deduction of my main problem. Money.

"It is a common enough issue," the doctor smiled at me in the rearview mirror. "Now, Seattle has just about anything you can think of, in the way of culinary art. Go ahead and think of something you enjoy."

"Well… I guess," I reluctantly replied. Choosing what I wanted to eat had always been tough. I liked so many things that it became difficult to pick one particular meal. "I've always liked Italian."

"Italian it is, then," Carlisle agreed with a nod. Before he could say anything further, ringing interrupted him. It was Edward's cell phone.

"Alice," he answered briskly. A long pause stole over him while Carlisle and I listened intently. But Alice spoke very quietly indeed. I couldn't even hear a vague murmur through the speaker. "Thanks… I'll point it out… Yes, we'll go there… _Yes_ , Alice."

Biting my lip to reign in my amusement at his annoyed expression, I turned to look down at my hands, inwardly marveling over my sudden ease in what I had earlier thought to be a very weird dream.

"Alice would like me to give you a warm hello," Edward informed me, to which I brought my head up to catch his gaze, and smiled at Alice's friendliness. "She also would like to inform you of the soiled hem of your jeans and your ruined shoes, thanks to your journey in the woods. To which she added that we are to buy you something new. Don't argue!"

My mouth was half-open to deliver a refusal of this unnecessary kindness, but the look in Edward's eyes stopped me. Apparently, Alice was going to get her way. Tamping down his smirk, Edward continued, "Lastly, Alice suggested a particular store that you would end up liking."

"Alice isn't deciding for me?" I asked in disbelief. When had she become so loose-mannered about that?

"She mentioned something about you having decent taste," Edward shrugged and I felt strangely flattered that Alice thought I had good enough taste to shop on my own.

Sure enough, the store we ended up going into was exactly what I would have looked at. Well, if I had the exorbitant amount of money that Carlisle did, anyway. Normally I went to your average all-in-one grocery, home, and clothing store with my typical budget. Rarely did I go to the mall or large department stores; it was too expensive. This store, however, went beyond expensive. It was clearly top of the line. And Carlisle pushed me in ahead of him with only one warning.

Don't look at the price tag.

Did that actually _count_ as a warning?

Regardless the semantics of it all, while Edward ran off towards a music store down the street – something at which I wasn't all that surprised – I did as I was told. Carlisle was probably the most generous person in the world; he wasn't likely to retract his offer to buy me an outfit or two. Edward had made it clear Alice wanted a couple of options for me to work with while I was here.

It was only after Alice called Carlisle and fairly well chewed him out that we realized 'an outfit or two' meant a small wardrobe for the next two weeks.

Although everything overwhelmed my mind with incredible force – not the clothing selection alone, but the whole strange experience – I was able to pick out a fair amount of clothes without a single call from Alice about my style options. The only thing she ever called Carlisle for was a warning about buying too little. I was amazed that my taste really was good enough. By the time we hit the register, I had picked out several pairs of shoes and a multitude of pants, skirts, tops, jackets, pajamas, dresses, and accessories. Where I was going to wear the nicer dresses, I had no idea.

None of this included the outfit I'd put on in place of my wet, dirty, sweaty clothes from the forest run. Gray jeans, gray suede boots that reminded me of Legolas from _The Lord of the Rings_ , and a matching gray sweater with long sleeves and a cowl neck.

In spite of the cashier's dumbfounded face, Carlisle looked like he did this all the time – which, I had to remind myself, he probably did. Even though I'd imagined the black AmEx card he carried, seeing it in action was crazy. It was one of those cards that I knew I would never see because I would never have that much money. But here I was, staring at the thing where it sat so innocuously in Carlisle's hand.

Relieved to be leaving the now-envious cashier's presence, I followed Carlisle with a bag in each hand, while he carried the rest with ease. Edward was already waiting by the car when we returned, but I could hardly focus on him because of the small figure at his side.

She really _was_ tiny.

Ignoring Edward's amused scoff, I took in the short, spiky black hair and truly elfin features of Alice Cullen. The girl was even shorter than me, true to Stephenie Meyer's description. Granted, I was only five foot three myself, but still… All in all, Alice's most attention-drawing feature was actually her cheery smile. It promoted a small smile on my own face.

"Hi, Alice," I said meekly, gripping the shopping bags in my hands with furious strength born of anxiety.

"Hi, Mireille," she chirped in a friendly way, clearly in a very good mood. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you. You've been giving me trouble for at least a month."

"Sorry," I apologized instinctively through my haze, though I could acknowledge it probably wasn't my fault at all.

"Forgiven," Alice trilled with a small laugh, Edward smiling along with her. "Come on, I have to fix your hair. Then we'll get you dinner."

"Hey, wait a minute!" I yelped suddenly, shaking my head to clear it. At a sharp look from Edward, I lowered my voice to a furious whisper, "A _month_? What do you mean, a month? Edward didn't even… and Carlisle seemed so surprised…"

"We were," Carlisle reassured me, hands emptied of bags now that he had settled them in the trunk. He reached for the ones in my grip, which I relinquished very hesitantly to his care. The cold of his hands was a bit startling, but I felt pleased that I didn't jump in response this time. I would have to get used to it, anyway.

"Alice neglected to inform us of your eventual coming," Edward interceded quietly with a good-natured roll of his eyes. "She worried because the visions kept disappearing and reappearing, so she kept it secret. Jasper was worried sick about her for a while because she was so moody about it."

"You would be too if a friend turned up and then disappeared without warning," Alice retorted, opening the back door to usher me into the car and seat herself directly beside me.

Friend? Already? Again, I felt quite flattered.

"Turn that way." She prodded me a bit demandingly toward the opposite window, to which I sighed exasperatedly and did as she asked. Within moments of Edward and Carlisle getting back in – the former taking the passenger seat this time – my hair had been wrapped snugly in a very neat little chignon at the back of my head and Alice had turned me to face forward with my belt on.

"Thanks," I said in surprise, enjoying the freedom of having my hair out of the way, especially if I was about to eat.

"Your welcome," she smiled at me. "It was a little untidy after your run."

"You make it sound like a peaceful jog for my health."

Giggling a bit, Alice responded, "Well, at least you're all right now."

"True," I agreed, but thoughts of those pawing feet invaded my mind and I wondered if I really was all right. "Er… Emmett couldn't go on a giant-bear hunt, could he? That thing kind of freaked me out, you—"

As the three of them laughed, something came to mind I hadn't considered. Cutting myself off as abruptly as a cliff edge, I recognized one very important piece of information. Sam Uley must have changed already.

"Uley?" Edward turned sharply back to me, incredulity on his face at a reminder of one of the original treaty's 'signers,' so to speak.

"He's shifted into a wolf already, I think," I confessed, still reeling from the fact that Sam Uley in his wolf form had probably been trying to herd me safely out of the forest, not eat me alive. Not that it made me feel much better. Gigantic wolves weren't something I would feel all that fond of. And considering my general dislike of Jacob Black in the books, it didn't get much better. Of course Seth Clearwater was a cool kid, but I probably wouldn't meet him without meeting Jacob and the rest.

"The wolves?" Carlisle question just as sharply as Edward had. Edward, who was now reading my every thought about the wolves with a mixture of fascination and irritation. "You mean, they're still here?"

"It's because of you guys, actually," I sighed out the admission, not wanting them to feel responsible. "Because vampires are the natural enemy of the tribe's ancient shapeshifters, the gene is triggered whenever vampires are nearby for an extended period of time. And you guys have been here for a couple months already. As a matter of fact, I think Sam might not be the only one. Jared and Paul might have shifted, too. I can't remember how long it was until they finally changed."

"How do you know so much about them?" Alice inquired confusedly and I realized she probably didn't know how I came to learn about their family, just that I did and I would be a friend.

"In the world I'm from," I started, feeling like a _Star Wars_ junkie just from the choice of words, "you're all just fictional characters. You're in books and movies, but not reality. I've read the entire series about all of you. I've even read some excerpts that the author never published in the books. Extras and deleted scenes, you know?"

I didn't mention that I'd also been writing fanfiction stories about them, because I highly doubted that would be an enjoyable conversation. _Yes, guys, I've been writing stories that put you in weird situations and change couples around. Forgive me?_

"We're talking later," Edward told me imperiously and I cringed. Whoops. I forgot the mind-reader for a moment.

"Thanks so much," he added sarcastically, looking less and less pleased with me as we became more deeply acquainted.

"Sorry," I mumbled into my lap, feeling guilty. But it wasn't like I knew I would end up meeting them. They were fictional!

A sigh escaped Edward, one of weary resignation. "I'm sorry, too. This can't be easy for you."

_'_ _You can say that again_ ,' I thought specifically for him. The young man rewarded me with a genuine chuckle.

"Okay, so we're in a bunch of books," Alice repeated, narrowed eyes flicking between me and her brother suspiciously, "and you read them. So now you know all about our world. Is that it?"

"Pretty much." I nodded.

"The Volturi," Carlisle commented grimly, partly in question and partly as a reminder, I suspected.

"Die or be changed," I sighed, watching Edward flinch and Carlisle look repulsed at the crude method of self-protection. "Yeah, I know all about that. Um… and can I just say… Aro is not what you might think he is, Carlisle. He's… well, he's a huge idiot. That's all I'll say right now."

It wasn't as hard as I thought to reroute my thinking away from Aro's specific actions so as to spare Edward for the moment. Carlisle appeared very disturbed and I couldn't blame him. Aro had probably been his closest friend, of a sort, until Carlisle found Edward in Chicago. Edward's face softened imperceptibly at my thought and his eyes jumped toward his father's worried features with fondness. A smile crossed my face at their obvious bond; that was one of my favorite parts of the series. Edward apparently couldn't resist rolling his eyes at me, but he didn't comment.

"I can see there's more here than a simple knowledge of _what_ we are," said Carlisle gravely.

"A whole lot more," I nodded seriously.

"Well, it will certainly be a unique evening, then," Carlisle commented as blithely as he could, pulling into the parking lot of a very high-class looking restaurant called _Casa Fiorente_.

"I feel really underdressed."

"We all are," Alice sighed unhappily. "Well, except Carlisle. He's looking dapper, at least."

Chuckling, Carlisle turned the ignition off and exited the car gracefully, the three of us following suit and entering the lobby behind him. Every female eye that had even a slight peripheral view of the door turned to the vision of Carlisle as he stepped over the threshold. Half of them turned their gaze on Edward when he stepped up beside his father. Alice, too, got plenty of stares from the men, but what surprised me were the few gazes turned in my direction. Maybe they were in subconscious disbelief that a human stood with inhumanly beautiful vampires.

"Hardly," Edward murmured into my ear, his cool breath rustling the neck of my sweater. Clearing my throat awkwardly at both his lovely scent and the implied compliment, I had to turn away.

"Ah, benvenuto, Dottore!" The host – a thin, olive-skinned man with sparse beard and mustache – greeted Carlisle, vaguely smiling. Clearly Carlisle was only welcome because he paid a lot of money, rather than for his company. I wondered when Carlisle had come here before. "We have a private balcony, if you would prefer?"

"Per favore, Giancarlo. E grazie," Carlisle replied in flawless Italian, sounding as if he'd been born in the country. Then again he had spent a long time there back in the eighteenth century, so that wasn't such an unlikely circumstance.

"Ah, di niente, Dottore." Giancarlo airily waved away the thanks, snapping for a nearby waiter and moving on to a table where a customer waved him down.

"This way, please," the waiter, whose nametag read ' _Cecilio'_ , waved for us follow him. For some reason, his eyes lingered on me a second longer than they really should have. Edward sounded as though he was growling slightly, although too low for anyone else to really to hear it.

Unconsciously, I stepped further up to Carlisle, half hiding behind his tall form. Edward matched me to the point of almost touching shoulders with Carlisle. Cecilio recognized the warning for what it was.

Through the restaurant we walked in a direct line to the grand staircase – a boring, beige carpeted affair with smooth pine railings and a rustic chandelier above our heads every six feet. It wasn't exactly to my taste, but it obviously had been made with quality materials.

The stairs took a little longer than I was comfortable with after standing so long in the store, but we made it to the third floor without me falling flat on my face with exhaustion. Although I couldn't count the number of times Edward or Alice stopped me from tripping wearily on the carpet edge. Finally sitting down at the table was a relief.

At least until I had to choose my meal. Particularly when Carlisle suggested I choose a meal for all of them and then take it back to Forks to eat the next day. Nevertheless, I chose four separate meals after a while – all of them sitting untouched in front of the three Cullens – and settled into my salmon salad.

* * *


	3. Chapter 2: Introduction

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

_**Chapter Numbering:**_  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Previously** – Mireille Holden realized she was in the world of _Twilight_ , and met Carlisle Cullen & Edward Cullen for the first time. Alice Cullen insisted on a new wardrobe for Mireille, Carlisle took Mireille shopping in Seattle, and Alice showed up to say hello. Carlisle, Edward, and Alice took Mireille to Italian restaurant Casa Fiorente for a place to talk.

> **Chapter 2: Introduction**

Edward looked ready to shovel the food down my throat if I didn't eat any faster. Of course, I had taken a while to prepare the salad after being served, let alone actually eat it. And my thoughts had been somewhat preoccupied with Carlisle's and Edward's looks again. Alice alternately giggled at something only she could see and glared at Edward for something he was likely planning in that complicated head of his.

Ignoring their behavior – or perhaps too used to it to bother – Carlisle took out a pad of paper and a thick retractable pen, scribbling until it looked to cover a fourth of the little notepad's pages.

It was while taking my last bite that I noticed exactly what he wrote down… notes about me. Granted, some were about the wolves, some about the Cullens, some about this hitherto unknown 'Bella' I had mentioned… Ultimately it all revolved around my story and what other information I could give. I began to feel increasingly nervous about telling everything I could while saying it in a way that didn't send them all panicking and leaving Forks forever. That would be entirely counterproductive.

"You're going to drive Jasper insane," Edward muttered mutinously beneath his breath, but still loud enough for me to hear. Alice glared at him again and whatever she was thinking, it made him roll his eyes for the twentieth time that night.

"If he can live through high school, he can live through my presence," I said through gritted teeth, glaring at him the same as Alice. Jasper needed a confidence boost and reason to abstain. If he had those, he could conquer his thirst much better. Everyone hovering over him would just make him believe he couldn't do it.

"You haven't lived it," Edward hissed across the table at me, eyes seeming even blacker than they had been. "You read a book about us. So what? You have no idea what it's like to be one of us."

"Edward!" Carlisle said warningly, flashing a look at his son and then to the door as Cecilio brought a refresher for my tea.

Once the waiter left, I stared coldly into Edward's fathomless eyes and responded simply, "You have no idea what it's like to be Jasper."

Alice looked between the two of us in both interest and frustration.

"I'll explain later, Alice," I assured her firmly, studiously ignoring Edward's twinge of a growl.

"Oh!" the small vampire gasped half a minute later. Edward looked annoyed, but Carlisle and I focused on Alice. Her eyes found mine with absolute gratitude shining there. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I mumbled, embarrassed at the strength of her appreciation for something I had yet to actually do. It wasn't as though I had taken a bullet for Jasper.

To my surprise, Edward now looked torn. What over, I had no idea and suspected I wouldn't get an answer, as the resolve on his face proved all too well.

"Mireille," Carlisle caught my attention, sighing a bit. "If you don't mind, I would like to discuss some things with you."

"Of course," I agreed hesitantly.

"First of all," he took up his interrogation – albeit a kind one – with all seriousness, leaning forward to speak with me, "when you asked what the date was, you were exceptionally flustered."

I shifted awkwardly in my seat. "And you want to know why."

"Purely out of concern," Carlisle held up his hands in acquiescence. "You seemed quite horrified."

"Well, I guess it shouldn't have surprised me so much, actually," I began to explain. "I'm from 2008. You see, the books begin in January of 2005 and end some time after the new year in 2007. To be a part of it, I would have to be here sometime between 2005 and very early 2007. Of course, I never expected to be here before the main character even arrives."

"That being this girl named Bella?" Carlisle offered, one brow rising.

"Yes, that's the one," I confirmed in surprise, wondering how he deduced that.

"And who is Bella?" Alice asked.

"The whole reason the books even take place," I hedged. I tried really hard not to think about the exact details, so that Edward didn't learn too much too soon. It might not end well if he did. I had to be there in Forks with them for a reason, so it must have been to forewarn them about their future and help them make it a better one.

"Maybe, maybe not," Edward countered my thought pensively. "Perhaps you've ended up here because you belong here – because it's a better future for _you_."

"I doubt it," I murmured insecurely. Nice as his theory sounded, I had the unhappy feeling I might end up right back in Michigan once my work here was over; stuck in a job I didn't like, a welfare check coming every month, no family to spend my time with, acquaintances yet not friends hanging around, and no knowledge of ever having been in the middle of such a strange and wonderful adventure. It wasn't a pleasant idea at all.

"Don't think about that," Edward soothed me with remarkable kindness, stretching his arm out to barely skim my fingertips. It was oddly reassuring, to which Edward smiled and drew back his arm. "At any rate, perhaps you could tell us just a little about Bella."

"Okay, I'll try."

I took a deep breath and thought of the least complicated things to explain about Bella, something which pretty much covered the story up until she came to Forks, although a few things weren't too revealing later on. "Her name is Isabella, but she goes by Bella. She's Charlie Swan's daughter."

"Charlie Swan?" Carlisle interrupted in surprise. "I thought his ex-wife had custody all this time?"

"She did," I agreed, "or… well, _does_ have custody. They live in Phoenix, Arizona right now. But Renée – Bella's mom – is married to an amateur baseball player. His name is Phil and he's going to go on the road with his team sometime in January 2005. Renée would love to go, but she doesn't want to leave Bella. Bella, self-sacrificing as she is, will decide to move in with Charlie so her mom can go on the road with Phil."

"That's very mature of her," Carlisle commented with an appreciative smile.

"Bella usually is the mature one," I said, feeling slightly guilty about my own – self-interested, I guessed – upbringing. Not that my parents had let me be a brat of any kind, but I had never been the kind to serve first and play later. I wasn't unselfish.

"No one is," Edward reproached me. "You're human, not a machine."

"I hope you don't compare yourself to Bella," Alice suggested quietly, obviously gleaning what Edward referred to. "You seem to have plenty of good qualities yourself. You probably wouldn't be sitting here talking to us otherwise. Most people would be terrified."

Why would I be afraid of them? They were people with feelings, not animals, and I knew they wouldn't hurt me. Confusedly, I said, "But I know you won't hurt me."

"That's wonderful to hear, Mireille," Carlisle told me gently, patting my hand, "but it in no way lessens your courage simply because you know our personalities better than the average stranger."

Turning pink at the undue praises I received, I uttered a muffled thank you and awkwardly moved back into our discussion. "Well… Bella had to be mature, because Renée was a bit flighty. She loves Bella a lot, but she's always been off on her own plain."

The three of them laughed at that, bolstering my previously weak confidence. "Bella blushes a lot and she hates attention. I think that's mostly because she's so clumsy; she trips over air, pretty much. And it can really land her in some bad situations when there are unfriendly people around... Bella is very touchy about money. She wouldn't have accepted any of the things you've done tonight."

"Why not?" Edward asked with a frown.

"She wants to be able to pay for what she has on her own. It's her independence shining through." I shrugged. "Honestly, though, that kind of annoys me because I know some people just like to be generous and give others gifts. There's nothing wrong with that. The Bible talks about giving without hope of return. Of course, I'm a lot more religious than Bella is. Well I say religious, but I think you can be religious about anything, so that sounds kind of bad."

"We get the point," Edward interceded before I could ramble any further, but smile took up residence on his face.

"Sorry," I apologized, biting my lip. Yet Carlisle waved it off casually and allowed me to continue, "Um… anyway. Bella is big into reading. Probably more than I am. Although I can't say we agree on what constitutes good reading. _Wuthering Heights_ is such an annoying story. I can't even watch the movie, let alone sit through reading the entire book."

"Here, here," Edward cheered me on, grinning wider than he had all night and making Carlisle and Alice laugh. "I hate that blasted book."

"Well, Bella loves it," I settled the matter, still smiling at his good humor. "She likes a lot of the classics. She cries when she watches Romeo and Juliet's death scene."

"A true romantic, then," Carlisle chuckled.

"What does she look like?" questioned Alice, energy bouncing off of her almost visibly.

"Her hair is long and dark brown, with hints of red in the sunlight," I started listing the characteristics. "Her eyes are chocolate brown and her skin is extremely pale; almost like all of you, but not quite that white. She's five-foot-four and fairly thin, obviously not especially coordinated, I think her face is heart-shaped and… her bottom lip is out of proportion with the top lip, so she says."

"So she says?" Carlisle wondered, brow risen again – a move echoed by Edward.

"Bella is incredibly insecure," I informed them with a shrug. "She thinks she's really plain and boring and insignificant."

"Like _you_ think of yourself?" Edward inquired rhetorically. To that, I had no words.

"So," Alice took up the thread of conversation, cutting off any further remarks from Edward, "Bella is self-sacrificing, mature, a romantic, really insecure, uncoordinated, hates attention, and hates people spending money or effort on her. Did I cover everything?"

"She's also responsible, careful, a really bad liar," I added, "and let's just say she's stubborn. The severity depends on what the situation is, but overall she's just plain hard-headed."

" _How_ did we get _connected_ to this girl?" Alice asked exasperatedly.

"Well… that's kind of… the weird thing."

My hesitation spurred Edward to prompt me further. "Go on. What's the catch?"

"Bella is Edward's singer," I told them bluntly. Carlisle and Edward gasped out loud, but Alice seemed confused.

"A singer is a human whose scent is stronger for one vampire than any other," I explained, feeling bad for taking over what would normally be Carlisle's job. "Bella's scent is really strong in the first place, but for Edward it's almost unbearable."

"Do they have any classes together?" Carlisle asked concernedly. "This sounds very dangerous."

"They have biology together, but Edward controls himself," I offered confidently, even smiling a little. "He's tough as nails. Even when it's literally painful, he doesn't give in to the thirst."

"You sound like a proud parent," Edward remarked, voice a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"Well, you were pretty amazing," I insisted. "You fended off plans of following her to her house and all sorts of things."

"How do you know what my exact plans were?" he asked in shock, Carlisle and Alice imitating his stunned expression to a tee.

"Er… well, the main books are mostly in Bella's point of view," I nervously explained. "But for the first book, the author started writing a version in your point of view, too. There's a partially-completed draft of it, without any editing. It got leaked somehow, so she never finished it. It was really… uh… fascinating. Sorry."

Out of the blue, Edward exhaled sharply. "Fine. Go on. What do I do after fending off my own plans?"

"You drive to the hospital and Carlisle lets you take the Mercedes up to Denali," I answered. "You stay for a week and then come back, determined not to let some little girl force you and your family to move."

"Pride is the downfall of every man," Carlisle quoted ominously, though there was a decided twitch to his lips.

"That was… undeniably depressing, Carlisle," Edward sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head. A giggle escaped my throat at the odd little exchange.

"Terribly sorry, son," Carlisle commented good-naturedly, "but I have the feeling your pride will turn out to be the reason Bella gets acquainted with our family."

"True enough," I said under my breath. Of course, having vampire hearing, Edward caught it and scowled at me.

"I don't think I should say much more about Bella," I spoke out loud. "It might be too soon; might ruin the whole thing."

"Let's talk about the wolves, then," suggested Carlisle. "I am quite curious about them."

"There's a lot to say about them," I sighed. "I don't really have much patience for them in the story, but that's just me."

"Sam Uley is the alpha, isn't he?" wondered Edward.

"For now," I countered. "Jacob Black is supposed to be the alpha, because of his bloodline, but he probably won't even phase into his wolf form until sometime in the spring of two-thousand-six."

"Hm," Carlisle murmured pensively. "So the wolves are really back. This doesn't bode well, if they have not attempted to renew the treaty with us."

"They don't trust you at all," I added tentatively. "They keep to the treaty as loosely as possible. For instance, they would probably think it's fine to step on your land and not start a war, but if you do the same…"

"Hypocrites," Edward snorted. "At least Ephraim had the decency to keep his end of the bargain just as neatly as ours."

"Sam feels you're to blame for his troubles as a wolf."

I had to be fair and at least put the wolves' side out there.

"When he phased," I moved on determinedly, "he wasn't able to tell his girlfriend, Leah, what was going on. Only a wolf's imprint can be told about it. Then Sam met Leah's cousin, Emily. Sam realized Emily his imprint. It broke Leah's heart and Emily was angry with him for breaking things off because of her. They argued and then in his anger, Sam ended up phasing right next to Emily. Her face was mauled; you probably heard about her getting attacked by a bear?"

"No, we haven't heard anything," Edward shook his head, "but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. We would be the last people to know, I'm sure."

"Well, whenever it does happen, it's Sam. He'll hate himself for it, but end up blaming vampires for his phasing in the first place."

"That's really a tragic story," Carlisle sighed unhappily. "Yet as much as I wish we could prevent this, it's likely beyond our help now."

"Probably," I confirmed a bit miserably. It was really unfair that Emily couldn't have the immediate help of a superb surgeon like Carlisle, all because of the wolves' prejudice.

"What's an imprint?" was Edward's sudden question.

"The wolves have a way of finding their… soul mate, I guess," I told him, "but it might also be because the person they imprint on has the best genes to make a stronger wolf in the next generation. Anyway, when a wolf finds their imprint, it's like their world is realigned to orbit around the wellbeing and happiness of the imprint. It's not a conscious choice. They just… change."

"Doesn't the imprint get a choice?" Alice asked condescendingly. She plainly disliked the idea that the imprint was forced to choose. Based on what happened in the last book, I couldn't blame her.

"They get a choice," I tried to put it in the terms that Jacob Black had used in Eclipse, "but the theory is… why would they? Why would they not choose such a devoted love?"

"Hmph," Alice settled back into her chair. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Don't vampires have the same kind of thing, though? I mean you know when it's the right person, don't you?"

"Yes, that's quite true," Carlisle nodded his agreement, "Even if we deny it, the truth remains that our mate is one particular person and none other. We couldn't love another with the same dedication and strength as our true mate."

"I guess that's the same thing," Alice huffed. "But it sounds better. It sounds mutual. With the wolves, it's only the wolf that has that mystical connection. The imprint doesn't have the same knowledge."

"That's a valid point, I suppose," Carlisle complied. "But let's move on with our conversation. We don't want to spend the rest of the night here. It's already eleven o'clock."

"When does the restaurant close?" I asked curiously. Eleven was a typical closing time for me.

"Around two o'clock," he replied. "The nightlife is later here than in a place like Port Angeles or Forks. Especially Forks."

"I kind of guessed that," I remarked dryly and he chuckled.

"What else could you tell us about the Quileutes?" Edward inquired anew.

"Let's see…" I thought of what was important. "By the time graduation rolls around in the books, there are ten wolves. One of which is Leah Clearwater."

"A female?" Carlisle wondered.

"She becomes really bitter about it," I said simply.

Silence grew between us for a moment until Alice asked the one question I'd been half-hoping someone wouldn't bother to think of.

"So, how much of _our personal_ stories do you know?" Her face became suffused with high interest and it made me uncomfortable somehow.

"A lot," I hesitated, mainly because Alice would not be very happy about what there was of her history. Edward speared me with a piercing look when he heard that, but I gave him a pleading expression in return. "In the first book, we hear about everyone's stories, save Jasper and Rosalie. And in the second book, Carlisle tells all about finding Edward in the hospital. Then in the third book, we finally hear about Rosalie and Jasper."

"So you know all about us," Carlisle concurred politely. "Even our most terrible moments."

"Yes, even those," was my apologetic admission.

"I think it's a good thing," he went on to say thoughtfully, "that you have some background from which to acknowledge us all individually. Or avoid us, as might also be the case."

"I don't want Jasper to think he has to keep away from me," I boldly declared of a sudden. "I'm not an accident-prone person, so I don't go bleeding everywhere. Not even paper cuts. Besides, I like Jasper too much to not try getting to know him."

Alice's grinning face was enough to make me glad I hadn't kept silent on this point. "I think Jasper will like you, Mireille. You're blunt, but still tactful, and you won't let people walk all over you. He's like that, too."

"Just as long as he doesn't take the whole Yankee and Confederate thing too far," I joked timidly.

Alice laughed brightly. "He had better not. Four people in this family are considered Yankees."

"Actually, Carlisle is considered a foreigner," Edward smirked slyly at his father, who playfully narrowed his eyes and swatted at the mess of bronze hair atop his son's head. He missed, obviously, but Edward's grin more than made up for it.

"Ah, one more question," Carlisle suddenly spoke, turning to face me once more with a grave glint in his eyes, "How much do you know of Esme's story? You said our darkest moments, but…"

"If you mean Charles," I said very quietly, rousing a wild hiss from Edward.

"That's exactly what I mean," Carlisle sighed deeply.

"I would never bring that up," was my fervent response. "Never."

"I just wanted to make sure," he softly calmed me. "It is a difficult topic for any of us to think about, but for her…"

I only nodded my understanding, admiring the tenderness in his expression that was reserved solely for Esme.

"Oh, please don't start waxing poetic again," Edward groaned.

Scowling seemed to me a very good pastime where it concerned Edward's less-than-sensitive behavior.

"Before we leave," Carlisle broke in before we could argue, "Are there any particular questions you have for us?"

Only half a million, but who was counting? For the sake of time, I didn't go into the more complex things I was curious about.

"Well… this is kind of weird, I guess," I started, taking a deep breath, "but here goes... Does Jasper have any significant accent? Or has it been obliterated?"

"Oh, goodness, no," Alice sighed happily, "His accent is wonderful. He tends to limit it in public, so no one wonders why Rosalie doesn't share it. Otherwise, it's superb."

"Neat," I couldn't help grinning. "I have a fascination with accents. Especially from Texas. And England, Scotland, and Ireland."

"I believe they call that the United Kingdom," Edward dryly commented, but I ignored him much to his continued amusement.

"So you have two of them covered in this family," Alice twittered brightly.

"Sort of," I shrugged disappointedly. "Carlisle doesn't have enough of an accent right now. Honestly, if he started spewing seventeenth century English right now, I could die a happy woman."

Edward burst into raucous laughter after my admission, as did Alice. Carlisle looked like he would have been blushing, but he could not be any more embarrassed than I was. I'd gotten a bit too involved in the whole discussion.

"Can we maybe forget I ever said that?" I muttered hopelessly. Talk about too much information.

"Quite all right," Carlisle graciously waved it off, but he couldn't quite look me in the eye as he said it.

"Any other fascinating questions?" Edward prodded me with a grin.

"No," I refused flatly.

"Then let's go," Carlisle said in a very final way, cutting off Edward's potential retort. "Esme is anxious, I'm sure."

"I'll call Jasper," Alice announced happily. "Explain it all to him. He'll get the others calmed by the time we arrive."

"That sounds really ominous," I moaned worriedly.

"I will not let them intimidate you," Carlisle firmly stated, standing from his seat. "Come."

Accepting that I really didn't have anywhere else to go, I stood as well and followed him through the restaurant while Edward took up a spot behind me. Alice dealt with bagging up the leftover meals, one hand securing everything in sight and the other clamped solidly around her cell phone, her mouth moving at astronomical speeds. Shaking my head again at the oddity of the whole evening, I turned back around and stepped carefully down the stairs at Edward's prodding.

The air outside had grown considerably colder since my jaunt in the woods, unless it was just the shock that made me unaware of the crisp air.

"It's dropped about ten degrees," Edward disclosed. The car seemed a great deal more appealing now than a minute before, when I thought about how cold I was.

A sudden weight of fabric around my shoulders startled me, but as I soon saw, it was nothing more than Edward's coat. He had laid it around my shoulders.

"Thank you," I murmured low, pulling the dark blue plaid garment tighter around me to hopefully trap in whatever warmth I had.

"You're welcome," he offered, shrugging off the thanks and reaching out to open the car door for me. Carlisle already had the Mercedes running and heat blowing through the car, a lovely warm cocoon surrounding me in the middle of the backseat. Even with two freezing cold vampires on either side, I immediately began to lose the November chill and relax into my seat, Alice chattering top speed to Jasper in the background.

"Better?" Edward verified amusedly when I snuggled down into my coat burrow.

"Mm, much," I concluded pleasantly, to which he smiled, and that was the last thing I said until we came upon the Forks welcome sign.

"Never thought I'd actually see that sign," I commented out of the blue. Alice laughed a little, her phone now stashed away in her purse.

My curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask, "What did Jasper say?"

"He wasn't too convinced at first," Alice admitted easily, "but when I told him about my visions and that Edward could read the truth in your thoughts, he decided to give it a chance. Rosalie is furious, so she might be overbearingly rude to you."

"Don't let that bother you, though," Edward said coldly, and I felt thankful it was not directed at me. "Rosalie is rude to everyone as a general rule."

Carlisle passed a weary look to his son in the rearview mirror, but did not say anything. Suspicion filled me that he heard this all the time. Not that I ever doubted it. Rosalie and Edward only seemed to get along after… I had to stop my self from thinking of the hybrid baby that changed everything. Edward gave me a very curious look.

"What about Emmett and Esme?" I asked as a distraction.

"Nothing to worry about," Alice comforted me with a smile and a pat to my hand. "Emmett is convinced because Edward knows what you're thinking. And because Carlisle is okay with it."

"And Esme?" I asked worriedly when she didn't continue.

Grinning, Alice replied, "She's already deciding what to make for your breakfast tomorrow."

Laughter bubbled up in my throat at the idea. Here Esme was, never having heard of me, never having seen me, and she was willing to make me breakfast like I was part of the family. I couldn't restrain myself from saying, "She's such a sweet woman."

"That she is," Carlisle agreed softly from the front seat, a wistful smile crossing his features.

My mind began wandering over the upcoming meeting with the other four Cullens, and nervousness began to set in. How was I supposed to greet them? Would they all stand ten feet away and nod stoically while my scent lingered in the air, the big elephant in the room? Was my scent any stronger than other humans?

Before Edward could make any comments on my chaotic thoughts, I asked Alice, "Is shaking hands off limits?"

"With Jasper, yes," she confessed with a weary sigh. "Just because he won't allow it. He'd be too worried about… well, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"I believe your interest in him will slowly change his mind," came Edward's casual comment. He didn't look sarcastic as he said it, but I couldn't be sure.

"I'm not being sarcastic," he sighed exasperatedly. "Jasper is used to people feeling fear around him. If you are as immune to that fear as you seem to be, then your fascination with him will be at the forefront of your emotions."

"At first it might throw him off guard," Alice picked up, "but I think he'll like the change. And your bravery."

All the talk of bravery and courage began to be a little overwhelming. I never once felt brave or courageous in any part of my life. Unless job interviews counted, though I didn't think so. I'd always thought bravery was about overcoming your fears. If I wasn't afraid of the Cullens in the first place, I wasn't overcoming anything. Where was the bravery in that?

"You'll see," Edward challenged me quietly. There was nothing I could say to that without coming across as petulant, so I kept my silence again, taking in the local scenery with as much attentiveness as possible. From what I could see in the dark, everything seemed small and relatively old, with literally a host of greenery on nearly every square inch. The more green that passed us by, the more I liked it. I couldn't see why Bella hated the green so much. Granted, she was from Arizona and I was from a snowy state. Bella's world was somewhat degraded, while for me this was actually an upgrade. Forks didn't get as much snow as Michigan, as far as I knew. It was greener a lot longer around here.

Nothing was familiar from the books at first, except that I saw a small sign pointing towards the direction of the hospital. The police station showed up not long after, right off of the main road, and I wondered if Charlie Swan was working that night and whether or not he had any idea that Bella was coming to stay with him in the future. He must have gotten lonely at times. I was glad that Bella decided to come stay in Forks. Much as Charlie annoyed me on some counts, I felt bad for him that Renée had been so flighty and had so little care as to how he would feel over her departure with their only daughter.

As if a big splat of black paint had just been thrown on a canvas, the world turned darker than ever. The trees grew denser, the canopy of leaves came lower, and the branches reached out like tentacles to brush the window occasionally. Only when I noticed us passing over the bridge on what must have been the Calawah River did I realize we were so close to the infamous three-story house. I wondered interestedly if it would look like the modernity of the film or the old-fashioned white I read about. Would it have the meadow-like lawn of the books? Would the piano be white or black? The questions popped into my head so frequently that I hadn't finished thinking them up by the time the car stopped. Overwhelming anxiety clawed at my stomach when I realized, but Alice was already pulling me out of the car to stand on the paved ground outside.

One brief look up at my surroundings stopped every errant worry in its tracks.

To say I loved the charming, old-fashioned white house was a vast understatement. It was the kind of place I had always dreamed about living in. Large, but not an unlivable enormous size, with an enchanting and vast collection of windows across the three stories and a sprawling meadow in front. The very atmosphere was that of a fairytale. Misty, green, otherworldly, but utterly beautiful.

I didn't know my mouth was parted in awe until Carlisle kindly tucked my chin back into place and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Edward and Alice have gone in ahead of us. Are you ready?"

My fluttering stomach flopped awkwardly. Looking up into his searching gaze, I swallowed hard and nodded once. Better to get it over with than sit wallowing outside in the cold. Smiling understandingly, he ushered me up to the front door and pulled it open to allow me in first. We stood in the entryway long enough for Carlisle to help me out of my coat and Edward's, both of which he hung on one of the many hooks adorning the wall far to our left. We turned as one for this strange introduction to face the line of Cullens now standing on the opposite side of the foyer, backed against the honey-colored circular staircase.

Edward took up the middle of the line, an anxious Esme close to his right side. Emmett – more enormous than I'd anticipated – and Rosalie stood together at the far left, Emmett's arm wrapped a little too tightly around the waist of his wife; it was a restraining move. Carlisle's arm moved to wrap around my shoulders once again, a gesture I felt intensely thankful for as I noticed Rosalie's defensively crossed arms and her incensed face, glorious even in wrath, staring me down from across the way. Luckily I stopped myself from knocking backwards into Carlisle out pure shock. I didn't want to give Rosalie the advantage of knowing just how much she bothered me.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Edward grinning. I couldn't know if it was meant for me or one of his family members, but I liked that he was pleased about something. Forcing my eyes away from Rosalie's unfriendliness, I move to look at the right end of the line where Alice – smiling brightly beside Edward – stood arm in arm with Jasper. For his part, the Texan vampire was stiff as a statue, but something in his eyes indicated curiosity. I smiled tentatively at him, testing out my confidence, and the set of his face slackened in surprise.

"This is Mireille," Carlisle announced to his family, squeezing my shoulder reassuringly. "She knows all about us and has no intentions whatsoever of revealing our secrets, as Edward can attest to. We will, of course, treat her with respect."

His stern expression cornered Rosalie's upset one until she looked away in angry defeat. Carlisle continued on with a much easier tone, "Mireille, although I'm certain you know exactly who everyone is, allow me to formally introduce you. You've met Edward and Alice of course."

Everyone except Rosalie chuckled at Alice's bouncing nod, though Esme's 'chuckle' leaned more towards a tinkling of crystal.

"Emmett," Carlisle indicated the burly vampire, who grinned and winked at me. I guessed the big guy was being careful until Rosalie cooled off. Which might never happen, but I didn't want to think about that. Instead, I grinned back at Emmett a little; that seemed to make him elated.

"And Rosalie." Rosalie ignored me completely, so I only nodded in her direction. I wasn't going to match her rudeness just because I could.

When he introduced his wife, Carlisle removed his arm from my shoulders and elegantly stretched both hands to her, beckoning her to come over by us. "This is Esme, my beloved wife and companion."

"Hush, Carlisle," Esme affectionately murmured with a small smile on her lips as she crossed the small distance at a human pace, but her husband merely laughed lightly and squeezed her hands tightly in his grasp once they were given to him. "It's very nice to meet you, Mireille."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Esme." I smiled warmly at her, finally finding my tongue. "Thanks for welcoming me in so quickly. I didn't mean to disrupt everything. In fact, I didn't even know I was actually here until I saw who was helping me."

Esme smiled just as warmly back, briefly reaching to squeeze my hand. "You didn't disrupt anything, dear."

A disbelieving snort from Rosalie was almost too quiet for me to make out. Again I just ignored her, even if everyone else seemed highly annoyed by it. Almost in spite of my silence, Edward, Esme, and Carlisle turned to reprimand (or insult) the blonde. This time, she started arguing back, with Emmett trying in vain to play peacemaker. I knew the drill pretty well after reading the books, so I didn't listen closely. With everyone so preoccupied, my introduction to Jasper was getting neglected. Left fairly well alone now, I turned with a sigh to find Jasper growing more agitated by the second with his family's arguing. Alice had even stepped away from him to argue with their sister. Until that point, I had decided to just let them get on with what they felt was necessary, but Jasper's posture just continued to grow stiffer and stiffer. Giving up on my no-action policy, I started thinking of the calmest things I could fathom.

A lot of tries ended up punctuated by the debate on the other side of the room, so I finally closed my eyes and began imagining myself walking through a peaceful meadow filled with tall grasses waving in a breeze from up off the water. The sky would be slightly overcast, but tinged with a soothing blue tone, and the air would smell crisp and fresh. I would have nothing to do, save wander in a light, comfortable dress, letting the breeze drag loose tendrils of hair off my face and lift the hem of my dress a few inches off the ground to flutter behind me. It was freeing and relaxing to envision my boundless day in the breeze, easing away the stress and anxiety of the entire night as cleanly as a brisk rain.

* * *


	4. Chapter 3: Initiation

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

_**Chapter Numbering:**_  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Music In This Chapter:**  
_Got My Own Thing Now_ by Squirrel Nut Zippers  
_Twilight_ by Squirrel Nut Zippers  
_Put A Lid On It_ by Squirrel Nut Zippers

**Notes:  
** I changed the year for plot purposes. It's 2003, when the Cullens have only recently moved to Forks.

**Previously** – Edward & Mireille debated about Jasper. Mireille discussed Bella, Quileutes, and Cullen histories. Mireille entered Forks for the first time and met the Cullens. Rosalie was unhappy with Mireille's presence and the Cullens argued. Mireille tuned out the argument and exuded calm feelings.

> **Chapter 3: Initiation**

"That's quite a talent you have." A deep, southern voice fluidly ingratiated itself in my daydream, lifting me carefully from the confines of the windy meadow and back into the real world.

Opening my eyes, I found Jasper's lean form standing tall and at ease only three feet away from me. Every shred of agitation was gone.

"Hello, Jasper," I greeted him with an easy smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Mireille," he nodded. Now that I really looked at him closely, I had to stop myself from staring or feeling too overawed at his handsome face. There was a ruggedness about his features that was quite charming. And my goodness, did he make me feel short! He was only an inch taller than Edward and Carlisle, but something about him was exceptionally long looking. "Thank you for helping me keep things under a bit of control."

"It's no trouble," I shrugged, catching a glimpse of Alice to the left. She was the only one who remained with us, a large grin plastered across her face for the umpteenth time. "Frankly, I had no idea what I was doing. Was it too much?"

"Not at all." Jasper shook his head. "When it comes to the calming types of emotions, there's really no such thing as an overload."

"Oh, that's good then," I said a bit awkwardly. He was staring directly at me now, something I'd never dealt with very well.

Jasper stepped back abruptly, looking as though he had stomped on my toes.

"It's not you," I assured him instantly, before Alice had the chance. "I'm just not… very… comfortable with direct attention."

"Ah," he nodded, appearing much more at ease after that clarification. "My apologies, Ma'am."

I couldn't help grinning at the reminder of his first words to Alice. "Uh, I think it's Alice's line next."

Jasper's face bloomed into a wide smile, Alice giggling away beside us just before she popped up to his side in a blur of movement that left me reeling. I had never in my life seen something move that fast. The effect of the speed was blinding.

"Sorry," she apologized sincerely, though the smile never left her face.

"It's okay," I mumbled, blinking away the surprise as much as possible. I felt almost like this was all part of an initiation night, what with how many strange, surreal things I had experienced so far. "I guess I'll get used to that."

"You will," Alice assured me confidently, and I had no reason to doubt her. "So, would you like the grand tour? Or would you prefer for Carlisle to do that?"

An odd question, I thought, but did not say out loud. "Um, I don't know."

"Carlisle, then," she shrugged. "You'll love hearing his story first hand, anyway, although I don't think that will happen tonight. You look tired."

"Do I?" I asked pointlessly. I knew I was getting drowsy. It had been late enough when I first came here, but after having a good meal and so much discussion, it was definitely nearing time for bed.

"Yes, and you know it very well," she admonished me, but kindly. "Come on, you can sleep in our room for the night."

"Are you sure?" I blushed a decently dark shade of pink, embarrassed of my reasoning behind the doubts.

"Oh, we can go elsewhere for that," Alice winked viciously at me, and I blushed a full-blown cherry red, to which she had to respond, "You're so funny, Mireille."

"Don't I know it," I mumbled uncomfortably. Jasper didn't look very forthcoming either, which made me feel a little better. Of course, that may have only been his insecurity about the blood-lust, considering my beet red face, but I didn't want to question him.

"Come on, let's go," Alice ushered me forcibly towards the staircase. "You'll have to be carried if we wait any longer."

"Okay, okay," I exclaimed, climbing the stairs somewhat sluggishly. "No need to get snippy."

"Hark who's talking," Alice retorted, albeit in a friendly way. "By the way, what do you eat for breakfast?"

"Oh, I don't know," I replied, taken slightly aback by the sudden question. "It depends on what you guys have in the fridge and the cupboards, I guess."

"Like we can't go out and buy it in the middle of the night?" She questioned me in exasperated humor. "Just tell me what you like. Esme would love to cook for you. She's very good at it, despite not having anyone to cook for."

I knew that much, but kept to myself. No need to be a know-it-all. I needed to give them time to adjust to me, anyway. For me it may be familiar, but for them it was all new. Well, for all of them except Alice. I wasn't sure how much she had seen of my time here before my actual arrival. Maybe she had only seen my arrival out in the woods. Whatever the case, I resolved to ask her at some point in the future.

"Waffles, then, please," I sighed, giving in for the simple fact that Alice wouldn't let up until she found out what I liked to eat. Well, that and I was really getting tired. "With a lot of strawberries, a little maple syrup, and whipped cream on top. And skim milk to drink."

"No meat?" wondered Alice. "I thought humans ate meat a lot."

"We only _need_ about five ounces a day," I responded. At least I had paid attention to my nutrition facts at some point. "Some people need more, some even less. I probably eat a little more just because I like it."

"Oh, then don't you want any for breakfast?" she asked bewilderingly, looking a little frustrated.

"Bacon," I added resignedly with a shake of my head. I didn't feel like explaining the nuances of a human being's ever-changing appetite just then.

"Okay," Alice complied with a much more cheerful nod. "Waffles with a lot of strawberries, a little maple syrup, and whipped cream on top. Skim milk. Bacon. Is that all?"

"Yep," I agreed quickly as we reached the landing to the second floor, when a question popped into my head that I was terribly curious about. "Alice?"

"No, we don't have a graduation cap collage," she cut me off before I could actually ask the question, pausing beside me with a look of distaste on her features. "What a stupid idea for them to put in a movie about us. We have far more important decor to talk about."

"But Carlisle's cross is here, right?" That was one thing I really wanted to see. If they had put it out yet, that is. Maybe it wasn't hung in its spot in the hallway until later on. I mean, it was only 2003. When Bella saw the artifact, it was 2005.

"Of course," Alice waved off the question impatiently. "It's not out yet, but it's here. Carlisle and Esme have yet to decide on the proper place for it."

I was right, then. And in spite of knowing exactly where they put it, I didn't bother telling Alice that. What fun would it be if Carlisle and Esme didn't choose the spot for themselves? That was half the enjoyment of decorating your personal space.

Alice continued on ahead of me while Jasper moved me forward with a gentle prod of emotional urgency, stopping with me at the door to his and Alice's room. This was a place that had never been described in the book, so I could hardly contain my curiosity as to what it looked like. If I remembered correctly, only Alice's bathroom counter had been described, considering the fact that Bella had been particularly distracted at the time.

"Here we are," Alice announced in sing-song voice, pushing open the door with a flourish. "Make yourself at home. Only don't mess with the guitar. Jasper might have to throw-down if you do."

A light, playful growl from Jasper for his wife's teasing remarks pushed a grin on my face as I stepped inside the spacious room, taking definite note of the guitar and armchair off in the farthest right corner of the room. The space was actually quite the opposite of the rest of the house's light, neutral scheme. Granted, I had always expected Alice's room to be different from Esme's neutrals – perhaps something frilly and girly. But in truth the room had all the earmarks of an English gentleman's study: lots of dark leather, intricate moldings around every doorway and the ceiling, a huge oriental rug that pulled in a vast array of blue and red and golden tan, thick dark blue drapes, gleaming dark hardwood floors, and the wall behind the bed covered in dark blue wallpaper printed with large red flowers. On the same golden walls hung classical artwork in a mixture of Greek gods and Civil War battles, yet both themes tastefully set to the colors and patterns in the room.

An enormous closet took up half the space on the long wall opposite the door, though admittedly it was not horribly disproportionate. How that worked, I couldn't fathom, but didn't bother asking. To the left and ahead of the closet was the bathroom door, open enough that I noticed a much more modern white scheme, although it still carried some of the dark blue and red and taupe of the bedroom. There was a desk tucked into the extended corner between bathroom and closet– a roll-top that looked like a perfect restoration – covered in a multitude of books and papers. I suspected it was all Jasper's stuff, considering Alice's fashion designs were probably on the computer downstairs that Edward and Carlisle had fixed for her.

A more-than-king-sized bed dressed with deep blue and red floral bedding was tucked deeply into an alcove to the right of the door – a space that I thought must have been the closet in Esme's original design. Trust Alice to change that for her clothing needs… At the foot of the bed was a dark brown sofa with a back that curved on the top.

The wall facing the front of the house – to the right of the entry – held a unit with a large stereo system and a few racks of CDs rising up the wall behind it.

To the left of the door was a corner seating area housing two dark leather chairs with studded legs and arms. A round coffee table in the very heart of the corner was balanced by an ottoman that matched the chairs. The arrangement added a sense of Western style that I attributed to Alice hoping to put a touch more Jasper into the space. It certainly seemed to succeed.

"It's a beautiful room," I finally commented, a small smile taking up residence on my face. "I love the paintings. They all work together very well."

"Thanks!" Alice chirped giddily. "Jasper actually picked them out."

"Really?" I asked, turning around to look at him in surprise.

"The art just seemed to match everything here." He shrugged, looking quite modest. "Alice and Esme decided where they should hang on the walls."

"Still, Jasper, they're very elegant paintings," I said sincerely. "You did an exceptional job."

"Thank you," he nodded slowly.

"Oh, you're clothes!" Alice piped up suddenly, popping solidly up onto the tips of her toes. If she had been sitting down, I had the feeling that she would have leapt up as she spoke. "How could I have forgotten?"

"I'll get them," Jasper offered kindly, disappearing from my sight in a whoosh of movement.

In the meantime, Alice led me to the bathroom and pointed out where everything was. Her mandarin-scented shampoo was decent, but when I caught a whiff of her body wash, I literally gagged. Glancing at the royal blue label, I could immediately see why.

"Chocolate Mint," I read aloud in disbelief, before pushing the offending bottle back into the cabinet it came from. "Eurgh! At least your natural scent overrides that one."

Alice laughed at me, clearly not offended. Thankfully she didn't take this as seriously as clothes. "Sorry. We'll shop for all of your hygiene products tomorrow."

"Don't you have any regular soap?" I asked a bit desperately. I definitely would want to shower in the morning, but if I had to smell that body wash in a hot, enclosed space, I might end up physically ill.

"I don't," she shook her head, "but Esme might have something that smells better."

"Honestly, Alice, just about anything would smell better than _that_ stuff," I admitted, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

The small vampire's chiming laugh echoed while she whisked out of the bedroom, presumably to ask Esme about soaps. While she was gone, I settled on the edge of the bed trying to erase the smell of chocolate mint from my mind. I didn't succeed very well, even when I tried to distract myself with the bags Jasper had long since dropped off in the room.

"I don't blame you," came Edward's disgusted voice from the door, startling me. He was beside me in an instant, leaving me to refocus on him with slow human reflexes. "Try this."

Curious, I looked down at the bottle he offered me. The brand was unfamiliar (which probably meant it was too expensive for me to know it), but it looked fairly bland. Tentatively opening the lid, I took a very cautious whiff of the stuff. Pleasantly surprised by the rain-fresh scent that wafted into my nose, I actually smiled a little. "That's much better. I like the smell of rain."

"Keep it, then," Edward offered. "We usually buy three at once, just so we don't have to go shopping as often. So I don't need this really."

"You use this?" I asked blankly.

"Yes," he answered plainly, slipping over to the door. I felt like I was missing something, when the cocky idiot turned back to me with the flash of a wink and a devilish smirk. "Don't hyperventilate in the morning."

My jaw dropped at his gall, but he only laughed at me and disappeared from view. I was still fuming when Alice returned. As I had begun to suspect after Edward's impromptu visit, Alice came back empty-handed. Glaring icily at her cheerful countenance, I stood to dig out the first pair of pajamas that I could find in the shopping bags and headed silently into the bathroom to change.

I was left well enough alone after I returned from the bathroom (feeling vaguely less irritable, it must be said), and only after leaving me the remote for the stereo did Alice venture outside of her bedroom on a more permanent basis. As I hesitated over rifling through the CD collection, I found myself deeply pondering how the tiny vampire could possibly have known about my ritual. Namely that every night, I put a song or even an entire CD on repeat and left it on until the morning; it always helped me sleep. Without it I tended to toss and turn for hours and wake up completely restless and groggy the next day. Even for Alice, it seemed strange to know about this habit of mine. I had made no decisions about the stereo or music or anything even remotely close to it.

"That would be my fault," came an increasingly familiar voice from the doorway. Again, Edward stood at the entrance of the room, albeit looking far less mischievous than earlier. In fact, he looked mildly apologetic.

My tone was reluctantly forgiving – of both the previous smart remarks and whatever current misdemeanor Edward had taken part in – as I asked, "What do you mean?"

"I heard you thinking about it," he confessed in a low voice. "It didn't seem conscious. More like a habit you just instinctively contemplated. So I suggested it to Alice."

"And that's bad… why?" I inquired quite curiously. Actually that was a nice thing for him to do.

"Most people don't like someone reading their mind and intruding," admitted Edward. "But you're very different for some reason."

"I guess I like not having to vocalize things sometimes," I cautiously told him. "I'm not very good with social interaction. You must have noticed that this evening."

"Not especially," he wryly responded. "I find you to be rather engaging, truth be told. So do the others."

Except Rosalie, I thought for his benefit. He chuckled as he replied, "Well, there's always an exception, isn't there?"

"True enough," I smiled a little in good humor. "Thank you for telling Alice. I sleep so much better with music on."

What kind of music was a question I had yet to answer, since Alice's and Jasper's music collection hadn't struck much gold with my tastes. At least not for nighttime peacefulness; most often I enjoyed instrumental pieces for that. Most of their CDs had been lyrical.

"You're welcome," Edward distractedly commented, then continued tentatively, "I have a large variety of instrumental CDs you can look over. If you wish, that is."

"You'd let me borrow one?" Frankly, I was surprised. I thought Edward didn't like people touching his music collection.

"I don't," he shrugged, leaving it at that. Leaving the subject alone as well, I slowly moved towards him, still worried that I was overstepping a lot of boundaries in this house.

"You'll have to get used to it," Edward informed me, a glint of mischief back in his eyes, and I began to think that sentence would become my catchphrase.

For the first time since entering the Cullen home, I headed up the stairs to the third floor and followed Edward into his bedroom. It was very much like how Stephenie Meyer had described it, only there were books lying everywhere the same as they had shown in the movie – just tidier.

Where Bella had been described as feeling immediate apprehension upon seeing Edward's stereo system, I felt excitement bubble up in me and the drowsy feelings of sleep fade away. It was a fancy system, for sure. And I was positively itching to hear how powerful the bass on it was. Edward chuckled at my newly energetic thoughts, then gently steered me towards the gigantic collection of music he had amassed and organized on his wall. Remembering – much to Edward's amusement – that it was ordered by year and then personal preference, I started looking at the latest CDs out of sheer nosiness. Before I began to sift titles, a question came to mind that I hadn't considered before.

"When you say year," I turned to Edward with furrowed brows, "Do you mean the year the CD was produced or the year the music came out?"

"With the classical pieces, it's based on a general timeline of when the actual music was popular," he explained exactly what I had been specifically curious about. "Beethoven, for instance, would be after Mozart, but before Strauss."

Nodding my understanding, I turned back to the most recent additions to the collection with interest. I couldn't remember everything that I had listened to back in 2003. It had been my first year at high school, so it couldn't have been as terrible as my music options in middle school. Some vague remembrance of Britney Spears, *NSync, and Backstreet Boys made me cringe horribly and caused Edward to snort loudly.

"I don't have _any_ of that," he said with a satisfied, but disgruntled expression.

"Good," I remarked firmly, only too happy not to see those titles on his shelves. "I don't need a flashback to sixth grade, thank you very much."

"You might have a hard time with the music selection, though," Edward said thoughtfully. "I mean, all of the latest music now is… incredibly old for you, isn't it?"

"No. Well, the mainstream stuff definitely is, but some of the things _you_ listen to right now might be something I've never heard before. I may love it."

"What kind of music _do_ you like?" he asked, and I noticed that his voice was coming from an entirely different part of the room. Turning back, I watched him settle on his black sofa at a reasonable human pace; at least compared to the speed he must have moved in order to change positions so swiftly.

"Oh, everything," I laughed lightly. "I can honestly say I like at least three songs from every genre that has ever existed."

" _Every_ genre?" was Edward's doubtful response, but I knew I could prove it to him if I had enough of a selection to work from. He took up my challenge quickly, "Well, go ahead and look at these. I'm sure I have a little of everything."

Pursing my lips, I decided not to rise to his bait. "I can't even see most of them, let alone reach them."

"Then I'll pull them all down," he decided impetuously, a sort of brightness in his gaze. Sure enough, in a matter of a minute he took down every single CD on the shelves and lined them up around the room like a blockade. "Go on, have a look."

This time I followed his advice, standing and bending over the long snakelike shape to inspect titles in a sidestep motion. From the classics on down to the very early stages of jazz, I found a lot I would probably love to hear at some point.

A distinct lack of music from the sixties and seventies irritated me greatly. I suddenly remembered that in the book, Edward said he didn't like those two decades. Oh, but when the eighties showed up, there were stacks of CDs by a bunch of people who sounded exactly the same. The sixties and seventies were undoubtedly better in my mind.

"You can't possibly name a decent group or musician from the sixties and the seventies," Edward said agitatedly, appearing quite confident in himself.

"Queen," I snapped immediately. If that group hadn't had talent, then no one did.

Edward opened his mouth as if to protest, but shut it abruptly with a heavy frown. "Fine. One."

"The Beatles," I cut in before Edward could make any further sarcastic retort, and then cut in again when he seemed to build up his steam once more, "David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, CCR, Aretha Franklin, Cream, The Boxtops, Roy Orbison, Ray Charles, the Monkees, Dion, ZZ Top, ELO, Tom Petty, Paul Revere and the Raiders… Shall I go on? I have a whole lot more where that came from."

The look on Edward's face was completely priceless. No doubt he hadn't expected someone my age to know those people at all. It was pretty satisfying to know I actually liked songs from all of them, too; I wasn't just rambling off names I'd heard my parents mention once upon a time.

"Who else could you possibly have up your sleeve?" Edward asked incredulously.

I blinked at him in wonder, rattling off more names immediately, "Jimi Hendrix, Linda Ronstadt, Meatloaf, Sweet, Chuck Berry, Badfinger, Elvis Costello, Charlie Daniels, The Temptations, The Turtles, Canned Heat—"

"All right! All right!" Edward half-shouted, and it wasn't until I really looked at his face that I noticed he was laughing. "You win. Not everyone from that time was a complete mess."

"At least you admit it," I glared playfully.

"What do you want to listen to?" he changed the subject comfortably enough.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "Maybe ' _Moonlight Sonata'_."

"Is Beethoven a preference of yours?"

"Mostly," I agreed. "I like a lot of his works, but not every one of them. His piano pieces are my favorites. The orchestral works are well done, of course, but I just find them too dramatic sometimes."

"I agree on that point," Edward nodded thoughtfully. "They are a tad overwhelming at times, aren't they?"

I nodded too, pleased to find some common ground with him. "Yes. That's a perfect way to describe it."

"What other composers do you like?" he asked. It seemed to me that Edward was excited to finally discuss music this way with a fellow supporter. His answering smile told me I was correct.

A list of composers came to mind that I began to rattle off, "I love Bach and Vivaldi the best. Tchaikovsky and Mozart are about the same level as Beethoven. Chopin, Brahms, and Debussy come in third, I guess you could say. A little of Rachmaninov isn't bad… I'm sure there are others I'm just not remembering right now."

"You have uncommon taste," Edward remarked with an arched eyebrow. "Most people enjoy one or two composers at best. For that matter, most people don't even listen to classical music anymore."

"I'm just weird like that," I shrugged.

"Just unique," he corrected me, though his brow still rose above its normal position.

Seeing I had no intention of replying to that, Edward moved forward in our talk of music. "What about when the music lost its more classical edge? Do you like jazz at all?"

Shrugging unenthusiastically with a slightly wrinkled nose, I said, "It really depends on the individual song. I'm not a fan of how messy and chaotic jazz music usually sounds. I lean more towards swing, big band, ragtime, or blues rather than true jazz. But there are a couple of actual jazz pieces I like."

"Is there anything you _don't_ like?" Edward questioned in mingled amusement and exasperation. "Even when you aren't a fan of a particular style of music, you still like a song or two from it. You weren't joking when you said _every_ genre, were you?"

"Honestly, there _isn't_ anything I don't like," I told him with a proud little grin.

"What about the twenties?" he inquired energetically, possibly trying to oust a genre I disliked somehow.

"There's this group…" I started slowly and teasingly without thinking of the actual name, laughing when he scowled. "They're from the nineties and later, but they released a CD that reminded me of the twenties. It made me think of what flappers and their guys might have danced to; in clubs during the prohibition era."

"Hmm," Edward hummed thoughtfully, looking painfully good-humored about something, then suddenly disappeared and reappeared beside me with a CD case in hand. Frowning in bewilderment, I took the offered disc hesitantly. Eventually looking from the familiar case to Edward's laughing eyes, I let my jaw drop slightly.

"This is so weird!" I exclaimed in surprise. "You really have the Squirrel Nut Zippers?"

"Every album," he finally laughed at my expression. "But I'm fairly certain _Hot_ is the album you were referring to."

"It definitely is," I admitted, then quietly murmured, "Could we put them in?"

Edward just smiled at me and in a second the first track was blaring through the room. While 'Got My Own Thing Now' played on – my foot absently tapping to the rapid beat – I got a look at the track list for the first time in a year. The fourth song made me snort suddenly, a fact Edward was very confused about.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just… 'Twilight' is the title of the first book about you guys," I explained, shaking my head at the irony.

"Ah," he tentatively responded, not seeing what was funny, apparently.

"Sorry," was my sheepish comment. "My remarks can be pretty random. Just to warn you ahead of time."

"You couldn't possibly be worse than Emmett." Edward's face was so long-suffering that I felt equal parts sympathy and humor for him.

"I'll take your word on it." I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "Can we play number eight?"

Edward and I listened to every song on every disc by the Squirrel Nut Zippers, tapping out the rhythms and singing to them in low voices. To my great happiness, I was in tune the entire time. We then replayed the tracks that we decided – by mutual consensus – were the best, my eyes growing steadily heavier as the night of song progressed. Halfway through 'Put A Lid On It' for the third time, I dozed off totally. In the last vestiges of partial wakefulness, I briefly recognized steely, ice cold arms carefully lift me up and carry me away as my mind drifted into the world of rest.

After wandering in the depth of dreams and revisiting every moment I'd had with the Cullens, my fantastical adventure into the world of _Twilight_ became all too ludicrous to accept in the light of reality. I knew fairly well what awaited me when I opened my eyes; a cold and dead November morning in Michigan intruding on my warm blankets – the only things that actually warmed me since the heat in my dormitory didn't work most of the time. Groaning into my pillow, I tried to pull the covers up over my head to trap in the heat for a little bit longer. The ends were too short and would end up lying across my ankles, but if I tucked my legs up closer to my body, the blankets would still be a nice little cocoon of comfort. To my surprise, the blankets never crossed as I thought they would. I kept pulling, expecting that the ends would lift over my feet, but the end never came.

Utterly bewildered as to why the blanket was not stretching as it normally did, I yanked it forcibly up towards my head, only to have the material sound off like a spring at the sudden tension.

"Oh, come _on_ ," I half whined, half growled in frustration. "What is holding this stupid thing down?"

"We are, you silly girl," said a very amused, yet kind, voice.

Popping up in the bed so fast that the blood began to pound in my head, I stared in astonishment at Carlisle's golden face – smiling at me from the right edge of the bed. Just below my feet, Edward sat Indian style, smirking widely in my direction.

"I'm really here," I breathed, incredulously recognizing Alice's and Jasper's room from the previous evening.

"Yes," Carlisle nodded in confirmation, smile widening.

In a flash of impetuousness, I ducked down beneath the covers and buried my face in the pillow so I could squeal like a little piglet. I could hardly describe how happy I was to find my adventure had been genuine. Carlisle's laughter and Edward's snickering filtered through the blanket and into my ears.

Too late I realized that every other vampire in the house would hear my brilliant squeal very clearly, no matter how much the pillow muffled it. A heavy blush covered my face at this knowledge. Well, I thought to myself, at least now I knew why the blankets wouldn't move. Edward's snickers became full blown laughter at my embarrassed thoughts.

When he had gathered himself, Edward spoke finally. "Mireille, we're the only ones here."

"What?" Well, that was unexpected.

"Esme is shopping for groceries and the others are at school," Carlisle, whose laughter had subsided much sooner, answered me calmly.

"But what about Edward?" I asked confusedly, finally forcing myself up from beneath the covers to send a curious gaze towards Carlisle.

"He is out sick," the doctor chuckled, echoed by Edward. "And I am staying home to care for him."

"Okay…" I laughed lightly at the idea of Edward being sick, but then remembered that a sickness was exactly what would have killed him as a human. Pushing away that awful thought and avoiding Edward's piercing gaze, I asked, "So what time is it?"

"Rather early, actually," Carlisle explained, a wary expression on his face; I could only imagine my face was quite odd for a moment. "Barely eight in the morning."

"Oh," was all I could think of to say at first, and we sat in awkward silence until I felt a familiar morning urge make itself known. "Ugh."

"Er… I need a… human moment." I almost cringed at the use of Bella's phrase, but it was perfectly fitting and I didn't feel like making up some silly, elaborate term to replace it. Not waiting for an answer, I rolled up into a sitting position and immediately hopped up from the bed. While collecting an indigo sweater, a pair of dark jeans, and other essentials, I didn't dare look up at either of the two men in the room. Only once I was ensconced in the bathroom and ready to turn the shower on did I remember I needed towels and washrags.

To my fortune – or, more to the point, Alice's fortune-telling – the necessary towels and washcloths were sitting on the edge of the huge, spa-like shower that I had not paid much attention to the previous night. Another thing I had somehow overlooked all of the previous evening was the pajamas I slept in. Looking over the silky plum pajama set in the mirror, I had to admire the smooth, shining fabric and the invariable comfort it offered. The round neck of the top scooped down to show my collar bone, but remained modest, and the sleeves fit slightly wider than my arms – just enough to feel unrestricting.

Shaking myself from contemplation, I hurriedly removed my dirty laundry and set it on the vanity counter before turning the shower to a comfortably warm temperature. Hot showers defeated the purpose of comfort, in my opinion. How comfortable could it be if the water stung your skin? But the temperature of this shower was absolutely wonderful. I could have stayed under the spray all day, but I imagined it might annoy my hosts. And besides, the Cullens' house wasn't cold; the heat throughout the place had felt just as nice as the shower. Stepping out of my steam-filled haven with powerful memories of previous – less comfortable – reentries into unheated indoor air, I relished that fact with great happiness and moved cheerfully to brush my teeth.

Neither Carlisle nor Edward were present upon my barefoot exit from the fogged up bathroom, which suited me fine since I was only too happy to finish getting ready in relative privacy. A quick brush through my hair, a pair of socks to match my sweater, and a pair of cushioned gray flats completed my appearance for the day, along with a ponytail holder in pocket for after my hair dried. Lazy of me I supposed, leaving my hair to dry naturally. But it was a weird day. Breaks were permissible.

Just when I wondered where Carlisle or Edward would be, the latter showed up at the threshold of the room. "We're going to be in the kitchen."

Then he smirked abruptly, something that was surely a bad sign for me, as he said, "To watch the human eat."

"What a joyous occasion," was my dry response as I walked over, falling into step beside him as we turned in the direction of the stairs. Or perhaps it was more him falling into step with me.

"It is particularly momentous," Edward grinned slightly. "As you know, we've never had a human over in such a personal way before."

"Oh well," I smiled and shrugged pleasantly. "At least it's just the three of you. I can handle that."

"Alice saw as much," he chuckled. I was sure there was a good story behind the humor.

"Oh, yes," Edward agreed, carefully suppressed laughter somehow shining through in his voice. "Seven vampires watching you eat would have spiked your anxiety to the point that Jasper rushed out of the house in a state of nervous collapse."

Stopping suddenly in the middle of the staircase, I faced Edward with a severe expression of exasperation. "Two things. Number one… my anxiety would not have gotten that extreme. And number two… it would not be because you're vampires, it would be because seven sets of eyes were staring at me as I arranged, decorated, chewed, swallowed, and digested my food. That's just annoying. Besides that, I know Emmett would be laughing at a very disconcerting volume with absolutely no tact, Rosalie would be disgusted and glaring venomously at me because I _can_ eat as a human, Alice would drive me nuts with strange questions, and Jasper would probably get annoyed by my growing nervousness. To top it off, all of that would kill my appetite… Oh, _shut_ it, Edward."

The beautiful weirdo was still shaking with laughter as I hurried down the staircase to the first floor. At the bottom, I realized that the kitchen was not something I had seen the night before. Great.

' _Edward!_ ' I thought loudly. Straight-faced as he could be, the vampire in question appeared at my side.

"It's this way," he murmured, an undeterred smirk playing about the corner of his mouth, and led me by the elbow around the circular staircase, on the side I had not yet seen.

The space which comprised the dining room was beyond enormous; I doubted I had ever even imagined such a large space just for a dining room all by itself. A proportionately large dining table appeared to be a new creation judging by the combination of two antique white bases matched with a thick, modern wood tabletop. Decorated above with three silvery, quatrefoil, split-level chandeliers, the customized table comfortably seated ten white upholstered chairs with tufted backs and natural wooden legs, while a lone-standing wall separated the dining area from the kitchen beyond. Through the open doorway to the left of the long wall, I could see a gleaming, stainless steel double refrigerator near the back left corner of the kitchen.

As I passed through the dining room, I caught sight of another large space – this time the butler's pantry. So much silver and china and crystal decorated the sections of glass cabinetry that it put me in mind of a collage or a mosaic.

"Mm," I hummed in pleasant surprise, stopping at the edge of the dining space to enjoy the perfect scents of syrup, waffles, and bacon lingering in the air. "That smells amazing."

"I'm glad you think so," Esme spoke from in front of the refrigerator, putting up a rather large package of fresh strawberries. "I was a little worried the hot foods were overdone."

"She's been fretting the entire morning," came Carlisle's indulgent tone from behind me. Half-turning, I caught sight of his gently amused features gazing over at the caramel-haired vampire he loved, who appeared mildly embarrassed.

"Smells just right to me." I smiled back at the motherly vampire for her kindness.

"Go ahead and sit down," she encouraged me, pointing back to the table and walking over at a safe, human speed to set down the meal she held. Holding back an instinctive chuckle at her caution, I retraced my steps and took the seat where my breakfast now waited in the middle of the dining table, feeling Edward's hand finally slide away. Funny I hadn't noticed he kept it there until it was gone.

"Thank you, Esme," I said sincerely and pushed away my errant thoughts before settling down to the carefully made meal. Really, it was a breakfast worthy of the food network. In all except the method of eating, anyhow. I wasn't a pig by any means, but my food tended to look like some kind of mush once I mixed it all up the way I liked. Carlisle raised an eyebrow at first, but Esme giggled quietly at the odd process I ate by.

"How can you possibly enjoy that?" Edward asked with a wrinkled brow, from a seat right next to me.

Carlisle and Esme had taken a more discreet vantage point at the head of the table, but their dauntless son sat immediately to my left with barely six inches of space between us, even though the chairs had been positioned a foot apart at first. At one point, he even leaned over to examine the 'mutilation' I enforced on my food. A soft clearing of Carlisle's throat had pushed Edward back into his seat, but the expression of disgust remained prominent. Restraining my laughter at his tortured face became difficult, but I managed (albeit with great challenge to my eating capability).

Relief crowded Edward's sharp features when I pushed the plate away at last, and I couldn't stop the laugh from erupting after all. "You're so melodramatic, Edward."

"I aim to please," he uttered, though the narrowing of his eyes rather negated the sincerity behind his words.

"I'm beyond finished," I exhaled noisily. "If I eat anymore I'll probably combust."

A laugh rippled over the four of us, even Edward. Before I could stand to put my plate in the sink, Esme whisked it away in a flash. That was the trouble in a vampire household. A human could become exceptionally lazy with gestures like those going around.

"We'll try to remember that," Edward laughed aloud.

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes and slouched contentedly. "That was the best breakfast I've ever had, Esme. And after experiencing my grandma's cooking, that's saying something."

"I'm glad you liked it." While the surface of Esme's reply was a genuine gladness for my enjoyment, nervousness belied the face value.

"What is it, Esme?" I asked, wondering what could be wrong all of a sudden.

"Oh, nothing," she hurriedly assured me, but the woman was biting her lip too adamantly to be believed.

"It isn't 'nothing' from the way you sounded… Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you didn't say anything wrong," Edward sighed resignedly. "When you mentioned your grandmother… Esme is worried about you being separated from your loved ones."

"Oh. That."

Awkward silence descended, broken only by four sets of breathing and my heartbeat. So far I had told everyone a lot of superfluous information for casual conversation and a whole lot of big facts about their own lives and futures. Nowhere had I spoken up about my own personal life.

Carlisle hesitantly broke in with words that reassured me only vaguely. "You know so much about us, Mireille, but we know nothing about you. While I fully believe I am able to trust you, I am curious about what has made you into such a unique person; someone so rare that you are happily ensconced with a family of vampires – vegetarian though we may be – for an extended period of time without any fear at all. What about your life before meeting us? What about your family?"

Frankly, I had hoped in vain that this wasn't all that important in the long run. With an uncomfortable shift to ramrod-straight posture, I supposed this was something I could not keep neatly tucked away for very long.

* * *


	5. Chapter 4: Inquiries

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

_**Chapter Numbering:**_  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
Rocheport University is completely fictional in this story, as is my interpretation of the welfare system.

**Previously** – Jasper used Mireille's calm to ease the room and introduced himself to Mireille. Alice & Jasper let Mireille borrow their room. Mireille wanted to put on music and Edward offered for her to borrow from his collection. Mireille and Edward discussed music and listened to Squirrel Nut Zippers all night. Mireille woke up thinking it was all a dream, but realized it wasn't. Carlisle inquired about Mireille's past and she reluctantly agreed to talk about it.

> **Chapter 4: Inquiries**

Taking a deep breath for fortitude, I began to explain my story without preamble, drawing three sets of curious eyes to my face. "When I started my senior year of high school, I had certain plans in mind for college. I didn't have the money to pay for it, though. A couple of scholarships that might pay part of the first semester at a big university, but nothing more. So other than that, it was loans. A heap of them, if I went for anything more than a two-year degree."

For a moment, I paused to catch my breath and steady myself. Whenever I became uncomfortable or anxious, I usually talked nonstop at high speed and lost my breath in the middle of sentences. Only Edward could have any clue how difficult this was, since he was caught up in my memories as well as my words. He was seeing more than his parents possibly could, a fact which showed plainly on his face as it gradually tightened up.

"However," I continued, looking down at the tabletop self-consciously, "being _me_ , I wanted more than that. None of the certificates and associates degrees led to anything I enjoyed working with. I wanted an MA or a PhD. So, I applied and got accepted at Rocheport University, as well as a couple of others. But at first I didn't want to make my parents mad, so I decided to start out at the local community college, taking summer courses. I figured until I knew what I wanted to do for certain, I could at least take general transfer classes. Knowing how my parents felt about the money involved in a big school and the so-called pointless degrees I was interested in taking, I kept it quiet in the beginning. I was close to getting found out, but luckily I got into the habit of checking the mail by the time my letter came."

That had been a harrowing couple of months, waiting for the letter and wondering if it would end up in my parents' hands before I could get to it. Someone had clearly been watching out for me, seeing as I passed all my classes with a high GPA. So much time was spent worrying over the letter, that I barely remembered the classes I had actually taken once the summer semester ended.

"When I got to midterms in the summer courses," I started up again, still resolutely avoiding eye contact, "I knew I had to tell my parents. I mean, I was going to be moving on campus in August and I needed to buy things for my dorm. There was a huge argument. My mother was especially mad. She hated that I'd been hiding things like that. Plus she thought I was being stupid for going to a place where I'd end up in debt. She just didn't understand why I wanted to risk it. To me, getting that degree was the ticket to a career I'd truly enjoy. My mother… well, she thought I should go into a job that paid well. Regardless if I liked it or not."

"But that's terrible!" Esme spoke up at last, succeeding in bringing my eyes up from their fixed position to look at her concerned face, mirrored by Carlisle's pensive brow.

"That's what I thought," I laughed a short, unhappy breath. "You have to understand my mother, though. Her family was always in debt, always really poor, and she hated it; she always wanted more than she needed - compensation for having so little in her youth, I guess. Our accounts were always negative and we never had enough to pay our bills, but we never looked like a poor family. My parents always bought the unnecessary material and superficial stuff first; things my mom whined about all the time, like her suntan, extensions, and bleached hair. My parents' rent was months behind most of the time and we had our power, telephones, internet, and TV cut off more than once over a few months time."

The freedom to expel all of the bad history I had built up and locked away was dizzying. I'd never said any of this to anyone, least of all people I admired, yet I couldn't stop. Everything just overflowed effortlessly. "When I started getting credit card offers, my mother made me think I would be fine; that I wouldn't go into debt, too. Only two cards to local department stores. Just keep a low balance, buy a couple of things, and then pay it off. The typical, suggested method of having credit cards. That's what she claimed. I ended up with eight cards, all of them just below the credit limit – which has been increased at least four times on each one – and I'm just barely paying the monthly minimum on them even now."

Of all things, recklessness was the one word that applied to every moment of financial strife my family had ever encountered. Recklessness and an unhealthy desire to keep up with trends and the material possessions of others; whether it was fashion, hair, makeup, decorations, parties, or whatever else had possessed my parents at some point.

Edward's hands grasped mine firmly as the thoughts and memories raged on. Topaz eyes held mine sympathetically and I was just selfish enough to be happy about it.

"It's not selfish," he admonished me in a voice of pure velvet. "It's just human nature to want someone to understand how you feel… Why don't you go on and explain the rest for Carlisle and Esme? Just get it all out there."

Accepting the advice Edward gave was more problematic than I expected, but following another discomfited pause wherein he squeezed my hands reassuringly, I finished my story. "My parents only bought everything for the dorm because I posted my acceptance to Rocheport on Facebook. I have to admit, I did it for exactly that reason. If others expected me to be going to Rocheport, my parents wouldn't dare have anyone think it wasn't true, so they would have to buy my stuff for appearances. They moved me in, my mother even took some pictures of me in my new dorm, and they left without saying anything too antagonistic. I didn't talk to them an awful lot while I was away during the fall. By the time I thought about coming home, it was near the half-way point in the semester. My hopes were pretty high that my parents accepted the choice I'd made."

There, at the point when all seemed to be going well, had been the downfall. I really, really didn't want to talk about it, but Edward nudged my hands to make me keep going, which I reluctantly did.

"I called my mother, planning to talk about coming back for the weekend. I knew right away she was in a bad mood; really anxious about something. Her voice was sharp and whiny. That was always a sure sign she felt stressed. When I asked her about it she got defensive, like I was nosing in or something, and started in about my loans. How expensive they would be, how I'd never be able to pay them back... It ended pretty badly and I said some things I'm not happy about, but I did leave her voicemails and emails apologizing. She never responded."

A sharp breath from Carlisle grabbed my attention, and I recognized the dawning realization on his face, something Esme was confused about. Edward looked stoic, allowing me to control the flow of the story completely.

"Did she—?" Carlisle hesitantly started to inquire, but stopped himself at a small gesture of pause from Edward.

"About a month before term ended, my parents were in a car accident," I murmured now, ignoring Esme's gasp as painful memories drudged up from two years prior flew through my mind. "My mother died on impact."

"I'm so sorry," Carlisle murmured with genuine sympathy, holding Esme's hand while she tried to hold in her dry-eyed crying. "What about your father?"

"Stuck in the hospital for weeks," I intoned without much interest.

"You must miss him now," Esme suggested sadly, probably envisioning a daddy's girl who needed her father's sheltering arms to hold her up in a time of loss. "Being the last thing each of you has."

"I don't miss him at all," I said forcefully, leaving the doctor and his wife staring in wide-eyed surprise; Edward's silent support kept me going in spite of it. "That man never cared about anything, but himself. Always expecting everything to come to _him_. He was always raging about something, throwing things around, telling us all our faults and flaws, and obsessing about useless projects rather than spending time with his family. No, Esme, I'm sorry to inform you that my relationship with my father is null and void. Has been for years, as far as I'm concerned."

Awkwardly, we transgressed into a deep silence that I was unwilling to break anytime soon. Edward continued holding my hands, a gesture I appreciated more than I could put into words. Soon enough, Carlisle gathered enough determination to press forward – hopefully into less damaging waters.

"May I ask what happened in the aftermath?" he gently questioned, apology in his golden eyes.

"I was… well, there was really no one to go to," I replied with a sigh. "My uncle was absorbed in my father's condition and pretty much nothing else. I guess that's because they lost their mother. When my father woke up a few days later, he didn't want to see me at all. So I didn't bother trying. Things were strained enough with my mother as an occasional buffer, but without her it was unbearable."

"He wouldn't even see you?"

At my nod, Esme scowled quite uncharacteristically.

"You continued with school, I assume?" Carlisle asked with a heavy sigh. "To keep your mind occupied?"

"Yes," I nodded again. "There was nothing I could do, except keep moving. Everything else probably would have sent me so far into a depression that I couldn't get out of it. So I acted like I was fine and tried to move forward with everything school-related."

"Didn't anyone realize how troubled you were?" Esme wondered incredulously, face drawn with worry. "Your friends? Classmates?"

"I don't really… have friends," I muttered embarrassedly, once again not looking anyone in the eye.

"No friends?" Esme picked up questioning again, completely aghast. "But… but why?"

"I'm a very solitary person; and not good at making and keeping friends." My mutterings were now so low that I doubted anyone _but_ a vampire could have heard me.

"Family then?" Her voice seemed to break down a little with this last, desperate attempt to know I had been helped during my hour of need.

"We don't talk," was my curt reply. "My mother was usually the last to know in our family. We were never 'in the clique' in any way, no matter how much my mother tried to be with her... social war-mongering, if you will."

"I see now why you're not concerned with anyone missing you," Carlisle sighed, more deeply than before. "Although I find it horrifying that no one even bothered to check up on you, I am relieved there are no ties to slowly tear you down by this separation."

"Yes, unfortunately I have to agree," Esme said quietly. "Oh, Mireille, I'm so sorry. You must have been so desperately afraid."

"I wasn't at first," I confessed with some shame. "In the beginning I was just too empty to think like that, even during the whole of the winter semester. But the summer… that was the most awful time in my life. I went into total panic mode when the last week of term came up. I had nowhere to go and no one to go to. The college didn't offer summer courses, so I couldn't stay on campus. By sheer luck my roommate, Sienna, suddenly offered for me to stay up at a cabin with her and some friends for the summer. Honestly, I'm not too sure why she even did. We hardly talked most of the year and never spent time together. But I didn't really care about her reasons. It was a place to stay. So I accepted."

"It was a good choice, then?" Esme nervously asked.

"Yes, a really good one, actually." I smiled in remembrance of the better times during that summer and the one that followed. "We did the same thing the summer after that. Of course, the second time was a lot better because I had come to terms with what happened by then."

Before his parents could speak further, Edward interceded with a question of his own, "What year are you in?"

"My current semester would the beginning of my third year."

"This happened two years ago now?" he asked much gentler.

"Exactly two years ago next week," I answered steadily, of which I was proud. "Well, according the time I'm actually from, anyway."

"Oh yes," Edward frowned slightly. "It was November where you came from, wasn't it?"

"November second, two-thousand-eight," I agreed. "Not only did I switch years, I switched months. This is going to take some getting used to."

"Oh, Emmett will _love_ spending Halloween with a human in the house," Edward groaned loudly.

Laughter bubbled out of me at the idea. "Should I prepare for surprise attacks?"

"No, you most certainly should not!" Esme emphatically assured me. "Emmett will behave himself, if I have anything to say about it."

"Thanks, Esme," I grinned a little. "I knew you'd have my back."

She laughed and I felt so much more at ease. The hard parts of my life were already explained; that alone took a huge weight off my shoulders.

"When did you start receiving welfare?" Edward asked out of the blue, surprising me.

"How did you know that?" I wondered.

"You were thinking about it last night," he explained simply.

"Oh. Well, I first got help in the fall of my second year. Sienna insisted I apply once she found out my predicament. She helped me financially, too; took half of her every paycheck to help me out. As for the government, I was amazed how much they actually helped me. They assisted with the rent for my apartment until I could support myself fully. I never got to use the apartment, though. I would have lived there next summer. Er… I mean the summer of 2009."

"I thought you said you didn't have any friends?" Esme interrupted with a small frown.

"Sienna left for grad school in the winter of my second year," I clarified. "She was already a junior when I moved into the dorm. And we were never really friends. More like allies for a semester. And by the time she really knew what happened to me, I was already beginning to mend."

"Oh, I see," the motherly vampire sighed sadly, slumping with disappointment.

"Well, think of it this way," I began hesitantly, a fresh idea blossoming in my mind. "If it makes you feel better, I haven't once had anyone to truly hear me out like this. You've helped me clear the air. I've never been able to vent about any of what happened until today. So, thank you for being the friends I needed."

Esme smiled, eyes suspiciously glassy, and moved in a flash of air to stoop and hug me against her shoulder. Feeling my own eyes grow suspiciously tight, I hugged her in return as she said, "You're welcome, dear."

When she pulled away, I sniffed rather obnoxiously, causing the two of us to burst into a fit of giggles. Edward rolled his eyes in response, but Carlisle smiled happily at our interaction.

"Now that the most difficult part is over," he spoke up, sounding much relieved. "Why don't I move onto a tour of our home? You can finally learn where everything is, including the kitchen."

At the tease about my brief scuffle with Edward earlier, I turned slightly pink, but ultimately brushed it off. "That would be a good thing."

"Come along, then," the doctor chuckled, extending a hand to help me from my seat.

"We're going for a hunt," Esme informed us, gesturing for a seemingly reluctant Edward to join her. "We should have gone last night, but we neglected to do so."

"My scent isn't overwhelmingly strong, is it?" was my nervous question. I didn't want to cause them undue stress because of it.

"It's not impossibly overwhelming," Edward haltingly told me, "but it's not bland, I assure you."

Esme's face turned apologetic when she nodded her agreement, but I waved it off. "It's okay. I know it can be difficult when you haven't hunted."

"We'll be back later," Edward stated equally as apologetically, allowing Esme to step outside ahead of him. Through the front windows, I watched as their quick forms darted into the trees and out of sight.

"Carlisle," I spoke up and turned back to him with worry in my eyes, "is it really hard for them?"

"Esme merely needs to hunt," the tall vampire assured me, a smile on his face. "It has been almost three weeks since her last trip. Normally she would have gone in two, but we were stuck inside thanks to the sunshine this week. We didn't want to risk anyone seeing us. There are a great number of people out and about for hunting lately."

"And Edward?"

"He is quite well, actually," Carlisle informed me. "It's typically more difficult for Esme than for Edward."

"Okay," I relented, then recklessly voiced my next question without thought, "So, what do I smell like?"

Taken aback and amused in equal measure, Carlisle took a minute to sink into his thoughts on the matter.

"Your scent is very complex," he settled on after a minute, although he didn't look completely satisfied. "At the moment, I haven't determined the precise smells involved. Edward might recognize it sooner than I. Admittedly, I am much less attuned to the individual… ingredients, if you will."

"Because you never drank human blood?" I suggested knowledgeably.

"Exactly," he nodded. "And on that point, I believe we should begin our tour. We'll be discussing that subject soon enough."

"Okay," I agreed with a lot more energy than I had previously engaged in, absently bouncing on the light hardwood flooring.

"As you can see," Carlisle started with a wry expression as he gestured around at the golden-painted space, "this is the dining area. We only really use the dining table for family meetings. However, now that you're here, I expect it will be used for its intended purpose often enough."

"Yeah, I don't think Esme would like me eating on those nice clean sofas." I shrugged.

"Probably not," Carlisle hummed in amusement, guiding me through the kitchen doorway for the first time. An immense span of white cabinetry sporting glass panes on the uppers and fitted with shining copper hardware gave the space a look of crisp modernity mixed with clean warmth. In the middle of the room, the large island boasted a thick slab of natural colored butcher's block to break up the endless flow of Calcutta gold marble across the remaining countertops.

"Down in the cupboards on this left half, we store all of our dry and canned goods that are to be used first. We also buy bulk of just about every ingredient imaginable and store it in the pantry," Carlisle explained and I followed the doctor's pointing gesture to the left wall of the kitchen, where a single, natural wood door apparently led through to the Cullens' food pantry. As we moved on, Carlisle added simply, "Refrigerator, microwave, range, sink, and dishwasher. Kitchen towels and aprons…"

We walked past each appliance as Carlisle pointed it out… from the refrigerator on the left wall, we passed the shining microwave in the corner and a wide window, then on to the gleaming black and stainless steel range in the middle of the kitchen's back wall. On the far right of the kitchen, near the window wall at the back of the house, a sink and dishwasher sat side by side. While the dishwasher matched the stainless steel of the other appliances, the large farmhouse sink was composed of white porcelain and copper fixtures.

The dividing wall between dining and kitchen had been artfully designed, starting with a central display of mini potted plants on a white trellis. To the left of the plants, shining pots and pans hung from hooks attached to neatly cut wooden slats.

On the right side adjacent to the plant display, a small selection of patterned aprons hung one after the other. Spices filled a simple, modern copper rack across the wall. Above the spices, two plant-themed art pieces brought out a mix of neutrals and greens, while fresh green and copper colored towels had been placed for easy reach in white baskets on a shelf underneath. At the very bottom of the right side, several sizes of cutting boards filled a copper wire basket.

"These cabinets down on the right side hold our large serving dishes, crock pots, and slow cookers," the doctor continued in more detail. "Silverware is in these drawers, the larger utensils are in those there, and special tools are in the third drawer here. Have I left anything out?"

Looking out the clear glass wall onto the back yard for a moment, I had to think before remembering my dependency on mixing tools and the toaster. "Well, if you have these… um, the mixer, blender, toaster, and… oh, if you have a vegetable chopper."

"Ah," he picked up quickly, moving to show me the items in question, "the toaster is in the far left cupboard down here. The blender and mixer are in that cupboard near the refrigerator. As far as cutting and chopping are concerned, I am afraid we don't have any actual devices for that."

"That's fine with me," I assured him. "I just wondered. And I also wondered… erm… do you have a bathroom down here?"

"Oh, so sorry," he muttered as realization struck. "It's around the other side of the stairs, down the hallway on the right."

Hm… After thinking about it, I decided the Cullens must have redecorated somewhat by the time Bella came. Shaking off the bewilderment, I rounded the staircase, then came upon a wide, empty hallway, with the walls of the pantries blocking in the kitchen on the other side.

At the end of the hall sat a door on the left, through which lay a vast yet tasteful bathroom decorated in neutral tones with a hint of plum. Due to its position right on the corner of the house, the bathroom had windows on both walls that allowed in ample natural lighting. On my way out, I took a moment longer to admire a painting on the south-facing wall of the room, then hurried to return to Carlisle and the rest of my tour.

"Around here," he gestured for me to go ahead of him into the living area.

Two elegant yet simple white sofas on natural wood feet angled perpendicular to each other; one faced the front of the house while the other faced a beautiful, enormous stone fireplace with a wooden mantle and broad outer hearth. A glass-topped nickel coffee table stood between the front-facing sofa and two comfortable white armchairs, capped off by the six foot TV screen above the mantle, nickel and glass side tables, and an antique white console table behind the sofa that faced the fireplace.

Further down the wall from the fireplace, I took note of a lengthy natural wood desk accented with white and littered with spaces for storage. A very new computer, keyboard, and mouse sat atop the work surface – Carlisle and Edward had most likely already modified the technology for Alice's designs.

"I doubt I need to explain much about this area," Carlisle digressed easily. "Although there is one thing…"

The look on his golden face seemed anticipatory for some reason as he glanced to his right almost nervously. When I glanced around fully in the same direction, I could see why, even before Carlisle went on to say, "I wasn't certain if you saw the piano last night."

And indeed I had not seen it. The beautiful black instrument sat on a raised platform that made up the floor of a conservatory space. Needless to say, the instrument captivated me entirely with its elegance. Strong though the urge was to lift the cover and run my fingers over those ebony and ivory keys, I resisted. Edward was likely to be touchier about his piano than about his entire music collection.

From behind me, Carlisle took in a breath to speak, and then hesitated a little before finally saying, "Edward asked me to tell you that you may play, if you wish."

"Me?" I turned so fast my neck hurt, eyes wide. "Why?"

Awkwardly, Carlisle indicated for me to head over to the piano and take another look at the instrument itself. Doing precisely that, I wondered what on earth he could be talking about, when the books setting out on the music stand caught my eye.

Those were my music books sitting in front of me. In a slight daze, I stepped closer and actually took a tense seat at the imposing grand piano.

"How did those _get_ here?" I asked in amazement. "I _know_ I didn't have them with me when I was walking across campus. I remember thinking how I'd forgotten them in the library."

"Well, Edward hasn't looked at his piano in months," Carlisle explained, bewilderment showing through in his tone. "But Esme cleaned it early yesterday morning. And she swears it was not there at that time. That leads me to believe your music may actually have appeared about the same time that you did last night."

"So, I might have other things lying around here?" I asked in a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

"I suppose so," he agreed in surprise. "I hadn't thought of that."

"After we tour the rest of the house, can we check?"

"Certainly," he acquiesced easily. "You might feel more comfortable if some of your more significant possessions are here with you."

"Maybe." I lifted one shoulder doubtfully. Not a lot had any amazing importance of my worldly possessions, save a few things I hoped had arrived the same as I suddenly had the night before. I stood with reluctance from the piano bench.

"You may certainly play later," Carlisle laughed at me, grasping my shoulder to tug me gently towards the stairs.

"Sorry, I get absorbed," I confessed embarrassedly as we climbed the steps. "Especially with music."

"As does Edward," the doctor chuckled good-naturedly. "If he did not read thoughts, Edward would be completely lost to our calls."

Entertaining myself with that notion, I allowed my eyes to take in all the art Esme had put up. There were a lot of different styles to examine, but not the cultural mish-mash the movie had tried to show. Most images incorporated Esme's neutral color scheme with a small splash of vivid color somewhere in the artwork.

We turned to face the rooms on the second floor as Carlisle began pointing out different spaces. "Emmett and Rosalie's room is the first here."

He did not elaborate much on it, and without further conversation, my eyes had no difficulty finding the door to Carlisle's office next. The face of it was darker than the other doors and something about it gave me the feeling that I was welcome.

"That would be my office, as you appear to have realized," he smiled. "Feel free to come in anytime, for any reason."

"Thank you," I told him sincerely. "I'm sure I'll have lots of questions for you."

"No doubts on that point," the golden-haired vampire grinned. "I can tell you are a highly curious young woman."

"You have no idea," I admitted sheepishly.

"Never a foolish question," he determinedly said. "It is better to have learned than to remain in ignorance, no matter how small the issue."

"Good philosophy," I complimented him.

"Thank you," he smiled. "At any rate, this is Alice and Jasper's bedroom next, as you know. And you can see Alice's room further down there."

"Huh?" was my intelligent response. I was confused, to say the least. What did he mean Alice's room? Staring at the room I remembered leaving that morning and back to the one further down, I tried to figure out why Alice had a room all her own or, potentially, why Carlisle had misspoken.

"Did you really think that closet was enough for Alice?" Carlisle laughed at my shocked face. "This room is all hers. Makeup, clothes, shoes, accessories… It's all in there."

"The other closet must be Jasper's," I sighed, shaking away the surprise. I should have known that a proportionate closet was not the property of Alice Cullen.

"Indeed it is," Carlisle confirmed, amusement still dancing in his golden eyes.

"Okay," I moved past the offending fashion room with rapid steps. "Above and beyond. Thank you, Alice Cullen."

Snorting very quietly, Carlisle followed me further down the hall. "The next room is Jasper's study."

"Jasper's study?" I wondered in confusion, remembering the desk in said vampire's bedroom.

"Yes," Carlisle confirmed, looking at me in equal confusion. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just didn't know he had one," I admitted.

"Oh," Carlisle said understandingly. "I suppose the books never mention that."

"No, not at all," I answered in agreement. "I guess not everything is essential to the plot, but still…"

We were quiet until he spoke again at the third floor landing, "The next room is mine and Esme's. And that across the hall is… well somewhat of a storage room. Everyone has something packed away in there until we can use it, perhaps in our next move several years from now… We call it the library for public purposes."

I soon found myself led through what looked like a whole other floor, several cubical-like, ceiling-high spaces filling it. A few feet past the entrance there was a door through which I saw only a darkened area, looking like a true room rather than a cubicle. It was that room which Carlisle showed me.

Turning on the light once he was inside, Carlisle explained, "This is typically Esme's room for her artistic endeavors, although the rest of us use it on occasion. If you ever need any sort of art material, this is the place for it. Ask Esme first, of course, but I very much doubt she will refuse you."

"That's on my to-do list," I breathed excitedly as I examined the enormous space. Almost a quarter of the shorter wall was covered in a multitude of pens, colored pencils, brand new lead pencils, crayons, sharpies and washable markers, pastels, charcoal, and chalk. None of that counted the host of different paints lining nearly a third of the same wall; spray paints, acrylic, oil-based, watercolor… My brain whirred in overdrive at the menagerie of art and office supplies stacked in every possible nook and cranny.

"Can I live here?" I asked in a breathy voice. Honestly, I was surprised I didn't drool.

Carlisle burst into laughter, only subduing it enough to inquire, "You enjoy art, then?"

"Oh yes," I emphatically agreed. "More to the point… I just love office and art supplies. Give me a craft store or an office store and I'm good for the next month in the way of entertainment."

"What is it that draws you in?" he wondered humorously.

"I don't know. I would love to try every type of art tool out there, just so I can see what they do and how they look on paper. And I just love to look at the different shapes and styles."

"You and Esme will get along famously, then," Carlisle announced with a jolly air while I turned and examined the other two thirds of the lengthy space. I caught sight of a drafting table, two large farmhouse sinks, a few other worktables, and more storage units covering every inch of wall space that was not taken up by the sink units or the windows, before my host commented, "For now, let us move on. At this rate, the others will be home before we can have our discussion."

"Oh, sorry," I sighed dreamily with one last look at the nearest wall of selection, bringing another small laugh out of him while he carefully pushed me out and down the hall.

"The last room, as you know, is Edward's. He also asked me to tell you to come in whenever you wish. Alice and Jasper are in their room often enough to make your presence there awkward at times. If you ever feel that way, you may always come up here as a place for some down time."

"That's generous of him." I flushed a pale shade of pink. "He's being very good to me. You all are, of course! I just meant…"

"I understand what you mean," Carlisle soothed my fluttering nerves quickly. "Edward realizes you are both outsiders, in many ways."

Speaking felt superfluous after such a comment, so I remained silent, glancing in the partially-opened door of Edward's room to find it looking exactly the same as I had left it the previous night. The fact that he had left all as it was, made me feel inexplicably special; this effort, along with all of the other gifts Edward granted me, seemed to me an offer of friendship. That wasn't something I was willing to turn down lightly.

"That is everything, really," Carlisle spoke up from behind me, a knowing tone to his voice. "Any questions for me?"

"Plenty," I said emphatically, coming back to face him.

"Where shall we start?" he asked.

"Your story is the beginning of everything." This was a tale I had always wanted to hear and to have it from Carlisle himself was above what I imagined I'd get.

"My office, then," he said with a warm smile, waving me ahead of him.

As we walked, he suddenly asked me a significant question of his own. "Mireille, I have been wondering about these books you've mentioned. You say you own copies yourself?"

Slightly embarrassed of my obsession with their family and their world, I listed off the writings I had as blandly as possibly, "One copy of each book, for a total of four; a digital copy of _Midnight Sun_ ; and digital copies of some extra snippets. Why do you ask?"

"If things such as your music books are able to randomly appear in this world," Carlisle explained nervously. "Then perhaps these other things could also appear. Worse yet, maybe our worlds are not two separate entities as you believe and thus these books are already in our world."

"It's mass-marketed," I interrupted before he could work himself into a panic. "It's even being turned into a movie series. You know the Volturi would never let that go public. Everyone would be onto you guys and vampires would be exposed most likely. No, Carlisle. My world and yours do no coincide at all, except that you're fictional characters in a book that I've read. Other than that, there can't possibly be any other connections."

Immensely eased by this information, Carlisle exhaled gustily. "I must say I am vastly relieved. That would be a nightmare, to say the least."

"Yeah, I bet." I shuddered at the implications. Too many people would end up dead in that circumstance; including the Cullens and myself. Carlisle's office was before us in no time, thankfully quelling my discomfiting theory.

"After you," Carlisle opened the door and then held out his hand as invitation.

"Thanks," I smiled and stepped inside the infamous library-like office. Facing the doorway, Carlisle's dark wooden desk I noted as sitting slightly off-center towards the right of the room with two rich green leather armchairs in front. A vintage sofa upholstered in olive green suede, graced the wall of high, west-facing windows and a round, tri-level brown end table sat on either side.

"Esme utilizes this as a study space occasionally as well, just so you know," Carlisle commented, but my mind was otherwise occupied.

There was no doubt the description had been spot on – of this place in particular. Books upon books littered the dark bookcases lined up against the paneling on the back and right walls. The only spaces not filled by shelving were the openings of each window on the north wall. Every shape, size, and color of book lined the shelves; here was another menagerie for me to get lost in.

"Wow. That… is impressive, Carlisle," I remarked in awe. "I hope you don't mind me stealing your office for the long term, because those books are going to be my new best friends. Unless they're a bunch of medical texts…"

"Hardly," the doctor laughed at my insinuation. "The main component of my collection is historical. The second largest section is religious and philosophical texts. Some classic fiction is in there, too, although not as much."

"Which classics?"

"Shakespeare's complete works, of course." A heartbreaking grin flashed across his features and I found myself fighting the dazzle momentarily. "I also have the Brontë sisters, Tolkien, Doyle, Homer… and a number of others. You may certainly browse them yourself. They are all in alphabetical order of title, regardless the topic or genre."

"Thank you," I repeated for what must have been the hundredth time since my arrival. There were just so many things to be grateful for. Leaving the books alone until a later date, I turned with pleasant trepidation to face the wall behind us. Immediately my eye caught the largest painting on the entire wall, its gold gilded frame a beacon amidst subtle silvers and plain wood; I was like a moth looking between a bonfire and a torch. Both were desirable and would suit my purpose, but one was far more eye-catching.

Yet another image came to mind – a much more important image, as far as I was concerned. Pulling my gaze from the gilded portrait and over to the far left of the wall, I honed in on a little oil painting of London in the sixteen-fifties. Carlisle had grown up there, in the very world that this uncolored artwork showed; a place which was now obsolete, thanks to both the Great Fire of 1666 and the world's ever-changing ways. Suddenly this tiny picture felt like the bonfire, while the ornate painting burned out to a candle's strength.

"You were born there," was my rhetorical statement, a quality of vagueness overtaking my voice as the knowledge of Carlisle Cullen's life started to click into place in my mind. This had happened. It was real and I was going to hear firsthand how it all took place.

"Yes, I was born there," Carlisle responded softly, sounding lost in his thoughts. I only realized how close he had gotten when I felt his cool breath rustle the ends of my mostly-dry hair. Twisting back to see him, I wondered what was running through his head. Those golden eyes were distant, lost in memories I couldn't fathom. The idea that these memories were old news – incredibly so – for this man, made me think of something I needed to set straight.

"Carlisle?"

Snapping from his trance, he prompted, "Yes, Mireille?"

"I don't know if what you're about to tell me is any less… _poignant_ for you… since it happened so many years ago," I started very carefully and quietly, making immense effort to verbalize my thoughts tactfully. "But if it is, could you try to remember that for me, it's the first time hearing it? Well, at least hearing it as a first-hand account, in a world where it's actually happened and it isn't just a storybook. That's quite a different ballpark, I think you'll agree."

"Yes, it is highly different," Carlisle nodded at me kindly for my efforts. "I understand you will feel more strongly than I might, considering how much time has passed since I experienced it personally. I grant you, my memory is crystal clear of all I tell you now, save a sparse bit of information about my human life. But that is beside the point. I—"

"Oh," I interrupted him once again, holding my hand up in a tentative gesture of pause before he could begin his tale. My cheeks reddened at the notion that I had so frequently put my oar in all day, but the good doctor only smiled encouragingly. "You don't have to go editing much, unless it's for your own sake somehow. I mean, clearly I don't want to hear specific gory details, but a passing description isn't out of my capability to handle."

"Ah," Carlisle said knowingly, leaning back easily against the desk, "you mean about the transformation itself, don't you?"

"Yes," I nodded simply. "In the book, Edward edits out a lot of things that I always thought were essential to understanding your choice in this life. I get the feeling you didn't edit that same information when you told others."

"Probably not," the fair-haired vampire laughed lightly. "Edward would be very protective in such a situation, I would think. Not wanting to give this girl, Bella, a fright."

"You have no idea," I sighed and groaned almost simultaneously, trying hard not to think of the many things Edward had done that were overbearingly cautious and unnecessary. One thing in particular – one very big mistake – was one I hoped I could prevent while I was with the Cullens in Forks.

"Oh dear," Carlisle sighed with some wry amusement, but worry too. "I am glad you are able to help us with this future of ours. Edward sounds quite troublesome."

"He can be pretty stubborn," I giggled. "But then that's Edward for you."

"Poor Edward." Carlisle shook his head with a quiet laugh. "…Well, where should I start? You already seem to know a great deal about me."

"Oh, I don't know," I hedged. My curiosity urged me to ask all about his human life, but my manners held me back. That was a touch personal to be asking a near-stranger, no matter how much I knew about this man from the books.

"I'm not easily offended," he chuckled calmly, waiting with extreme patience.

"I just don't think it's very polite of me," I muttered in embarrassment, looking down at my feet.

"Ask anyway," was his firm encouragement. "The worst possibility is that I will say no. However, I do not find that a very likely prospect. I am rather open about my existence."

"Life," I corrected absently, chewing my lip in thought – and for time to build courage. Not that the latter worked all that well…

"Life, then," Carlisle chuckled again, yet far more pensively. After a short pause, he hesitantly went on to say, "Mireille… if it is my human memories you are worried over… Well, that's nothing to be troubled about. Discussing the few I have would not cause any overwhelming emotional duress. No more than discussing the transformation, anyway."

"How do you _do_ that?" I asked incredulously, finally looking back up at him, radiance and all. "Are you sure Edward is the only mind-reader?"

"Quite sure," he laughed much more freely, the wrinkle in his brows disappearing in an instant. "I seem to read you quite well. I'm not entirely certain why that is."

"Entirely?" I questioned, not exactly positive I wanted to know.

"Edward has formed a certain theory about it, already," Carlisle admitted, appearing vaguely uncomfortable. Oh, this would be good.

"And that is?" I inquired tiredly, slouching as I realized it was ridiculous to fight Edward's sarcasm in whatever form it took. I would be fighting for a long, long time if I did.

"That you like me the best of us all," he sighed, too. "I know it is rather childish of him, but—"

"No, it's not," I admitted baldly, weary of playing around with what I really felt towards this peculiar family. "I do like you best. Not that I dislike any of the others. All of them are good in their own ways. You've just always been my favorite character."

It was strange to speak of him as though he was not real, but how else was I supposed to explain it?

"That is illuminating," Carlisle finally responded, looking mildly shell-shocked. "Thank you, I suppose."

"Don't worry," I said in a deceptively blasé manner, shrugging casually. "I won't stalk you."

Eyebrows bouncing up to his hairline, Carlisle did his best to stamp out an instantaneous grin. "How very kind and generous of you."

"I'm good like that," I nodded smugly, trying desperately not to laugh at our weird relay. Naturally, I failed miserably, and ended up snorting with Carlisle over our silly banter.

* * *


	6. Chapter 5: Intent

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
I got SM's official guide for Christmas, so _Chapter 4: Inquiries_ has been reworked to include a slightly more faithful description of the Cullen home.

**Previously** – Mireille explained her troubled history with her parents, and explained her mother's death and her father's avoidance. Mireille told of her hard times in college and comforted Esme's upset over it. Edward and Esme went hunting while Carlisle began a tour of the house. Mireille realized her possessions had probably appeared as she did. Mireille saw Carlisle's portraits and discussed Edward's lackluster explanations from _Twilight_. Mireille admitted Carlisle was always her favorite character.

> **Chapter 5: Intent**

"Mireille, I realize you are of college age, but exactly how old are you?" Carlisle asked curiously, the remnants of our laughter having died away to comfortable silence a few minutes before. Now seated in the tufted leather rolling chair behind the doctor's workspace, I felt a little more relaxed than I did earlier that morning.

"Twenty," I answered easily. "Nearly twenty-one."

"You seem younger, for some reason," he said wonderingly, leaning against the side of the mahogany desk, facing me with his arms folded comfortably. "At first I assumed you must have graduated high school a bit early, skipped a grade… perhaps skipped a _couple_ of grades, even. It must be your exuberant personality."

"Me? Exuberant?" I half-laughed, pretty sure he was thinking of someone else entirely. "I'm about as tepid as they come, Carlisle. I don't even like reading out of the book in class."

"Be that as it may," he allowed reluctantly, thoughtful interest on his face, "you have a great deal of repressed energy. Like a… how did Alice once put it… oh, yes… like a party waiting to start."

"What?" I let out a genuine belly laugh at that. "Carlisle, seriously, you must be on some faraway planet."

"Oh, say what you will," he waved off my doubts glibly, "but that is exactly what you come across as."

"Whatever," I muttered with a light flush to my cheeks. "Why don't you move onto your own stories? Please?"

"All right," he granted my request with a nod and an acquiescent smile. "But you have yet to tell me where you would like me to begin."

Hesitantly, I voiced a question that had plagued me for some time since reading the series, "Do you... do you remember much from your human years?"

"I have retained a number of memories," he shrugged lightly. I was relieved that he did not look uncomfortable. "Some are highly unclear, but still discernible. I do remember watching my father carve the cross that hung in his parish. I also remember kneeling in the church cemetery as a very young boy; I know I was feeling exceptionally sad, so I can only imagine it was a visit to my mother's grave."

"You never knew her," I lamented. It seemed horrible that this man, who must have been a wonderful little boy, had never been able to even meet his mother. I always felt that, had his mother lived, Carlisle would have been immensely cherished.

"I feel worse for those who have known their mothers… and then lost them," he murmured gently. No doubt he was thinking of his adopted children, Edward in particular. And perhaps he was thinking of Esme losing her baby boy. How strange that Esme had never met her son and Carlisle had never met his mother. Esme's parents had been cold and Carlisle's father had been essentially heartless. Yet together, Carlisle and Esme Cullen made wonderful parents.

"It's just… I don't know… I'm just daydreaming, I think," I shook my head. I didn't want to tell him that I had previously imagined his mother holding her little son with love as her life faded; I'd even envisioned a story about her brief moments with him before she died. Now that I was living in this world and it was real, I felt like such a terrible person for playing around with people's lives like that, even if it was only a story.

"Are you all right?" Carlisle asked concernedly, leaning forward to lay a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"I'm fine," I told him in what I thought was a casual voice, ducking my head to avoid his gaze.

"I'm afraid I'm not convinced," he admitted in a serious tone, and I felt his eyes boring into the top of my head.

"I… I feel bad," I confessed under my breath, hardly wanting to admit to what had just gone through my mind. But Carlisle was worried now and I couldn't leave him feeling that way indefinitely.

"Over what?" he inquired soothingly, squeezing my shoulder in comfort.

"Well, in my world… since you are all just fictional people… a lot of fans write stories about you. You know… sort of… putting you into different situations and that sort of thing... Rewriting the books as if you guys were all human and other stuff."

"And you've done this, too," he stated, rather than asked, voice impassive. From it, I could glean nothing as to how he felt.

"Yes," was my meek reply, shoulders pressing forward to ward off the unfriendly reaction I guessed would come.

"What did you write about?" he asked me casually enough.

That was not the kind of response I was expecting.

"Um… different things," I confessed tentatively, eyes riveted to my knees. "Some are… things that could have happened within the books, but weren't written by the author."

"What else?" he prodded further, impassive again. "What specific plots have you created?"

Why was he asking me all these questions about what I wrote? Was he trying to make me feel worse?

"But—" I began, hoping to explain myself, but Carlisle cut me off.

"Tell me one," he instructed politely. I could feel his eyes on my bowed head still; it was making me more nervous than anything.

"I… in one… you and Jasper bond after he and Alice come to live with you. Since Maria was… well, _Maria_ … and you're totally different from each other and it would have been strange going from one extreme to the complete opposite, so it must have taken a great deal of adjustment for him and… and you… and…"

I probably would have gone on rambling nonsense about my many theories on their family, had I not heard the oddest sound. Warily glancing up at the doctor from beneath my lashes, I blinked several times before I realized he was actually laughing behind his hand.

Carlisle was laughing.

Gaping, I wondered what universe I had transported to this time.

"Forgive me, Mireille," he chuckled when he noticed me looking up at him finally. "I could not help myself that time. But really, I don't care about that. What do you take me for? We were not even real in the world you came from. It's not some horrible crime."

"But I… it's real now," I uttered, weak with relief that he had only been teasing me.

"It wasn't at that time," he consoled me with a warm smile, all traces of laughter gone. "What has made you so guilty that you would be afraid of my reaction?"

"I had another idea a while back," I slowly confessed, biting my lip. "And you reminded me of it."

"Ah… it must have been about my mother, then?"

"Yes, it was." I gave up figuring out how he gained such knowledge and just watched in anticipation for a negative reaction, but his face remained pleasant.

"I suppose that would be a natural thing to be curious about," he said thoughtfully. "As many things would be for an inquiring mind such as yours, particularly when those things pertain to a group of people you have read about and become intrigued by. What else are you curious about?"

"You won't be disappointed with me?" I asked with trepidation. Already I felt like disappointing this man would be painful.

"Not in the least, I promise you," Carlisle answered in deep sincerity, reaching out to take my hand in his. "Even if you ask about the less savory parts of our family's history."

"Then I'd better hurry and ask this question before Rosalie gets home and takes over that reaction in your place," I admitted bluntly.

"That sounds quite ominous," he intoned, sighing and waving me on with the hand that had just held mine.

Breathing deeply to steel myself, I quietly asked something that always bothered me. "Does she still feel a lot of anger towards you over being changed?"

Carlisle breathed deeply, too, repeating the process I had just attempted. I only hoped it worked better for him than for me. Analyzing the way his exhale seemed to stick at the back of his throat before it left him, I doubted that very much.

After a moment, he responded very plainly, "Rosalie will always feel some amount of disgust for my actions that night; for the fact that I gave her no choice. However, as far as any of us can tell, she has forgiven me on all counts. She complains often enough about living this existence, but we do not believe she is doing it to spite me; more because she is so… well…"

"Er… oriented around her own feelings?" I offered haltingly. Referring to Rosalie's selfishness in a diplomatic way did not come easy, that was for certain.

Choking slightly on what I guessed was amusement, Carlisle murmured, "That is one way of putting it… Is that what you wished to know?"

"Mostly. It makes me feel better, at least," I shrugged.

"I'm glad of that," he acknowledged, then wryly asked, "Do you have any other questions like that tucked up your sleeve?"

"Probably." I ducked my head bashfully.

"Then you'd best fire away rather quickly," he informed me. Looking up again, I watched as the doctor checked his watch. "We've little more than two-and-a-half hours now. And thirty minutes of that should be set aside for your lunch."

Time had gone by so quickly and I barely realized it because I was so pleasantly engrossed. But I didn't want to waste time when I could be listening to Carlisle. "Well, I'm not hungry yet; probably won't be until around one o'clock. Besides, I could eat while you're telling me your story, couldn't I?"

"If you wish to do so, I won't be bothered," he smiled confusedly at me. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather take your time eating?"

"No, it's fine," I lifted my shoulders in enthusiasm. "I did it all the time when I lived at home."

"All right," Carlisle agreed. "But the rest of your questions must still come first. I doubt it would be wise to ask any such delicate inquiries with a risk of the others hearing."

"Okay. Well, then… I know you said you, personally, can't really pinpoint specific parts of a scent as easily, but are you able to notice if human scents are stronger than others?"

"Ah, now that I am quite capable of," he said, nodding. "It's easier to notice a higher concentration or a stronger… consistency. That is a part of what helps me determine clotting in the blood."

"Um… this is a kind of strange question and I'm not sure you'll know, but…" I started, stopped, then decided that my wording would have to stay the same no matter how it sounded. "As far as you know, how long could you go without hunting and still refrain from snapping at humans?"

"During Edward's first year of this life, I once went without for two months," was Carlisle's grim answer as he reflected back on the experience with distant eyes. "Edward was incredibly difficult to reign in when you matched his speed with newborn strength. Thankfully by the end of his first year I was the stronger one once more."

Wincing slightly, I remembered how long he must have gone without during his own first year. "How long was it when you were a newborn?"

"A few months," he answered, the distance growing in his eyes again. "Of course, I was both new and away from all human company at that time in my life. Quite a difference."

"Will you tell me about your life?" I finally came to the whole point behind our talk. "From as early as you can?"

"Human memories, hm?" Carlisle clarified, smiling indulgently at me when I nodded. "Well, the day I visited my mother's grave is the earliest recollection I have. I was quite young then, perhaps six years old; an age at which Edward finds it extraordinary for me to have remembered something so strongly."

"It really is amazing," I commented. "I can't remember a single firsthand memory from when I was six… Of course, your memory is a lot more emotionally powerfully than any of mine would be, so maybe that's why."

"It may be," he pondered, but shook himself from contemplation. "Regardless, that is the earliest memory I have."

"What was your mother's name?" I couldn't believe I had neglected to ask sooner.

"Joanna," Carlisle said simply, wistfully.

"God is gracious," I repeated the meaning of the name softly. True to my curious nature, I had often looked up the meaning of baby names and remembered a lot of the meanings I had read even months afterward. This name struck me as ironic now.

"What's that?" asked Carlisle curiously.

"Joanna," I replied quietly. "It means ' _god is gracious'_."

Unless I was mistaken, Carlisle's eyes sparkled at this information, shining even more golden than ever. If ever a man looked like an angel, it was Carlisle Cullen, especially in that moment. His beauty, however, was speared by a sudden sadness that startled me. Somehow I realized it must have been a wish to at least have met his mother, despite his earlier dismissal of his own sadness.

Hoping to spare him any more upset in remembering his mother, I tried to push his story along. "What's the next memory you have?"

Starting from his darkened daze, Carlisle took a moment to answer while he brought his mind back to the conversation at hand. "The carving. It could only have been a year after the first memory that I began to sit in the back of the sanctuary each evening, gazing in rapt fascination as my father toiled over raw wood until it formed to his ministrations. Well, truthfully, my only remotely clear memories of him carving are the last ones. Overall, it took him three months to finish it. Obviously I do not have a memory of every night I sat there."

"How do you know you sat there every night, then?" I asked in bewilderment.

"My father talked about it after he showed me the finished product."

"He wasn't angry, was he?" was my immediate, worried response.

A small smile lit the doctor's gentle face. "He was quite kind, actually. Somehow, my reverence for the cross he carved ended up softening him that night."

"Was he normally…" My mouth fluttered open several times as I tried to find a kinder way to say 'abusive,' but I couldn't manage it. My host understood what I meant almost immediately, though. Something about me was very open to his perception.

"He was not especially violent," said Carlisle delicately, arms moving to cross over his chest in a slightly defensive posture. "Not with me, at least."

Carlisle's words about his own treatment were not comforting. 'Not especially violent…' So Pastor Cullen was only a _little_ violent towards his son? Instead of outright beatings, Carlisle may have been slapped around or occasionally hit with some heavy object? Perhaps a cruel word or two was passed around?

Oh, _that_ was a comfort.

"Just with other innocent people," I couldn't help muttering, working very hard not to comment on my previous thoughts.

"Unfortunately," he grimaced. "Little though I enjoyed taking over my father's place in his hunt against evil, I am glad I could limit the amount of damage he caused."

"Did you take the position without question?"

"For the most part," the doctor sighed. "We had one major debate over the issue, and it was more a question of allowing me a freer hand, which he had to do anyway what with his health deteriorating so rapidly. My father's collapse during one of his raids was the only thing that made him retire his position to me in the first place."

"He was ill?" I asked curiously.

"Not exactly. By that point, mostly he was too old to do what he was doing. The constant stress on his mental and physiological condition became too much."

"While I'm not happy that another human being was suffering," I tentatively began to reply, "his personal suffering must have contributed to the freedom and wellbeing of a lot of people, what with you taking control."

"Precisely my thoughts," Carlisle half-smiled, hands tightening around his arms absently. "If I could save someone who might have died under another's hands, then surely my own displeasure with the position was vastly less important."

"You're so selfless." The wonder in my voice was plain, and even Carlisle's abashed, self-deprecating expression could not dampen it. "How many people would do that? How many people would take their own happiness at a disadvantage in order to help others? Very few, Carlisle. You know that somehow, but if your human life evolved the way I think it did, I wouldn't be surprised if you deny it."

Apparently deciding that responding would only serve to confirm my suggestion about his father's abusive behavior, Carlisle turned to gaze down at the surface of the desk, eyes far away from the present. For several minutes, I intently watched him trail his fingers in random patterns just above the wood. It occurred to me that the kind-spoken vampire might be planning to feign ignorance until I changed the subject. It was then that his lips started to move.

"My father was never a gentle man," he admitted in such a quiet voice that I had to lean forward to hear it. "A few of my human memories revolve around that specific aspect of his personality. Both in regards to myself and to others…"

With that he trailed off into silence once more, fingers continuing their nimble work upon the wooden surface beneath them.

"I'm sorry," I found myself apologizing again. I just kept asking questions that were none of my affair, no matter how much I knew about him and his family. "I keep asking things I shouldn't. And I guess I keep forgetting that you only met me last night; I can't expect you to just entertain my intrusive questions when you don't really know me yet."

"You told me a rather personal story," Carlisle offered, even his eyes looking upon me gently as he ceased the movement of his fingers to cast the whole of his attention to my fidgeting form. "I hardly see you as intruding after divulging what you have of your own life."

"This is different," I insisted. Indeed it was. Abuse was a far different type of personal story than my disagreement with my parents.

"Semantically speaking, perhaps," he agreed, but his tone belied the ultimate disagreement he felt. "Yet there is something to be said for a frank exchange of histories."

Reluctance oozed from my voice as I replied, "I suppose."

"I have not told anyone of these memories," Carlisle suddenly told me, sounding as if he had only just thought of it. "Edward knows, of course. Esme guessed as much, but I have not actually told her."

Gaping, I asked with blatant shock, "Then why tell _me_?"

"Because you asked," was his easy reply, a very light smile on his face. "And because you feel very… familiar is the best word I can think of right now, although it is not exactly what I mean. Strange, isn't it? We've barely known you a day and already you are leaving a mark."

"I don't want to brand myself onto all of you," I argued quietly.

"Oh, I'm afraid that is inevitable," Carlisle chuckled, looking wholly undisturbed. "Everyone leaves a mark somehow, even in the smallest and most unnoticed of ways. Take my mother, for instance. I never even met her, yet she has always had a hand, however indirectly, in the man I have become… Now let us not worry over this anymore. I have yet to find fault in your company and would prefer it to stay that way throughout the more trivial discussions, if not on the whole of our talk."

I just sighed in resignation. There was no use arguing with a Cullen or a Hale once they'd made up their mind.

"Now, where was I?" he asked me amiably.

"You watched your father carving his cross," I prompted dutifully, inwardly wondering on the irony of my phrasing.

"Ah, yes," Carlisle picked up with new vigor, nodding thoughtfully. "For a brief time after that night, my father was exceptionally tolerant of any failings I seemed to have. A stern talk was his only discipline for nearly a month. My next memory was set during that period of time… I remember my father was quite anxious one day, although it never appeared to be for any terrible reason. After supper, he settled us in front of the fire and suddenly he began to talk about my mother."

"He never had before?" I started vaguely.

"Never once," Carlisle shook his head sadly. "He… I _believe_ he missed my mother too much to discuss her. I may be wrong about that, but I like to think he truly did love her. At any rate, that night we went round and round about the brief number of years my father and mother shared. And just before he sent me off to bed, he gave me one last gift to remember her by."

Abruptly, Carlisle stood and moved over to his bookcases, beginning to finagle a very high shelf that was covered with protective glass. Confused by his strange behavior, I decided to be blunt.

"What was the gift?" I asked.

Yet the doctor didn't answer me; he just kept working on the glass until he had removed it completely and taken out a particularly large, old-looking book. Unless I was mistaken (and I was fairly sure I was not), the pages were all parchment.

Carlisle then turned to me – the great book balanced carefully in his hands facing me– and finally spoke. "This was my mother's bible."

Jaw dropping widely, I stared at the leather bible in astonishment. This piece of literature belonged to Joanna Cullen. Not only that, however… the book was older than Carlisle!

"It's beautiful," I whispered reverently. I didn't even dare touch the bible for fear of it crumbling with age.

"Yes, it is very beautiful," he agreed warmly, glancing over it with love. "She signed her name in the cover, too. I was so pleased when I first saw it. I didn't even know she could write."

This was such a highly important piece of Carlisle's history. Yet hardly a word would come to mind that had any real value. My conversations went that way very often, actually. That was what I had meant when speaking with Edward the previous night. I was not good with social interaction because I had great difficulties in finding the proper words. Normally I listened, but added very little input.

Carlisle abruptly lifted his head from glancing at the bible, sheepishness in his gaze when he glanced over at me again. "Forgive me. I try not to become absorbed with this when I show it to someone, but I can never seem to rein it in."

With that he stood and returned the bible to its protective casings on the high shelf.

"It's perfectly fine," I assured him. "I'd get a little lost in that kind of memento, too."

"Thank you," said Carlisle lowly, and from his change in stance and expression, I could tell we were moving onto a different part of his human life. Not a good part, I wagered.

"After that memory, I have little good to share, I must admit," he told me a bit unhappily. "There are various unfortunate memories of my father's discipline for… sinful behaviors. Namely my own."

"Sinful?" I wondered with both brows lifted high on my forehead. "Now you'll have to forgive _me_ , Carlisle, because that just sounds insane. There _is_ an age of accountability, where people must take responsibility for their own sin, but I hardly think it's at seven or eight years old."

"You _are_ rather religious, aren't you?" Carlisle commented, inadvertently ignoring my remarks. I was much less offended than I probably should have been. "I find that refreshing. And rare."

"Faith is important to me," I shrugged faintly. "I just never saw a reason to not believe in God."

"I assume this was a self-induced belief?" he asked me knowingly. "Having heard the way your parents acted, I can't believe they were your foundation."

"Well, they believed there _is_ a God," I hesitantly explained. "But they were never strong enough to _trust_ in God. I'm not saying I'm the picture of a perfect Christian, but I try to make myself accept that God knows better than I do."

"That is the most difficult part of our faith." Carlisle smiled warmly for having found a kindred spirit. "We pray for the things we want, and very often forget that those wants are not necessarily in line with God's plans."

"Exactly," I agreed quietly, thoughts wandering to my parents and their materialistic wanting. "My parents were like that. They wanted things to always be their way; wanted something now rather than later. God was just a… a charity sponsor. To them, He was supposed to give the things they needed, right when they needed them."

"I'm very sorry about that," he consoled. "It's not easy to live with any sort of religious extreme. I know that first hand."

My response, limited though it was sure to be, was cut off by a loud grumble from my stomach. Carlisle chuckled at the sound and stood from his spot on the edge of the desk.

"I suspect you're hungry, Mireille," he smiled amusedly at me. "Let us make you lunch before we continue."

"Oh, okay," I acquiesced quite reluctantly. After all, I _was_ feeling a need for food now. "But we can keep talking, right?"

"Of course," he laughed and offered me a hand up.

Glossing over less than savory memories was Carlisle's main agenda as we took to the stairs and also a few moments later, while he made me lunch of a salad and sandwich. The meal was quite good, but the obvious hedging around Thomas Cullen's abusive behavior (and repeated dismissal by local townsfolk of a young Carlisle's naïve attempts at honesty) hampered my appetite greatly. This was not to mention the various times that Carlisle remembered seeing people burned alive or drowned or murdered some other terrible way, all because someone accused them of being a witch or a demon or a monster of some kind. By the time our discussion reached the point of Thomas' collapse, the other half of my sandwich lay forgotten with disinterest and displeasure over our distressing topics.

Carlisle spoke after a long, empty pause, his eyes having keenly observed my steadily dwindling desire for food, "I wish there were better topics to come, but there are not. Are you sure you want to hear more of this time in my life?"

"I want to understand you," I insisted with subtle eagerness, leaning forward across the island where we sat. "I know there are unhappy subjects ahead, but if you could live through them, then certainly I can listen to them."

"You're sure? I don't want what happened with your appetite to occur with your outlook as well."

"I'll be okay," I said firmly. "I might cry when I hear about your years alone or the pain you felt, but it doesn't mean I'm turning suicidal on you."

Carlisle shook his head with morbid humor. "If you insist, then… After those awkward, browbeaten years between childhood and maturity, I began to genuinely train as a replacement for my father. He was not very happy about it. In fact, he was downright disgusted with the idea. The agendas he had formed over the years were sure to be disbanded once I was given leadership and he hated that knowledge. The townsfolk were anxious, too; about removing his cruelty from the head of the community. They insisted that he was becoming too old to keep the position and that my rise was to be expected soon."

"Not something he wanted to hear, I'd bet," I sighed.

"Definitely not," Carlisle nodded wearily. "Of course, in an effort to prove his own strength and vitality, my father pressed ever harder in his quests and raids. There were so many people hurt in the last year of his authority."

The last was spoken with such sincere sadness that I felt it creep upon me, too. But before I could utter any sort of sympathy, Carlisle went on in his story.

"Yet he finally reached the end of his rope one night in the winter. We were leading a chase against a man who had been persecuted unnecessarily for months on extremely weak charges, when suddenly my father seized up and collapsed to the ground. Having been behind him, I was able to call for help immediately, but the damage was done to his heart already. There was nothing significant in the way of treatment at that time, so our local physician's only prescription was to quit the chase. In lieu of dying with so many of his vendettas unfinished, my father opted to follow the treatment and attempt to run us all from his bedside."

"Even then, he refused to stop tormenting people," I wondered in a low voice, disturbed by the cruelty one man could possess. I knew a wide batch of detestable sorts of stories like it, but to hear about it so personally made it much more real.

"Yes, he was quite determined to fulfill his harsh persecution of the people he saw as inferior to himself," Carlisle sighed resignedly, apparently having decided he must accept that truth about his father. "Thankfully it was not to be. The townsfolk removed my father from his position on the grounds that he could not do a proper job of it without also leading the action. I was instated the day after their announcement was made, at the age of twenty-one."

"What was your first step in the new position?" I asked.

Showing a tiny, almost bitter smile, Carlisle answered, "I dropped charges against the man my father had been chasing the night of his collapse."

"Did he know?" I almost didn't want to find out.

"No. The man escaped anyway. No one believed it was necessary to explain the fine details and risk my father's anger or health."

"I imagine that was the only time it happened so fortunately?" I suggested tiredly.

"That was my only lucky moment, it's true," the doctor actually chuckled for some reason. "Although I must say my luck never seemed very good during my human years anyway."

"I suppose so," I agreed reluctantly. "In a way, at least."

"Ah, you mean my family," Carlisle smiled widely, a drastic change in his features from the gloom of only moments before.

"Yes," I nodded sheepishly.

"Oh, don't worry, I quite agree with you," he said pleasantly.

"So, you were the leader of the raids," I picked up the previous thread of our conversation again. "How did you find out about the real vampires in the sewers?"

Carlisle's face turned deathly serious in an instant. "I caught a glimpse of one. Just a shadow in the night when I was headed home one evening. Yet somehow I knew it was more than a figment of my imagination. I tried to set a watch each night, but it was almost two years until I truly found their entry. So I arranged a raid in the hopes of destroying the monsters that threatened us. Naïve as I was, I of course had no idea how powerful our kind actually are. Thus I underestimated just how horribly our group would be harmed. Nevertheless, that naïve young man led out a raiding party to await the entry or exit of the monsters we sought to destroy. Being the fastest, I headed the party as we chased the first creature to exit the sewer. I suspect they were far too wild with thirst to truly leave such a feast as we presented to them… It was my throat the initial vampire turned to first. Yet, even torn apart as it was, my throat was the only one which survived the attack."

"How could you change when you were so broken?" I questioned faintly, to which Carlisle's face morphed into instantaneous concern. Judging by the vague nausea assaulting my senses, I must have been chalk-white in the face.

"When a vampire is intensely thirsty," Carlisle tried to explain despite his worry, an academic quality to his voice that I appreciated for its calm thoughtfulness, "the venom flows more thickly and rapidly. Seeing as these vampires must have been starving, I can only imagine it was the quantity and speed at which the venom entered my body that kept me from a nearly-immediate death."

My voice shook with nerves as I responded, "And throughout all this, you were _silent_?"

"The burning was… unimaginably terrible," he hedged awkwardly, fists clenched atop the island counter, "but I knew in some subconscious part of my mind that I would be destroyed if I did not remain quiet. Using fire as he so often did, my father might very well have killed me before the change was complete."

Shivering, I shook my head to clear the frightful idea away. Not only could I hardly imagine a world without Carlisle, it was also difficult to imagine a parent willingly destroying their child – no matter what they became. Holding back words for a moment, Carlisle reached over to cover my hands with his in a gesture of comfort I was becoming all too familiar with.

"I'm fine," I assured him meekly. "Go on."

"Having realized what I was becoming," he went on to say, shaking his head at my stubbornness, "I was horrified and hated myself more desperately than I can describe. Almost as soon as I awoke to my life as a vampire, I wanted to rid the world of my own presence. Suicide is, however, fairly elusive for our kind. Still I tried. In all manner of ways from drowning to poison to blades to starvation… I even attempted to hang myself once. There were many other methods, but they all failed, of course. By the time I had hidden myself away in a cave in the forest, I was beyond rational thought. The herd of deer that crossed my hiding place was one of the greatest mercies I ever received."

"And you never drank human blood." I marveled at the golden man sitting across from me. He was truly amazing.

"Never," he agreed with a smile that bordered on proud, but never quite reached it.

"And I thought I was conscientious when I denied myself chocolate," I sighed with false depression, making Carlisle chuckle as he looked down at his watch.

"Oh my," he exclaimed mildly, looking rather surprised, "It's already two o'clock."

"Already?" I half-yelped, sitting ramrod-straight in my seat, before I rapidly began to whine. "Why can't they stay at school a little while longer? I didn't even get to ask all of my questions."

Laughing, Carlisle stood from his stool and came around to stand beside me. Offering up my plate, I let him whisk it away to the sink and clean up the mess. We had little time before the others arrived, so it was probably for the best to let speed win out.

"Good choice," came Edward's voice from the direction of the front door. If I had been in the habit of guessing, I would have said a scowl accompanied his tone of voice. Whatever was coming with the others after school got out, I didn't think I would like it very much.

"You're perfectly correct," Edward affirmed wryly as I turned to face him, also bringing Carlisle around to face us with interest on his face.

"What about, Edward?" he asked, leaning back onto the counter casually.

"I have some unfortunate news," was Edward's grim announcement. "Lauren Mallory was in Seattle last night."

"What?" My intelligent response conveyed every ounce of my dread. I had a very bad feeling of where this could go. Carlisle looked little better, eyes temporarily closed in what I supposed was a plea for patience.

"Yes," Edward sighed in agreement with whatever Carlisle was thinking. "Lauren saw the two of you shopping together. At first she thought it was Esme and perhaps she had died her hair. Then she saw the face. Needless to say, there are rumors flying now."

"Let me guess," I started sarcastically, "I'm a mistress, a love child, or a prostitute."

"Sounds pretty close," Edward nodded with a roll of his eyes.

"But how did Alice miss this?" Bewilderment shone on my features.

"Lauren didn't decide to do anything until this morning," Edward explained. "Only by the time Alice was at school did the vision hit her. It was better for them to listen in and judge the situation there. If they all came home it would look suspicious."

"We'll have to figure you in as a relation somehow," Carlisle sighed deeply. If vampires could get migraines, I would have thought he had one at that particular moment.

"So, Rosalie is going to go tornado on me, right?" I suggested in a complete monotone. What a wonderful day it was going to be…

"Alice is heading her off somewhat, as is Emmett," Edward promised. "It was our fault, not yours. We really should have gone out of state for security purposes."

"Rosalie is only going to see that I'm threatening her bubble," I countered. "If I hadn't come here, she wouldn't be dealing with this. You know that's what she'll be thinking and feeling."

"True, but it doesn't matter," was Edward's reply. "Carlisle will end any undue arguments or criticisms. But let's stop talking about that for the immediate moment. Rosalie will be far more appeased if we have a strategy in hand. As a matter of fact, we all will be."

"What strategy is that, though?" I questioned with some despondency.

"A cousin or something would probably be best," Edward suggested thoughtfully, speaking at a speed I nearly didn't comprehend. "Probably on my side. No… Maybe Alice's. You're short, so that will work well. People generally take face value comparisons to heart."

All of Edward's logical, rational planning seemed to jumpstart my own imagination. Ideas began to flutter around in my brain like they would when I wrote stories and like normal, I tuned out all else around me to focus on them.

I _could_ be a relation. Maybe a cousin could work somehow, but it was awfully odd for someone's cousin to come live with them before another, more immediate relation. A niece, however… But Rosalie and Jasper were already playing Esme's niece and nephew. That meant it would have to be Carlisle. My parents could have died recently and so I moved in with my uncle. Oh, but what about the last name Cullen? It was rare and surely the list of Cullens living in any one area was very limited. If anyone checked up on that name in the area we chose as my origin, it might be too easy to disprove us.

Then again, that was only if my we said my father was Carlisle's brother. Say we went with my mother… The name would be more easily explained, though it still left me with answering the question of why I never connected with my relatives for all these years. Perhaps my mother could have been distanced from her family or her husband wanted to create distance because he didn't get along with the in-laws? That was pretty feasible. We could say that my mother died years earlier and then my father, having disliked her family, cut off all communications between them and me after her death. But it would have been my mother's wish that I live with my uncle if anything happened to both parents. That all worked out!

"Perfect!"

Startled by the joint voices that interrupted my thoughts, I whipped around to see Alice standing right beside Edward, triumphant expressions on both of their faces.

"Huh?" I wondered with little in the way of intelligence.

"Your idea is wonderful," Alice chirped, newly happy. "Everyone will believe it instantly."

"Oh, that's good," I responded with continued surprise. If Alice was here, why weren't the others?

"Alice ran ahead," Edward told me. "To help plan before Rosalie came back. Jasper stayed to keep down the anger Rosalie is feeling. She's going to be irritating enough as is. I'd hate to have seen it without Jasper influencing her."

Quailing at that implication seemed appropriate, although Alice giggled at my inward slouch. "Okay, so what's the official plan?"

"Exactly what you were thinking about," Edward shrugged. "It will work very well, as we said before."

"Then how about explaining this plan for we lesser beings?" Carlisle spoke up from behind us. In spite of the mild sarcasm in his words, he was smiling ruefully.

Turning around, I started when I saw Esme standing there as well, arm around her husband's waist and a nervous look on her features. Hesitating only a second, I smiled slightly and waved at her; it wasn't much, but it could be a comfort if she believed I was confident. Sure enough, the nervousness cleared a little as she smiled back.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle," Edward responded, rolling his eyes at the doctor. "The plan is this: Mireille will be your niece. The daughter of your sister, who died when Mireille was very small. You were close with your sister, but her husband disliked your family so there was little contact between you during her lifetime. When she died, her husband cut off contact completely. He died recently and as per your sister's will, Mireille was supposed to come live with you in the event of both parents dying."

"An excellent plan," Carlisle surmised with raised brows. Looking over at me, he asked, "You thought of that, Mireille?"

"Yeah," I nodded shyly.

"You have a very quick mind," he complimented.

Shrugging, I didn't say anything; not that I knew what to say anyway. I didn't always do well with compliments.

"Now, as to other details?" the doctor continued pensively. "What exactly happened to her parents in this story?"

"That'll have to wait," said Alice, eyes distant. "Rosalie is coming down the drive."

I didn't like the way she specified Rosalie, rather than the others in general.

"We're agreed on that," Edward chuckled, then his face abruptly became thoughtful as he faced his mother behind me. "Esme?"

"I just thought it would be a good idea for Mireille," Esme said of whatever had gone through her head, gesturing somewhat helplessly.

"It is a good idea! Rosalie will cool down faster that way," Alice disclosed in a semi-pout. Casting a glance back her way, I noticed all of a sudden that she was holding my coat, scarf, and gloves. I was certain she had not been holding them a minute before. What on earth she was doing with them, I couldn't fathom. No one had informed me of any last minute shopping excursions.

"But Esme is too slow," Edward apologetically explained. Esme only smiled at him.

"Don't let go for even a second!" the pixielike vampire warned her brother furiously, leaving me entirely confused.

"Would I have done that?" wondered Edward with confusion equal to my own.

"Not with malicious intentions," Alice sighed and slipped to my side, forcibly lifting me from my seat to rush me into my coat and accessories.

"Oh!" Edward looked shocked. "As a joke? You have to be kidding me."

"No, not really," she sighed again, this time agitatedly. "Now hurry before Rosalie gets here."

"Will do," he promised, and promptly swept me up into his grasp, eliciting a startled squeak from my previously quiet throat. The four vampires muffled their laughter at my expense, and I couldn't help but glare around the room at them for their amusement.

Edward smirked and readjusted his ice-cold arms firmly around me, and then we breezed through the house at a speed that was positively dizzying. When the tree line entered our view, my eyes closed of their own volition in instinctive dread. I just hoped the ride was short.

* * *


	7. Chapter 6: Integration

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

_**Chapter Numbering:**_  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
I am placing Jasper in the same grade as Alice & Edward, like they did in the film. Also, vampire eyes being darker/lighter based on diet is not directly mentioned in canon, but it is also never directly disproved in the books. So, I took my own interpretation of it.

**Previously** – Carlisle and Mireille discussed her age and personality. Mireille felt badly for writing fanfiction and Carlisle teased her about it. Mireille and Carlisle discussed Rosalie's resentment. Carlisle described his human memories and told of his mother Joanna. Mireille and Carlisle talked about sharing histories, their faith, and Carlisle's transformation. Edward revealed that Lauren Mallory saw Carlisle and Mireille in Seattle the previous night. Mireille created her story as Carlisle's niece and Edward whisked Mireille away before Rosalie could rage at her.

> **Chapter 6: Integration**

Sickness threatened to overwhelm me throughout Edward's run. When he suddenly leapt mid-sprint, my stomach fairly flew out of its confines. We soared up, up, up… and landed with a smooth thud onto something I wasn't all too sure I felt like defining. Probably a tree, although I knew checking would likely scare me half to death.

"I won't let you fall," Edward conveyed seriously, no humor glinting off of the words at all. Tentatively, I opened my eyes to a squint. Seeing only the front of my host's shirt, I decided it was all right to open them further. Slowly – ever so slowly – I fully opened my eyes, but never once did they move from anything non-Edward.

The vampire in question snorted at the thought and looking up, I noticed a hint of humor dancing in his eyes, now back to their oh-so-familiar topaz. Desperately I tried to ignore the branches and pine needles behind his head and the sky which peeked through them.

"Oh-so-familiar?" Edward questioned with a grin threatening to break free, obviously choosing to distract me rather than dwell on the tree part of the equation.

"It's what your eyes are always referred to as," I commented a little breathlessly, praying I wasn't about to throw up; my stomach was still churning fiendishly. "In the book, I mean. It's kind of odd, since I thought all of your eyes were the same color."

"They are for the most part," he nodded, shifting to allow me to sit straight rather than lean back. I was rather glad, seeing as my neck was starting to smart from the back-breaking position. "You can see some differences up close, however. Mine and Jasper's eyes are the darkest of the family. I imagine you can guess why."

"Humans," I stated, rather than asked. It was a little obvious, when I thought about it.

"Yes," shrugged Edward, half-pleased by my understanding and half-displeased by my knowing at all. Oh well. At least he wasn't treating me like fragile glass.

"It's difficult to do that when you already know the things I might have otherwise kept from you," was his sarcastic reply.

"Sorry," I said simply, not really sorry at all. Ignoring his eye-roll, I asked, "Was this the thing that would make Rosalie cool down faster?"

"Yes, this is it," he conceded. "If she's not burning a hole in your head with her glare, she thinks a bit more clearly about things."

"Nice to know," I said dryly.

"Isn't it?" He stamped down a grin beneath my eagle eye. "So, how would you like to see the landscape?"

"From the air? No," I immediately answered. "From the ground? Yes."

Smirking, Edward gripped me tighter and warned, "Keep your eyes closed."

"Oh no," I groaned, following his advice. "Can't you just scamper down the tree like a good little spider monkey?"

"Spider monkey?" Edward barked out a laugh.

"Movie reference," I bit out. "Just go, okay?"

"I can clamber down if you like," he sighed resignedly, tone still littered with humor, "…but you'll have to hang from my back."

"On second thought," I squeaked a little too high, gripping his shirt as he made to move me from my spot, "maybe you should go tree hopping. I like the wind. Really."

"Fine by me," he laughed and took off like a bullet, leaping up and down, up and down, more times than I felt was absolutely necessary. At last, to my distinct relief, he landed and did not move again.

"We're on the ground," he said. Reluctantly opening my eyes, I chanced a look beneath my perch in his arms and saw dead grass, wildflowers, dry pine needles… all scattered around the dirt at Edward's loafer-clad feet. Exhaling in a strangled sound of relief, I actually hugged him in gratitude for returning me to my natural place.

"You're welcome," he laughed. "Now let's make sure you can walk still."

"Right," I agreed, releasing his stone neck from my attempted stranglehold (not that I could succeed). Gentler than I envisioned, Edward slowly settled me back on my feet, to which my legs swiftly revolted and nearly gave out on me. For a while, I was forced to just stand there in the circle of his arms and hope my legs got their stuff together soon.

"Where are we?" I asked after a time, really starting to make a close inspection of our surroundings.

"Along the river," he replied, passing a precursory glance around as well. "We're northeast of the house. I remembered this particular part of the forest from Alice's visions."

"It's a lovely spot," I commented sincerely. The forest we stood in was quite enchanting with its spiraling towers of bark and pine. All was relatively still, what with so many trees barricading our location, and the atmosphere felt incredibly peaceful. Flowing water nearby rustled into my ears delicately, in spite of the river's relative nearness.

"Carlisle found it," Edward said quietly, seeming to catch onto my reverence for the serenity around us. "The peaceful solitude comforted him after a very hard day at the hospital."

"I always thought Esme did that," I remarked amusedly, absently sweeping aside a pinecone with the toe of my shoe.

Edward smiled indulgently at my humor. "She does, usually. But this time Carlisle was having a slight crisis with his self-confidence. It's a bit rare, since he believes so firmly in his ability to help this way. So when it does happen he needs time alone to sort himself out."

"He must have lost a few patients that day?" I wondered sympathetically. That would definitely test Carlisle's faith in himself.

"Yes, five," Edward nodded with a sigh. "They all had been out in the woods hiking. A bit stupid of them, really; everyone had been predicting a storm. It hit during their escapade and the nearest shelter was a small cave. By the time they were finally found and brought to Carlisle afterward, he couldn't save them."

"What did they die from?" I asked, shocked. Why would a storm kill five people? Certainly lightning didn't strike them all.

"It was during the winter," Edward explained. "Four of them contracted pneumonia. The other suffered from frostbite. His leg needed to be removed, but he died on the table in the middle of the procedure. Carlisle said he had a weak heart."

"So this happened when you lived in Hoquiam?" I tilted my head to look over at him, soldiering on in spite of my slight queasiness at the mention of an amputation. "I mean, you haven't even been here for winter yet. Not this time around."

"Yes, it was Hoquiam. Our first winter there, actually."

"And Carlisle probably could tell the man had a weak heart," I suggested with dawning comprehension. "But he couldn't say that without revealing his inhuman senses."

"That was exactly it." Edward agreed, tilting his head in an imitation of my prior gesture. "So, of course, he blamed himself for not using his enhanced senses to save the man, despite the impossible position that would have put us all in."

Shaking my head in mild exasperation, I said, "I find it amazing that we can blame ourselves for the impossible, but never admit to what it _is_ possible for us to be blamed for. And I include myself in that, so I hope you don't think I'm being pompous."

"That's the way it's always been." Edward shrugged and stepped closer to take my gloved hand. "Why don't we walk? It's fairly clear ground. Not much shrubbery to break through."

"All right." It was easy to agree when it meant staying out of Rosalie's war path… and spending time with Edward.

Laughter escaped said vampire and I grinned sheepishly. My shoulders lifted almost unconsciously as I apologized, "Um… I guess that was too much information."

"Don't bother about it," he assured me, still smirking. "At least you don't feel like it's your birthright or some such."

"Hm… you must be referring to certain girls at school," I said aloud, tapping my chin in mock thought. "Maybe… oh, but it _couldn't_ be Lauren or Jessica."

"You're a very sarcastic girl, aren't you?" Edward chuckled good-naturedly, leading me beneath the far-reaching branches of an especially beautiful evergreen.

"It comes naturally," was my casual remark, eyes trained on the foliage above. With Edward leading me, I wasn't worried about falling. "My parents were both very sarcastic people. Vindictive, too."

"I can't see you being vindictive," Edward shook his head. "You're a very accepting and forgiving person, from what I can tell."

"Yeah. Guess I somehow disrupted that particular gene." Responding blithely was the best idea I had in order to combat my discomfort with compliments. To my good fortune, Edward didn't speak up about my inner doubts; he merely kept walking. Perhaps he felt my stubbornness was too frustrating to deal with. No matter what the reason, I was glad not to be arguing.

After a while meandering the paths of the forest, I began to feel the cold of Edward's skin through my glove. Hearing that he was chilling my hand, the vampire loosened his hold. It was with great reluctance that I let his hand slip away completely, although the feeling was not exactly conscious. It had been nice holding hands with a friend. I'd never actually done that before.

"Never?" Edward questioned softly, sympathetically, and it amazed me to realize I'd been thinking so loudly and plainly.

"It's not that," he pressed on before I could speak, stopping us both mid-step. "Being alone with you makes it easier to root out half-conscious thoughts, since yours is the only mind in my range."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I mumbled self-consciously, now focusing entirely on the ground beneath my feet. A deep inhale sounded above my head, making me wonder if Edward was going to start grinding his teeth at me.

Instead, to my surprised relief, his tone was quite gentle. "It's nothing you need to apologize for. I can't help reading minds and you can't help thinking. What's there to be sorry for?"

"What I'm thinking about." Still I mumbled, unable to look up at him.

"If you could read _my_ mind," Edward began, amusement clear in his words, "I'd have to apologize ten times per hour just to make up for the morbid complaints and criticisms that run through my head."

Chuckling slightly on an exhale, I risked a single glance up at his face. There was no irritation present, only understanding and a hint of humor.

"Would you prefer if I growled at you?" he wondered honestly, lips quirked. "Perhaps hovered in that foot of height difference between us and stared you down like an avenging angel?"

A snort left me before I could control it.

"You see? It even sounds ridiculous," Edward told me laughingly.

Not for the first time, I found myself admiring his achingly lovely features as I stared up at him. While those golden eyes were very beautiful, I actually found myself drawn to his strong jaw line more than anything else. The urge to run my hand along his marble face was nearly irresistible, yet somehow I did resist. As far as I knew, I even kept my thoughts away from that avenue. Although, of course Edward knew I was staring at his face; his slight, curious smirk proved as much. Feeling awkward of a sudden, I turned to begin walking once more. For a moment I didn't feel or hear Edward join me. Worried that I had been all too clear in my previous urge and pushed him away, I nearly stopped again. The very moment I slowed down, long fingers instantly twined through mine and tugged me further forward. Fearing a blush would appear on my face, I didn't allow myself to look over at him.

Again we walked in silence, but this time Edward didn't let go of my hand until something flashed past and reappeared before us in the form of Alice.

"Rosalie is appeased," she explained without ceremony, though she was smiling. "You can come back now. And no, she won't glare at you. Granted, she may not acknowledge you either, but you can't have everything."

"Good," I sighed, happy to have been able to avoid the tantrums of Rosalie Hale.

"Oh, and we'll be determining the specifics of your official background today," she informed me unhappily. Before I could even look at her in curiosity, Alice explained, "That means no shopping until later. But we'll go, I promise."

"Fine by me," I acquiesced. "I guess Rosalie and Emmett are going far away from me?"

"Nope," came a loud and familiar voice just as Emmett himself appeared beside his annoyed yet indulgent-looking sister. "I wanted to meet you for real this time."

"Oh. Hello again, Emmett." My smile was very uncertain. I really hoped he didn't swing me around; he was, after all, known for his enthusiasm.

"Same to you, Mireille." The bulky vampire winked, even more mischievously than the previous night, and I felt my lips quirk naturally in response. Tentatively, I extended my hand for him to shake, praying it wasn't a bone-breaking grip.

But Emmett was much more in control of himself than I gave him credit for. Aside from the icy temperature and the knowledge that his hand was the strongest material I could fathom (and held the capability of crushing my fingers in one tiny squeeze), it was like any normal handshake.

"You won't be too mad at Rose, will you?" Emmett asked me, and in spite of the cheery expression he wore, I could sense an underlying seriousness that took me by surprise.

"I'm not mad at her, Emmett," I told him truthfully. "I can't say I like her. Not exactly. Well, not yet anyway. She might grow on me for all I know. Anyway, I _can_ kind of see why she's upset when some stranger comes into her family without ever having met them and knows a large part of their history. That would agitate me, too."

"Yeah, but she'll get over it," the big vampire assured confidently, although his reassurance went absolutely nowhere with me. I knew enough about Rosalie to realize she would probably never fully accept me, even if I turned out to be Carlisle's long lost sister or something.

From my peripheral vision, I noticed Alice and Edward exchange an indecipherable look. Even though my curiosity was peaked, I refrained from asking about it just yet. Perhaps I could determine it through stealth, something which I always thought Bella needed to work on a little more in the books.

"Can I carry you back?" Emmett asked bluntly. Absently, I thought to myself that he looked as excited as if he was getting Christmas presents. Beside me, Edward tried not to laugh at the comparison. Luckily I wasn't looking at him, or I would doubtless have started laughing myself.

"No, Emmett," Alice intervened sharply, making us stare. Only Edward looked unsurprised. "Edward is carrying her back."

"Aw, man," the burly vampire whined boyishly, bringing a giggle out of me.

An enormous grin covered his face in response, to which I rapidly turned wary. Not because of his teeth, as Edward seemed to think suddenly, but because Emmett mixed with excitement could be a little harrowing. Choking on his own laughter, Edward quickly scooped me up and took off without a word. Violent inertia forced my eyes closed and sent my fingers digging into whatever part of Edward's shirt I could find. Thankfully it was his collar, something which allowed me a substantial enough grip to feel secure. Even running on the ground was uncomfortable with the speed at which vampires ran. And of course, I was running with the fastest one in existence.

"Thank you," said Edward in a low, amused voice, right in my ear.

"Welcome," I squeaked with absolutely no dignity. We reached the house in record time, and when I was finally set down again, it was with Edward's laughter still ringing in my ears.

When my eyes opened at last, Carlisle was standing outside the back door, looking exasperatedly as his eldest son, who appeared apologetic and sheepish at the same time.

"Was that really necessary, Edward?" he questioned the younger vampire, then gestured over at me helplessly, "Look at the poor girl."

Glancing down myself, I could see what he meant. Trembling and white-faced, sporting leaves and pine needles and a few tiny pine cones all over my coat (probably my hair as well), and somehow sweating bullets, I probably looked rather like something out of a Tim Burton movie.

Carlisle didn't give Edward a chance to answer, but continued, "Human speed would have sufficed, I'm sure."

"Yes, I'm sure," Edward sighed, turning towards me to pick off the debris at top speed. "My apologies, Mireille."

"S'okay," I mumbled with only partial truthfulness. If he ever did it again without absolute necessity (or my express permission), I probably would not be so forgiving.

That angelic face melted into a congenial smile as he said, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Come inside, my dear," Carlisle sighed, holding his arm out in welcome. It was easy to step into his half-embrace and let him lead me in the house. The immediate warmth hitting my face was wonderful, even with an icy limb around my shoulders.

In all of a minute, I was out of my outerwear and shoes, bundled in a cream blanket and warm new socks, sipping hot chocolate, and settled onto one of the couches between Carlisle and Esme. Cozy was an understatement to the situation, just the way I liked to have big conversations.

"Okay, so where do we go from here?" I started, wanting to get the planning over with.

Instantly, Carlisle took up the thread of conversation, "Well, you have given us a very good structure to work with. Tight enough to avoid suspicion, but loose enough to add details you may not realize need to be covered. The first thing is your name. We have to decide if you are keeping the last name or changing it."

Before I could reply, the voice I had dreaded hearing then entered the discussion, clearly laced with dislike. "What makes you so sure the human can remember it afterward?"

Feeling quite ticked at being labeled like a common cow and having my intelligence insulted at the same time, I couldn't keep my response inside. "Believe it or not, each and every one of us humans have _names_ , Princess. You might try using them sometime. Unless you can't remember them, either?"

Dead silent was surely the best way to describe the room after that remark (in more than one way, save the fact that one member of the group was quite alive).

"Ouch," Alice suddenly broke the silence, albeit far more cheerfully than necessary. Shocked though her face was, it wasn't difficult to see she was pleased. Rosalie, on the other hand, looked ready to spit several dozen daggers at me. Hissing her disapproval (or curses, more likely), the blonde left the room in a whirl of color and wind.

"Nice," Edward exhaled harshly and threw himself gracefully back against his chair. "Now she hates you."

"She doesn't hate her," Emmett futilely argued from the chair beside Edward's.

"Yet," was Jasper's pessimistic murmur, bringing my attention to his lean form suddenly sitting with Alice on the sofa.

"That's good," Esme sighed, frustrated, then threw a mildly pleading look my way. "Please try to keep the peace, won't you?"

"Sorry, Esme," I mumbled into my hot chocolate, guilt shooting through me for upsetting the motherly vampire.

"It's all right, dear," she sighed again, this time with resignation.

"Where were we?" Alice brought us all back to the conversation at hand, as if she didn't already know. Vampires had perfect memories, after all.

"You know that?" Edward asked with some surprise, staring at me for a minute or two.

"I really do know a lot," I confessed, shrugging off my knowledge as perfunctory.

"An awful lot of surprises are in still store for us, aren't they?" he suggested with a wry smile.

"Probably," I laughed sheepishly, "Be prepared, I guess."

"Aw, come on!" Emmett half-shouted, coming back to his normal boisterous self with ease. "Either tell us what you're talking about or shut up about it."

Jasper snickered for reasons unknown to me, earning an agitated look from Alice – also for reasons unknown.

Glaring at both of his brothers quite viciously, Edward tightly explained, "Mireille knows we have perfect recall."

"Well, if—" Emmett started to say, a very unfortunate glint in his eye.

"So much the better," Carlisle said calmly, cutting off his burly son's (probably very rude) response. "It will be far easier for us in this situation if Mireille understands our natural behavior as much as possible. Now, back to the matter at hand. Let us review the story you created, Mireille. Maybe that will decide us as to whether you keep your last name."

"Oh, okay," I stuttered slightly, feeling the pressure and tension turn to settle on my shoulders as everyone looked to me expectantly. As rapidly as it had come, though, the pressure and anxiety were gone. Glancing at the probable source of the change, I saw Jasper nod, lips itching towards a smile that I returned fully before focusing on Carlisle again. "You're my maternal uncle. You and my mom were close, but my dad didn't like you, so my mom hardly talked to you after she married him. When she died, my dad cut off contact. He died recently and my mom's will listed you as my guardian in case they both died, so I've come to live with you."

After a beat, Jasper admitted, "It's a good plan. We just need to fill in some details."

"That's what I thought," Carlisle agreed, nodding along with his son's words. "What holes need to be filled, do you think?"

"Names, for a start," said Jasper, face becoming pensive. "And of course locations. But we'll have to be careful not to be too specific. Mireille doesn't have the natural deterrents that we do. The other students will easily gravitate towards her."

"Gravitate towards me?" I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of that statement. "What do you mean, Jasper?"

"I know you doubt yourself," he replied kindly, "but you are a naturally charismatic person. Your amiability is something that people like to be around. It makes it harder to keep other humans away. That means we have to create details about your past that are specific and yet still vague enough to prohibit further inquiry."

So I was charismatic now? The compliments I had been paid in the space of half a day made me wonder what the Cullens were smoking. Edward started chortling, but his expression was exceptionally exasperated with my continued doubts.

"So what details can we create?" I wondered, ignoring the entire compliment Jasper had paid me.

"Your parents' names, first of all. What were they?" Esme asked.

"Todd and Amy."

"Common enough," Alice pondered. "I think those will be fine. Now the last name."

"Perhaps we should change her last name to one of our old ones," Esme suggested. "That way it will be familiar to us all."

Carlisle considered the idea carefully. "It is a good suggestion, but for the fact that we are using most all of them right now."

"Use McCarty!" Emmett boomed, a beaming grin plastered across his face, but there was an abrupt pause which somehow caused Emmett's face to fall. Whatever he had thought about so suddenly, it made him change his mind. But why?

"Guess who," Edward fumed lowly, glaring up at the ceiling.

So Rosalie was the reason Emmett rethought his offer. She must have said something in that pause, at a volume that only vampires could hear. I felt bad for Emmett. The big guy was so happy of a person that his wife's attitude was a bit of a downer. The bulky vampire in question muttered something at an impossibly low volume, but through virtue of his expression I assumed it meant he was giving up the idea.

"Platt?" I wondered curiously, hoping to detract from the situation. Esme smiled at me for suggesting I use her maiden name.

"It's listed on our current marriage certificate," Carlisle shook his head negatively. "That can easily be found."

"What about—" So nearly did I say 'Brandon,' that I mentally clapped a hand over my mouth. Alice didn't know that yet! I didn't even know if she _should_. If she found out in natural time, then so be it.

For about the fiftieth time since meeting me, Edward displayed an expression that said we were going to be talking seriously at some point in time about all I knew.

"What about what?" Alice inquired suspiciously, obviously having seen her brother's look.

"Nevermind," I said quickly, tamping down my anxiety as I lied to her, "I was going to say my mother's maiden name, but it's too unusual. A person would be sure to find something on it if they really looked."

After a bout of wary silence, Edward tentatively inquired, "Whitlock?"

"It's not all that uncommon," Jasper admitted. If I had to guess, I would have labeled his expression as apprehensive. "I guess the question is whether or not it's common in Michigan, specifically."

"Let's look up how many Whitlocks there are in the phone book," I suggested. "That'll tell us how common it is."

"We don't exactly have a Michigan phone book handy," was Edward's sarcastic response.

"Thank you so much for that elementary deduction, Sherlock Holmes, but there _is_ such a thing as a search engine," I informed him, allowing my temper to get the better of me for the second time that day. "When you type something in, you get information back."

"Mireille!" Esme scolded firmly.

Emmett fairly exploded with guffaws, recovering admirably from his downheartedness while Jasper snickered and Alice buried her face in Jasper's side to muffle her giggles. To Esme's exasperation, Carlisle coughed unnecessarily, obviously trying not to laugh as well. Edward's raised brow bespoke his surprise at my attitude, but a twitch of his lips betrayed his amusement.

"Forget it," Alice suddenly interrupted before anyone could rise to check a computer. Turning to face her, I noticed the glazed look of her eyes. "There are over two-hundred people by the name of Whitlock in Michigan."

"Good," Carlisle nodded decidedly. "Jasper, is this all right with you?"

"Certainly," the leonine vampire agreed, a slight smile on his face. "It'll be kind of nice to hear it again."

"And Mireille? What do you think?"

"Mireille Whitlock," I said out loud, testing the sound of my new name. A moment of thought more, and then I shrugged. "Sounds cool to me."

"Excellent," Carlisle settled.

Jasper winked subtly at me. "I guess I have a new relative, now."

"Thanks for the name," I laughed. "I always did like it."

Chuckles arose around the room and if I wasn't mistaken, Jasper seemed more relaxed than he ever did in the books. Happiness filled me to know that it might be easier for him when Bella came into the family. That might be another reason I was here. To ease them all into constantly having a human around.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Edward looked a bit irritated at something. Wondering what Rosalie was thinking to bother him so much, I tried to bring our conversation back in line.

"Okay, so I'm a Whitlock now," I stated once the chuckles died down. "What's next?"

"Location," said Alice, sparing a glance at Edward also. "You're going to be from Michigan, but where precisely is a question we have yet to answer."

"We could say she moved often," Esme offered thoughtfully. "What have your parents done for a living, Mireille?"

"My father worked with furniture," I answered. "My mother didn't work, except for a temporary job at a hair salon once."

"That's good," Jasper spoke up again, "Less details that we have to fake."

"We'll say your father worked from home," was Carlisle's declaration. "That way we don't have to create anything to do with particular businesses."

"Okay, so I'm a Whitlock, my father was self-employed in furniture repair, and we moved around a lot. What else?"

"Schooling," came from Edward's corner.

"Yes, I'm afraid you'll have to be in high school again," Carlisle apologetically explained to me.

"That's okay," I acquiesced. "To tell the truth, I always wished I could go back and redo my high school classes."

Rosalie's disgusted voice floated down the stairs just as the vampire herself did, "Why in the world would you _want_ to repeat high school?"

Amazed though I was that the blonde actually was participating, I looked at it as a good sign. Taking a moment to consider my answer and whether or not I really wanted Rosalie to know, I finally chose to reply honestly, "I procrastinated a lot. My grades suffered because I left work for the last minute and didn't try as hard as I should have. I've vastly improved since then. I have a four-point in all my classes right now."

"I figured as much," she replied casually, sitting regally on the arm of Edward's chair, rather than Emmett's. Edward and Emmett didn't look bothered by her choice of seat, and I couldn't imagine why the dynamics had changed so abruptly. Although… now that I really looked, I did notice that Rosalie's seating choice allowed her a full view of my face and body language. How lovely.

Weird as it seemed, I knew I couldn't really say much about her sudden intervention without sounding childish, but still I felt awkward actually being complimented by the woman who had insulted me, hissed at me, and then left the room because of me. For lack of anything better to do, I stared down into my hot chocolate, unconsciously frowning when I realized there wasn't any left. So much for that distraction.

"Would you like some more?" Esme asked me pleasantly and I looked up to find her smiling comfortably with her hand outstretched to accept my mug.

"It _was_ really good," I remarked sheepishly, not wanting to take advantage of her graciousness, "but please don't go out of your way. I feel so spoiled with all of this."

"Oh, don't worry sweetheart," she assured me kindly, taking the slate blue mug and rising from the sofa with a pat to my blanketed hand. "I enjoy taking care of people."

"Thank you," I called quietly after her as she reappeared in the kitchen area, remembering she didn't need me to yell.

"You're welcome," she called back at a reasonable human volume, making me smile.

"Can we move on?" Rosalie inquired after a pause. There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice, but it was so muted that I thought I imagined it. Maybe she just wanted to get the logistics figured out so she didn't have to worry about it as much.

"How long ago will we say Mireille's father died?" Jasper brought up a bit awkwardly after his sister's remark.

"I would say three months," Carlisle said thoughtfully. "It will be enough time that Mireille is believably past her deepest grief, yet still facing some difficulty. For a time she lived with a friend of her father's – until the affairs were settled – and then she moved in with our family a couple of weeks ago."

The others nodded their acceptance, save Jasper, who looked pensive once again as he spoke, "What if someone tries to find this friend of the family? Or wonders why Mireille doesn't contact them anymore?"

For a moment there was silence as everyone pondered the flummoxing question, until my own mind wandered into another story idea.

"They were ready to move away when my father died," I tentatively suggested. "When they heard about it, they delayed everything and waited until I was settled with Carlisle. That was when they moved. I was so distracted after losing my father that I lost their contact information in the move here."

"A sufficient dead end," Jasper nodded appreciatively. "It sounds all right. My other concern is your relationship with Carlisle. You're plainly close with him, yet your father supposedly didn't like him and cut off contact between you. The two facts don't add up."

"That is certainly something to discuss," Carlisle began, looking down at me pensively. "There will be a lot of questions about how I am getting along with my estranged niece and how you are fitting into our family. What do you call me? How much about you do I already know and what things should I not know yet?"

"I've never called my aunts and uncles by title," I started with the easiest thing, glancing up at him as I spoke. "I always called them by first name. So I can call you Carlisle. As for how much you should know about me, it's very similar to our situation right now, isn't it? I think if we bring our relationship in this house out into our public lives, it'll be about the same kind of thing. We're still learning all about each other. And it actually fits that I know more about you than you know about me. I bet my 'mom' would have told me all about the brother she loved, but you never had much contact with my family, so you don't know as much in reverse."

"Those are very good points," Edward agreed, leaning forward onto his knees. "I think Mireille's right about the way you react to each other. Another thing I thought about is the obvious affection Mireille shows towards you. What she said about her fictional mother talking about you all the time would back that up nicely."

"And the idea that Mireille wasn't close with her father," Alice added, nodding emphatically. "That would back it up also."

"I don't see any reason for your relationship to really change in public," Edward finished. "Jasper?"

"All completely reasonable," the southerner agreed.

"That's settled then. I think most of our other details are based on school now," Carlisle replied, looking quite happy with the way things were turning out.

It occurred to me – rather randomly, I would admit – that the name Carlisle was not common. It was very rare, indeed. But Amy? As Alice said, it was 'common enough.'

"Carlisle is a really unusual name," I mentioned, catching Edward's understanding eye.

"So?" Emmett wondered confusedly.

"If Mireille's mother was Carlisle's sister," Edward answered his brother patiently for once, "then her name would probably be unusual, too."

"That's quite true." Carlisle frowned. "We should find an equally unusual name for Mireille's mother."

"Could I use the computer?" I asked, an idea forming in my mind.

"Yes, of course," Edward answered, gesturing to the corner by the piano. "Right over there. Although I think Carlisle might have pointed it out earlier today."

"He did," I nodded, letting the blanket fall as I rose and headed over to the workstation, hot chocolate in hand. The computer was already on, thankfully, and I quickly pulled up the internet to search out English baby names. A brief laugh from Alice caught my attention, and I just had to stop her from telling me what she knew.

"Alice, if you've seen my final pick, I prefer you to keep it to yourself," I warned her, twisting in the chair to catch her gaze.

"That's ridiculous," she scoffed. "It makes everything so much easier and quicker."

"I don't need to speed up the process. We're not in any hurry, are we? You're all done with school for the day and Carlisle took the day off work."

"That's not the point," she countered irritably.

" _My_ point," I cut her off, trying to be patient, "is that I enjoy the decision-making process. When I'm shopping, I like looking. Not just seeing, but actually _enjoying_ all the colors and fabrics and styles. I like trying different looks, even if I don't use them. When you tell me only the end result, it's like taking a road trip without looking at the sights on the way there. It'd be like going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower and not even looking at the view."

For a long moment Alice was quiet and unresponsive, but Jasper wasn't glaring at me, so I hoped I hadn't been too hard on his wife. I liked Alice and I didn't want to be mean, just honest.

"She's thoughtful," Edward said, offering me a friendly smile. "Not hurt."

"Oh, good," I replied with relief. "I wasn't trying to be rough…"

"It's fine," Alice responded at last. "I guess I never thought of it in the way you explained. And I can see where I've done it on a lot of occasions. Looking back on it with a new point of view makes it look very different. Thank you for setting me straight, actually. There are just some things I don't really need to check on so closely. It won't be easy to stop, though."

"Of course it won't be," I shrugged. "It's such an ingrained part of you that I'd worry if it was easy."

"Hm, I suppose so," she smiled abruptly, "Anyhow, why don't we move forward? Go on and search for a name. I won't give it away."

Early on, I decided to find a name with the same first letter as my mother's real name. Granted, it also had to be as unusual as 'Carlisle' and it needed to sound like the two names fit together somehow, since they would have been named by the same parents. Really, though, it took much less time that I thought it would to find a suitable name, even while sensing at least two vampires leaning over my shoulder. Engrossed as I was in my search, I didn't bother to check who it was, but when I turned around to tell everyone my final choice and see what they thought, I found Carlisle and Esme standing there with pleased faces.

"Aspen," I announced simply.

"Aspen Whitlock," Edward repeated out loud, frowning in thought. "It sounds reasonable, I suppose."

"Aspen Cullen at birth," Alice corrected her brother absently. "Carlisle and Aspen do fit together well as sibling names. They're both just unusual enough, yet not overly rare."

"Are we agreed, then?" asked Carlisle. Nods from everyone bolstered my confidence. "Good. Now Mireille, do you have any medical conditions?" Carlisle questioned.

"Very basic allergies, but nothing else."

"Immunizations?" he continued.

"Up to date. I got the meningitis shot just a month ago and I didn't have to get the chicken pox vaccine because I've already had the sickness itself."

"Very good," he nodded once. "I believe we can move on to school now. Do we still have a course guide from Forks High School?"

Esme nodded while ushering me back to the sofa and blanket, explaining, "I filed it just in case."

"I'll get it," said Edward, disappearing upstairs. When he reappeared two minutes later, a wry expression covered his face.

"These will help quite a bit," he remarked, placing both the course guide and a divided folder full of paperwork in my confused hands. Rifling through, I was stunned to find my medical and school records, along with my birth certificate, driver's licenses and permits, and various other vital documents.

"This is just weird," I shook my head. "And I think we forgot about searching out my stuff, Carlisle."

"We didn't really have much time," the doctor chuckled as he settled back down beside me. "But once we have figured out everything for your background, we'll do that."

"You might want to look at this," I suggested, pointing to where my medical file began and allowing him to pull out everything from that section to review. "Just to warn you ahead of time, I had Scarlet Fever three times before I got my tonsils out."

"Three?" he repeated, gazing at me in some shock, as did Edward and Rosalie. "Why didn't your doctor take them out after the first time?"

"I don't know," I shrugged broadly. "I don't remember much of it. Just that I had a really rough time swallowing at some point."

"I should say you would!" Carlisle exclaimed. "They must have been far too large by the second time."

"Probably," I agreed casually. It was so long ago that I wasn't even bothered about it. Being a doctor, however, I had figured Carlisle might worry over it.

"Honestly, the things doctors ignore," Carlisle muttered incredulously, returning his attention to my file. His surprised reaction forced me to hold back giggles. It was hard to imagine Carlisle getting so worked up. To distract my self from laughing at him, I looked over my old grade reports from high school.

But glancing over the reports brought about such a dark frown that Esme concernedly asked "What's wrong?"

"My grades from high school," I confessed unhappily. "They were nowhere near what they should have been. I was a really great student before middle school. For some reason, middle school was the start of a downward spiral for my academics. I just hate seeing that now."

"Think of this as getting a chance to do over," Edward suggested with an understanding smile.

"I guess so," I conceded with a slightly happier outlook.

"You were in advanced courses, though," Esme remarked with pleasant surprise, eyes trained on the report I held. "You must have done reasonably well to keep going in advanced classes."

"Guess I did, after all," was my thoughtful murmur. "I never saw it that way."

"You took Pottery, Carpentry, _and_ Electronics?" said an incredulous voice. Snapping around at the sound so close to my ear, I found myself inches away from Rosalie's impossibly perfect face where it was bent over one of my records.

"Uh, yeah," I answered, a bit confused. "Why?"

"It's not exactly common," she explained with raised brows.

"I just wanted to try them," was my simple yet truthful answer. "So I did. I wasn't too fond of electronics, though."

Seeming appeased, the blonde switched out the sheet she held for another. To my continued bewilderment, her face turned surprised once more. "What now?" I wondered exasperatedly.

"You must sing well," she said simply, turning her golden eyes on my blue ones.

"Really?" Alice and Edward both asked in synchronization, and everyone turned interested faces my way.

"I do sing," I nodded, wondering why that was cause for such amazement.

"What part do you sing?" inquired Alice.

"Second Soprano," I answered, increasingly self-conscious of all the attention I was being paid.

"Do you play any instruments?" was Jasper's question.

"Well… I do a _little_ , but—"

"She plays the piano," Edward cut in, "and not just a little bit. Enough to have advanced to the fourth level class at college."

"Edward." My quiet admonishment went unheard amidst the sounds of interest around the room.

"Any others?" came from Esme.

"No," I sighed, realizing that a lost battle was in the making for me. "I tried the violin and the clarinet once before, but they weren't really my thing. And I didn't practice enough."

"I didn't realize you were quite so talented, Mireille," said Carlisle with more cheer than I felt was warranted. I had to have turned a brilliant shade of magenta by the time they were through complimenting me, yet still more was to come.

"And apparently she's also an artist," Alice commented with fresh surprise. "Carlisle, you'll want to look in your office after we finish here."

"Come on, guys," I exhaled uncomfortably. "I'm just average in all of those things."

"We'll decide that," Emmett grinned at me. "Hey, do you like any sports?"

"I like volleyball, tennis, and bowling," I replied more comfortably for the change of topic. "I also love the Detroit Tigers."

"Aw, but the Tigers are a lousy team!" Emmett groaned loudly.

Glaring, I couldn't help saying, "Shut up, Emmett. The Tigers happen to make it to the World Series in two-thousand-six."

"The World Series? They really make it?" Edward questioned with shock. "I would never have believed it."

"Knock it off, you two!" Whining was annoying, I knew, but they were being equally as irritating. "Show a little respect for the underdog."

"Not a Yankees fan, I take it?" Rosalie stated, rather than asked.

"No, I'm not," I told her bluntly. "Cocky idiots, the lot of them, thank you very much."

"Amazingly, I agree with you," she reluctantly divulged. "I happen to like the Mets."

"Honestly, Rosalie, you have no taste," Edward remarked.

"All right, that's enough," Carlisle announced before Rosalie could make a comeback. "We need to move on with Mireille."

Ensuring that Rosalie and Edward did not argue further, Carlisle then went on. "We have to decide what grade you'll be in. You look very young, so I'm sure we could pass you off as a freshman, but I don't know if that's what you want."

"I think she should be a sophomore like us," Alice interrupted, gesturing to herself, Jasper, and Edward. "It will be easier on her if she has friends at her side for the whole time she attends the high school."

Carlisle was already nodding before his dark-haired daughter even finished. "That sounds very reasonable, Alice. Would you be happy with that, Mireille?"

"It would be nice to know someone in my class," I agreed excitedly, making him laugh.

"And which subjects do you like best and least?" he continued to inquire.

"I like history and English the best. I'm not exceptional in science and math, but I'm not the worst. I hate biology, though. Dissections make me queasy."

Just imagining dissection sent my stomach roiling. Thankfully Jasper was there to take away the feeling, for which I smiled gratefully at his knowing face.

"Understandable," Carlisle chuckled. "So one requirement you have is skipping biology?"

"If it can be managed," I rapidly agreed, turning back to the doctor with interest.

"I have no doubt it can be done," he assured me. "We'll just recreate your old grade reports to include a more advanced line of science. Do you think you would feel comfortable in an advanced chemistry course? They have an advanced program here in Forks. Technically it's only meant for those who plan on taking AP courses, but I'm positive we can get you in if you wish."

"What AP courses do they offer?" I wanted to know. Taking an AP class was something I always wished I had done. "I've never taken one before."

"Mostly the typical subjects," Edward replied. "English, world history, US history, chemistry, biology, physics, government & politics, calculus…"

"I'd like to try AP," I tentatively suggested, "But I don't want to set myself up for failure."

"Have you taken college English and history?" Carlisle questioned.

"Yes."

"Advanced?" Edward pressed knowingly.

"Yeah," I admitted much more reluctantly.

"Then you should have an easy time in those particular AP classes," Jasper added.

"What about the others?" The advanced chemistry sounded a little too overwhelming for me, even if it did mean I got to skip out on biology.

"We'll tutor you, if you need it," Edward promised sincerely. "Don't worry so much. I'm sure you can do this."

My confidence definitely gained a boost from everything they were telling me, unto the point where I actually thought they might be right. "Okay, then. Let's do it."

"All right, so we're looking at advanced courses in chemistry, English, and history," Carlisle summarized. "What about mathematics?"

"I do better in math than science, if that means anything," I told him.

"Advanced Algebra II?" Jasper suggested with a sly expression that I didn't understand. It seemed Edward did, however, because he snarled at his blond-haired brother almost instantly.

"What? Are Jessica and Edward sharing a seat?" I joked, astonished to suddenly find six faces staring at me in awe and Edward half-laughing in his chair, all traces of anger now gone.

"How did you…?" Jasper spluttered momentarily, and I was amused that he was actually so shocked, but amazed that I had pinpointed the problem all by accident.

"Is she really in your class, Edward?" I wondered.

"Yes." He chuckled and grimaced at the same time, somehow. "She sits in the seat ahead of me and constantly turns back to try and get my attention. It's agitating."

"Has she asked you out yet?" I questioned him, quite sincerely curious about the event that was mentioned in _Midnight Sun_.

Everyone else laughed, and from Edward's blank face, I knew Jessica hadn't done it yet.

"She's going to?" was the bronze-haired vampire's flat assumption, to which the others' continued to laugh – Emmett being the most raucous, of course. The big vampire was literally rolling on the floor. For show, most likely, but I couldn't really tell.

"At some point before Bella arrives, yeah," I just shrugged apologetically. "Maybe I can deter her if I'm sitting with you."

"I _bet_ you could," Rosalie remarked, a smirk gracing her golden face as she stole Emmett's seat. I didn't know exactly what she meant, but it sounded like a compliment coming from her.

"Um, thanks, I guess?"

Rosalie only smirked wider as the rest of the family snickered, snorted, giggled, and chuckled.

* * *


	8. Chapter 7: Informed

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
I'm warning everyone ahead of time, this chapter has tons of spoilers for SM's Official Guide! Also, I got superbly sappy in this chapter. So bring your toothbrushes!

**Previously** – Mireille didn't enjoy 'running' with Edward. Mireille and Edward walked through the trees and discussed Carlisle's self doubts. Edward realized Mireille is sarcastic and they agreed no apologies for thinking or hearing thoughts. Alice announced Rosalie had calmed, Emmett said a proper hello, and they discussed Rosalie. Upon returning to the house, the Cullens discussed Mireille's new story, Mireille was given the surname Whitlock, they finalized backstory details, Edward found Mireille's paperwork, and they chose her classes for school.

> **Chapter 7: Informed**

The laughter (and my confusion) had thankfully died down and as Carlisle had just informed me, I was unable to start before the new semester, since it was so far into the current one.

"You'll be starting in January," he went on to say, glancing down at the course guide he held in his hand. "Now… we need to recreate your school records and we'll also have to edit your parents' names on your birth certificate. Jasper, why don't you take Mireille up for that?"

Remembering that Jasper was the forgery go-to man, I just followed him upstairs, though I was definitely bewildered as to why we had to go up there. Even more bewildering was the fact that we bypassed his study and Carlisle's office both, without any hesitation.

"Jasper, where are we going?" I asked him in confusion. I trusted him, but this was odd.

"You'll see," was all he told me, and I was forced to just continue following him up to the third floor and into the same room that housed Esme's art studio. But rather than enter the studio, we took the first hall to the left and entered the first room on the left as well.

As I looked on in amazement, Jasper settled at one of the desks therein, gestured for me to take the seat next to him, and immediately began the procedure of forging my 'new' school reports and birth certificate faster than I could really comprehend. I just started to wonder why on earth I needed to be there, when Jasper finished the edited reports and pulled a blank class registration form out nowhere. Before I knew it, he had filled in the advanced courses as discussed.

"Are those right?" he wanted to know, glancing over his shoulder at me.

"I guess so," I partially stuttered, still a bit behind the times as awe swept over my mind.

Without a word, the Texan vampire knew exactly what was going on with me, and he was willing to wait it out until I became sensible again.

"Obviously you have to take gym," he said absently after a while, filling that in too, only at a much slower pace. Then, sensing my return to coherency he asked, "French or Spanish?"

"Spanish," I replied. Another class was written in at the speed of light and my registration form was completed and then scanned into the computer. If the entire process had taken fifteen minutes, I would have been surprised.

"Done," Jasper declared. After hitting print and turning around to face my stunned features with a slight grin, he casually remarked, "Not the first time we had to do that."

"I reconsider my idea of speed writing," I said dryly, shaking my head while his grin widened minutely and he moved to collect the printed documents and hand them to me.

"Maybe…" Jasper started thoughtfully, but trailed off. It wasn't until Edward showed up with my file that I understood why.

"A passport would be an excellent idea," he spoke, obviously agreeing with a thought already spoken. "If we have to leave the country in a hurry, Mireille will be coming with us."

"When have you had to actually leave the country?" I wondered in surprise. "I thought you could just move to the other coast or lose yourself in Canada."

"A couple of times we stayed overseas because of a larger threat." Edward was very careful in his word choice, I noticed.

"How much of my past do you know, Mireille?" Jasper cautiously inquired, looking highly uncomfortable.

"A good deal of it," I admitted plainly, curiosity present in my voice. "From the time you joined the army as a human, right on up to the present."

"At least that cuts down my explanation time," he commented dryly, but neither brother looked amused. "Sometimes, when we live closer to the south, the southern covens can cause a very widespread panic amongst humans. You wouldn't believe how much more superstitious people can be once there's a mass death rate."

"Actually, I can," I remarked with a sarcastic smile. "Look at how people acted about the millennium."

"True enough," Jasper chuckled. "The point is that at times, there can be an awful lot of dangerously close calls with humans once they get into that state of mind. So we leave the country until the panic dies down, explained by some variant on a serial killer or a plague or something like that."

"Okay, so you have to make me a passport," I summarized.

"Yes, but we'll have to take an updated picture," Jasper informed me, only then taking the file from his brother's outstretched hand.

"I'll take care of it," Edward responded, pulling me out of the forging space and down a hall perpendicular to the one we had taken the first time through. At the end of that hallway was a large room already set up for what looked like a photo shoot. A large piece of light gray fabric with a sponged design hung from the top of the far wall, contrasting vastly with the black stool in the middle, at which I took a seat.

"Smile," said Edward, and immediately after my smile became the most natural, a brief click of the camera cemented my lightly smiling face in Twilight history.

"So, what is this… area?" I questioned Edward broadly, waving at the expanse around us as I hopped down off the stool.

"The place we forge birth certificates, licenses, academic and medical records… You name it, we've had to do it. Mostly it's when we're more rushed than normal and can't do it through a professional agency."

"Wow," was all I could think to say, following him back to where Jasper was. The process of opening my picture and creating the passport photo was completed at the same speed as before, meaning that I saw virtually nothing of it until the completed project lay in front of my eyes.

We went out and down the stairs at a human pace and, having completely glanced over the records that were mine (and yet not mine) by the time we got to the main floor, I commented amusedly, "Congratulate me, I'm officially illegal now."

"Welcome to C.E.E. underground," Emmett half hollered from across the room.

"Grow up," Rosalie condescendingly responded to him with a scowl in her voice before I could even speak. She was going to give me whiplash, what with her constantly changing feelings towards me.

"Thanks, Emmett." Lame though it was after Rosalie's criticism, I felt like I should say it anyway. The big vampire shrugged and smiled apologetically at me, leaving the room in a tense silence.

"Your medical records are as complete as anyone could hope them to be," Carlisle remarked amidst the silence, clearly trying to break the uncomfortable atmosphere. "I don't think we need to make any changes."

"That's good," I nodded awkwardly, unsure of what to say to that. I hadn't realized that we would think about editing my medical information for any reason.

"Just precautions," Edward told me, handing me the same blanket from earlier while lightly steering me to the sofa that had formerly housed Alice and Jasper. Glancing around curiously, I found the two sitting on the ground beside the coffee table, perusing some of my school stuff again.

"What's so fascinating about those papers?" I asked them in amusement. Surely my grades were old news by now?

"Certificates," Alice informed me happily, never even looking up.

"Certificates for what?" I wondered, surprise coursing through my system for the tenth time that day.

"All of your clubs and achievements and so forth," she went on, still incredibly cheerful. Rosalie and Emmett looked up in interest when they heard her, Emmett even moving over to their spot to lean over and read along with whatever Jasper was holding.

Weakly I suggested, "I suppose this is repayment for knowing all about you guys?"

Alice rolled her eyes good-naturedly, at last looking up at me. "Of course not, Mireille. It's just that none of us have ever had anything like these. You have to remember how long ago any of us were in high school or below that. And of course, for me, there aren't even those memories. It's interesting to look over things I never had."

Content though she may have been in her explanation, I felt very badly for Alice. She never remembered her childhood or her teen years at all. Not that they were anything spectacular, particularly later on, but still it must have been hard to never know where you came from. In spite of my conviction that Alice should never know the way she was treated before becoming a vampire, I began to feel guilty for withholding what I knew about her past. Risking a glance at Edward, I found his rich eyes staring at me searchingly, asking me for the facts I had been hiding so well until then. Giving in was almost all too easy; showing him all I knew about Alice's human life, her vampire protector in the asylum, and James' obsession. The difficulty was editing out the parts about Bella once James started hunting her and told her all about Alice, but it was a necessary omission.

By the time we were through, Edward's face was black with anger, and I shivered at the hatred I could see growing there. For whom, I couldn't tell. Jasper gazed at us raptly, eyes narrowed as he concentrated deeply on his brother's abrupt change in mood.

"Thank you," Edward told me suddenly. The sincerity in his voice let me know it was not me his anger was directed at, relieving me so immensely that I sighed aloud.

"But I…" Edward spoke further, unhappier than ever and fidgeting in his seat beside me. I could only imagine the battle raging inside him; it was a matter of protecting his sister's happiness or being truthful with her. "I think she should know. It's not fair to keep it from her."

Now every vampire in the room stared avidly at us, all thoughts focused on our one-sided conversation. Understandably, Jasper could no longer stop himself from asking, "What is it?"

Inhaling the deepest breath possible, I turned to Alice. The expression of understanding on her face was very telling. "Have you seen this already?" I had to make sure.

"Not the words you'll speak," she admitted quietly, setting down the papers in her hand. "And I had no real idea when it would happen. All I knew was that you would have some unfortunate news for me at some point early on and Edward would want you to tell me."

"What?" Rosalie snapped in confusion, bouncing back and forth between me and Alice. For me, her gaze became completely mistrustful. For her sister, it was concerned, although the beautiful vampire hid it fairly well.

"Can you block it at all?" I tentatively inquired, not decided yet as to whether or not I would actually tell her.

"I can," she nodded. "And I'm not bothered about everyone hearing, so don't worry about that."

"Okay," I started, then cleared my throat in an attempt to erase my growing nerves. But it wasn't working. I couldn't fathom hurting Alice like that. Telling her that her parents probably didn't want her… I just couldn't do it if her human parents had not loved her at all, no matter how wonderful her immortal parents were.

To my horror, I could see Alice's vision grow distant before my eyes. Edward must have decided to tell her.

"I didn't," he assured me firmly, barely sparing me a glance as he looked over at his tiny sister, sharing whatever vision was in her head. "This is something else."

Jasper waited, patiently and yet somehow impatiently, with his arm secured around his wife. Worried over what might be so urgent that Alice couldn't block it at all, I sat with baited breath like the rest of the family to hear what was happening.

"Mireille," she spoke, startling us all back into breathing, however unnecessary it might have been for some, "Go up to my closet. There are some… packages… atop the low shelving in my clothes cabinet on the left side of the room."

Someone could have knocked me over with a feather, inciting me to drill Alice with too many questions at once. There was so much that didn't make sense, I just couldn't help it. "Packages? What are they? Where did they come from? Who sent them?"

"I don't know if they were _sent_ from anyone in particular," she said, seeming dazed herself. "They just… appeared. Like you."

Everyone now turned to stare at me instead of Alice.

"Go up to my closet." Alice was coming back to herself; her voice wasn't so distant.

Bewildered as to what the packages could possibly be, but anxious to find out, I stood from the sofa, allowing the blanket to fall back on the cushion. Feeling incredibly self-conscious with every pair of eyes following me across the room and up the staircase, I tried my best not to let it overwhelm me. When I was out of their range of vision, I felt my bones relaxing slightly. Of course, when I opened the door to Alice's enormous closet and stepped inside the space full of modern white cabinetry, the nerves came back full force. Jasper must have been too absorbed in Alice's condition to bother with mine.

On the left side of the room was a section of cabinetry with low shelves inside to house her shoes. Upon the shelves, as Alice had said, were some packages. Six packages, to be precise. And I would have known the wrapping paper on two of those packages anywhere. How Christmas gifts seemingly from my estranged uncle ended up in Alice's closet, I had no idea. Just like I had no idea how my music books had turned up on Edward's piano or how my files had ended up in Carlisle's office. Just like I had no idea how I had even gotten here.

Shaking myself, I moved closer and hesitantly picked up one of the nearest packages, only to feel a certain familiarity with the shape and size. Checking the other packages, I started to get the most uncomfortable feeling about precisely what they were. As a matter of fact, I knew with certainty what they were.

Something about the other two packages was more bothersome, unfortunately, so I took my time opening the rest, not at all shocked to find the entire Twilight series sitting in front of me. Pulling an agitated hand into my hair, I tried to make sense of it all. Maybe I _was_ supposed to tell them everything. But then how could I? It could ruin things that hadn't even begun yet. For all I knew, Edward might decide Bella's fate was too much at risk and skip out on it totally. I could be ruining everything Edward needed and deserved. And that got me panicking.

"You're not going to ruin everything," came the velvet voice from behind me. Somehow, I knew he would be the one to come up to me.

"These books," I said almost hysterically, grabbing _Twilight_ and waving it between us to emphasize my point, "are your future! And I am _not_ in them! If I step in, I'm only going to mess it up."

"Why would Alice have seen positive things about you, then?" Edward countered smoothly, walking over with the air of someone attempting to calm a caged animal. Then again, that was exactly what I felt like. Barred from leaving Forks or the Cullens. "Alice saw you successfully participating in our family life before you even arrived in Forks."

_That_ caught my attention. Aghast, I asked, "Why didn't you tell me? You said she hid it from you!"

"She did," he reassured me, holding his hand up in a supplicating gesture that only slightly appeased me. "She has spent the last several minutes showing me what she saw about you. I must say, you seem to be making us all rather happy in every vision. I don't see any signs of you ruining our lives."

"It could be a temporary thing," I whispered sadly, letting go of my wildness to replace it with sadness. I had been selfish in thinking I could be here without any repercussions. Carlisle was right; everyone leaves a mark somehow. Mine just might be deeper than others. "Maybe I'll be a perfect fit for now in this family, but later it'll be my fault if things go wrong with Bella."

Though he looked exasperated, Edward's eyes were ever so gentle as he watched me. "Did you, even once, _decide_ that you were going to change our futures?"

"No," I reluctantly answered, gripping _Twilight_ so tightly that it probably wrinkled the cover.

"Did you make those books appear?" he continued, nodding at the novel in my hands.

"No," I replied even more reluctantly than before.

"And did you," Edward nearly breathed the question, stepping right up to me and gently releasing the book from my anxious hands, "ever _choose_ to get lost in the Michigan wilderness at night and somehow, against your own will and comprehension, land in the middle of the Olympic Forest?"

"No," I whispered with my last bit of resistance.

"Then stop fretting," he murmured kindly, reaching out to softly rearrange my hair from its nerve-induced disarray.

"You are not at fault for what might happen," Alice's quiet voice followed her brother's. She stood in the doorway, and her eyes were just as kind. "If Bella is supposed to be a part of this family, then she will be. For now, the only thing I see is our newest friend. You."

Choking up was not a good choice, considering every person in the house could smell the salty tears and hear every irregular breath I took. Yet I couldn't stop it from happening. Not a single tear actually fell, but that didn't mean my eyes weren't full to the brim with water and my throat tight. The siblings both laughed lightly at my attempts to ignore it and helped me gather the four books and two strange packages to head downstairs. Alice flashed out of sight before I even cleared the edge of the cupboards, but Edward stayed by my side the entire walk down.

To my immense relief, the imminent tears receded by the time we were on the first floor. By my lack of nerves, however, I suspected it was mostly Jasper's doing. I was grateful, though, and the southern vampire nodded at me in acknowledgment. No one said anything about my outburst upstairs or even the fact that books about their future were sitting in the room with us, but Esme came up to me in a blink and hugged me as tightly as she dared, kissing my forehead before she released me. Carlisle was right behind her, offering a one-armed embrace of reassurance. From the same position as earlier, Rosalie gazed contemplatively at me for a full minute before turning back to her perfectly-manicured nails with a far less resentful expression than she had worn earlier. Emmett gave me the most reassurance of all, somehow; his grin was exactly the same as before.

It didn't take Edward's guiding hand to figure out my seat this time. The blanket remained, although folded neatly I saw, and a brand new cup of hot chocolate sat steaming on the coffee table. Smiling for the first time since finding the books, I settled into the sofa and let Edward tuck me in with the blanket, hand me my mug, and place my books and packages between us.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Emmett was the first to speak, practically bouncing on his toes in a method reminiscent of Alice. "So… Are you going to open them?"

A genuine laugh escaped me at his childlike enthusiasm. I had already faced the more frightening packages, hadn't I? Might as well open the rest, I figured. Feeling exceptionally courageous, I dived right into the two Christmas gifts that had bothered me so badly. The first, I was surprised to find out, was a book about the newborn vampire in _Eclipse_ named Bree.

"That's weird," I muttered, frowning. "I don't remember this book."

"It's not yours?" Carlisle wondered in surprise.

"No," I shook my head, "I only have the four. This isn't even a part of the main series, actually. It's just a novella set during _Eclipse_. Maybe I just never paid attention to it. I might have thought someone was just being hopeful that the series might continue, so I never actually believed this was a real book."

That didn't exactly make sense to me, considering I was such an avid fan of the books, but I could explain it no other way.

"May I?" Edward asked, a frown on his face similar to mine.

"Sure," I easily offered up the book, hoping he could figure it out. Surprisingly, he turned to the front cover immediately.

"Oh, it must have come out late in two-thousand-eight," I told him. "My uncle, amazing though it sounds, must have bought it early."

"This wasn't printed in two-thousand-eight," Edward reported flatly, startling me a little by his seriousness.

"What?" I half laughed. "Don't tell me it came out in two-thousand-seven and he forgot about it? I mean he has a terrible memory, I grant you, but to forget this for a year? I didn't realize it was that bad."

"It was printed in two-thousand-ten."

My mouth dropped open completely, as did everyone else's.

"How did I get it, then?" I could barely make out my own voice. "That's my uncle's wrapping paper. I'd know it anywhere. He makes a lot of paper materials, so he creates his own wrapping paper. It's always the same kind."

"It must be a gift he was going to get you in the future," Alice suggested much more calmly than I could comprehend. "If that's the case, the other one probably is, too."

Just when I though I couldn't be anymore amazed, I opened the second package (far more hesitant than a moment ago, it must be said) and found an official guide to the _Twilight_ series sitting there in all its glory. I acted from Edward's example first and foremost, almost blindly opening up to the publication date.

"Two-thousand-eleven," I mumbled disbelievingly.

"Well, you'd better read them soon," Edward suggested with a raised brow. "I think we'd prefer to hear any facts contained therein from your own lips. It feels more reliable that way."

"Right," I responded without thinking, staring at the index of the official guide in rapt fascination. To think... even the Cullens might not know some of that information. That was the craziest part of it all. It struck me all of a sudden that I might answer my own wish through this book. If Alice's story was in there… maybe her parents weren't as horrible as I feared. There could be a better explanation than simple abandonment.

Hardly aware of my surroundings, I opened up the book to the page for The Cullen Coven. A wide grin covered my face when I turned to Carlisle's page and saw the drawing of him. It was a very nice picture, although it didn't capture even half of his true attraction or the gentility of his eyes. I was pleasantly surprised to read on the next page that his eyes were blue as a human. I'd always thought so, but to have it confirmed was exciting. Skipping the actual biography, I turned pages until I found the next person in the family.

It was Edward. And my goodness, was it an attractive drawing. Again, it was nothing like the real person beside me, but that wasn't the point. I skipped reading his description since I already knew his human eye color was green, from _New Moon_ , and moved onto the next family member. I now suspected the guide was going in order of the person's entry into the coven, and sure enough Esme was next in line. Her picture actually did convey all of the sweetness of her disposition and my smile returned in a far softer manner. Curious as to her eye color, I read the description this time. Brown. That I had also figured. She seemed so similar to Bella in some ways that it only made sense.

Rosalie, the next member shown, had a very fitting picture. It captured her beauty, yet also the bitterness that had encapsulated her since being changed. Her eye color, violet, I also knew, so I went on to Emmett's section. His picture amused me for some strange reason, although I couldn't pinpoint exactly why. Shaking my head, I went on to Alice, but hesitated. Not yet. I would save hers for last. I quickly rifled through to Jasper's section instead. This picture, like Rosalie's, showed the troubled nature beneath the outward appearance and I felt bad for him, having to live through what he did. It always made me feel anger for Maria, but now… Looking over at the scholarly yet battle-scarred vampire as he sat sifting papers with his beloved Alice, Maria's actions made me feel something close to hatred.

Edward's hand on my shoulder reminded me of where I was. Shoving my anger out of mind so as not to make Jasper feel what I was feeling, I refocused on my book and reluctantly turned back to Alice's section. To my disappointment, I found her eyes had been dark brown as a human. I used to imagine they were blue, too. Reading onward, I was not surprised to find that Alice had a degree in fashion design, but I was definitely amused. As I began to read Alice's history, however, my amusement was snuffed out like a candle flame. By the time she was put into the asylum, I was absolutely horrified and my throat was tight with tears again. Poor Alice.

Only when Edward started growling did I remember how easily he was following along, but I couldn't stop. If I was going to tell Alice about her life, I had to finish the story. What she endured in the asylum pushed my tears to escape their confines and run down my face. And then to have her protector torn from her… But then if this stranger had become a father figure to her, Alice might never have come to find the Cullens. That was the worse scenario in my opinion. The Cullens really were the best thing that happened to Alice and Jasper both.

After Alice's story came to the end, I had to close the book. Curious as I might have been for the rest of the information in it, I realized now that I might be able to find out a lot of the things I really was interested in from the vampires around me.

Without my notice, Alice herself had come to sit beside me while Jasper settled onto the arm of the couch next to her, a hand extended to grasp her small shoulder.

"I read it," Alice told me simply, an expression on her face I didn't understand at first.

"I'm sorry," I murmured guiltily. "That's why I didn't want to tell you about it. And I didn't even know _this_ much before."

"What did you know before?" she asked quietly, reaching over to brush away the remaining tears on my cheeks.

"Just that you were put in an asylum for some reason," I explained equally as quietly. Upon my revelation, Rosalie and Esme gasped loudly, a deeply distressed look covered Carlisle's face, and Emmett scowled. Jasper growled so low in his chest that I could almost feel his body tremble from it, even with Alice between us. Unless that was Edward trembling at my side, which I found entirely plausible. "A vampire who worked for the asylum bit you, James wanted you, and he killed the old vampire for turning you. And then you went off into the world with your first vision of Jasper, never remembering what happened to make you into a vampire."

"Oh, Alice," Esme murmured, eyes glassy with tears she could not shed.

"So I was James' singer," Alice pondered pensively.

"Mm-hm." I responded to be courteous, realizing she was not really asking.

Then Alice whispered low, a tender expression crossing her face, "My mother loved me."

"Yes, she did," I agreed, happy that at least something from her story was good to hear.

"Of course she did, dear," Esme murmured at her small daughter and quickly rose to embrace her tightly. As Carlisle and Jasper smiled on, Alice basked in the love of the only mother she had left, returning her embrace just as strongly.

"You didn't want to tell me any of this," said Alice curiously once they parted, although her features still hinted towards the truth of her mother's affections. "Why?"

"Before this book came, I didn't know anything except the fact that you were put in the asylum by your parents," I confessed nervously. "I thought they hadn't cared about you. If all I did was make you feel badly, then it didn't seem worth it to tell you. Like it said in the book, the shock treatments made you forget the bad times with your father and stepmother, and so you went back to your bright, happy self. I didn't want to take that away."

Another heavy silence stole over the room, until Alice smiled. Not just a casual smile, but a wide, bright smile that lit up the room. "Thank you," she told me warmly, yet mischief entered her eye.

"For being just as overprotective as Edward and Jasper."

Stunned for all of a minute, I snorted abruptly and then started laughing along with the aforementioned vampires.

"Thanks, Alice," I finally told her, shaking my head. "I feel so loved."

"You should, actually!" she giggled a little. "After all, I compared you to my mate and my almost-twin."

"You _were_ born the same year," A smile crossed my face. "I guess you were meant to be brother and sister all along."

"Of course we were," she grinned at Edward, who just shook his head laughingly at his sister and tried his best to rumple her short hair, which of course failed.

"Was my father always such an angry man, do you think?" Alice then wondered aloud, a frown marring the happy façade of a moment before. "Or was it just when he became interested with my future stepmother?"

"Who knows?" I shrugged sadly. "Your early childhood seemed relatively happy, so maybe that was the case."

With a shake of her head, Alice appeared to be mostly back to normal. "It doesn't really matter. I have a father that I can be proud of."

Carlisle positively beamed at the praise, albeit a bit bashfully, and gladly embraced the tiny vampire as tenderly as Esme had. "Thank you, Alice."

If I wasn't mistaken, the doctor's eyes were overly bright when he pulled away, but I didn't comment on it. Neither did Edward, although he looked like he wanted to chuckle quite brilliantly.

"Well, now that I've covered the entire spectrum of emotions in one go," I remarked wryly, to which Jasper snorted loudly.

"You couldn't possibly have," he said, simultaneously slipping down onto the sofa and pulling Alice into his lap. I had to wonder if it was a way of distracting himself from my constant scent and heartbeat, but shook my head to clear that idea.

"Smooth moves, Major," I retorted humorously instead. He grinned quite widely in response and Alice giggled, leaning in to kiss his cheek. Rolling my eyes, I turned to Carlisle. "So, any other files that need fixing?"

"No, we're quite finished editing," he assured me. "I'll be completing your registration for the high school tonight and then I believe that will be everything. We can get you a parking permit when we turn in the paperwork."

"But I'm not legally able to drive now," I said in surprise. "Not until I'm theoretically sixteen."

"Your birthday is in January," Jasper joined in the conversation. "You'll be able to drive next semester."

"Ooh! You're so-called Sweet Sixteen!" Alice added enthusiastically. "Oh, I could throw you a wonderful party! Of course, we'll celebrate your real age, not just the fake one. That wouldn't be any fun."

Wow. A party by Alice Cullen… I was already eager to see what she came up with.

"Then it's settled," Carlisle surmised, greatly amused by his daughter as she chattered. "We'll register you on Friday. I'll take you up while the others are in class. Less attention that way."

"You should register sooner," Alice suggested abruptly, apparently just entering into a vision. "If you do it any later than tomorrow, people will think you didn't have time to do the paperwork quicker because you never actually had plans to do this."

That was so soon, I couldn't help gulping. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes," she nodded confidently. "Trust me, it'll be better that way."

"Oh, then we should go over what classes I'm supposed to have taken," I said anxiously. "So I know what to say if I'm asked about it."

"Just look over the edited grade reports," Edward responded calmly, handing me said reports form the coffee table. Much relieved by the fact that I didn't have to remember the course names just by word of mouth, I took a while reading over the changes wrought in my old class lists.

"Carlisle," Esme spoke up some time later, a slight frown marring her lovely features. "All six of them won't be able to fit in the Volvo. And no, Rosalie, you will not take the M3. It's far too ostentatious, even for a junior."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, but replied quite respectfully, "You should buy a car, then, Esme. You have the subtlest taste of all of us when it comes to vehicles."

"Actually, I was thinking Mireille needs a car of her own," Carlisle thoughtfully added, leaving Esme looking pleased.

"A… car?" No doubt about it, I was doing a very good impression of a fish, the papers in my hand slipping right to the floor. "Of my own?"

"You had one in the other… reality," Carlisle chuckled, "Why not this one?"

"My car was a piece of junk that I bought in my second year of college because I purposely got more than necessary on my loan for a down payment," I pointed out flatly. "I don't think that's quite the same thing."

"Believe me," Edward cut in, "You won't be driving a piece of junk this time. And you won't even need a down payment."

Much as I wanted to protest this generous gift, I decided I shouldn't be so ungrateful. It was partly to protect the Cullens, anyway. Rosalie driving her M3 could raise suspicions.

"Thank you," Edward sighed. "That was much easier than I thought it might be."

"Sorry," I laughed. "I hope I haven't been too difficult so far."

"No, not especially," he laughed a little with me. "But I can tell you're going to be very stubborn at times."

"I ought to fit right in with you, then," I told him airily, smirking for the first time in my life. The whole family laughed (even Rosalie allowed her amusement to show) and Edward narrowed his gaze substantially.

Carlisle began to speak again after recovering from his laughter, "We are finished here, Mireille—"

"Oh, we can go shopping now!" Alice squealed, cutting him off completely and clapping her hands in excitement as her voice carried on at the highest speed I could comprehend at a human level. "Come on! We'll have plenty of time."

"But—" I tried to protest, having wanted to sit a while longer, but I was dragged away and half forced into my coat and other outerwear, as well as having my hair fixed.

"Esme, you drive," Alice commanded hurriedly, pulling on her own outwear: a lovely blue-violet pea coat that I was actually envious of. Esme smilingly accepted her charge and joined us in her tan coat and scarf half-a-minute later.

"Good grief, Alice," I grumbled on the way out the door. "Back home, I had half as many clothes in my whole wardrobe as I do from just that shopping trip last night. Why do I need more?"

"You're living as a Cullen now," she exasperatedly told me, finally releasing me from her iron grip to let me climb into the back seat of the Mercedes. "We have far more clothes than that. It would look strange if you weren't as well groomed as the rest of us."

Sighing as I pulled my belt on, I had to admit she was right. "I just feel… I don't know."

"Greedy?" Esme suggested understandingly, turning the key in the ignition.

"Yeah," I sighed again. "And selfish."

"That's ridiculous," Alice insisted forcefully.

"Alice," Esme gently reproached her daughter, who abruptly went silent at the expression on her mother's face. All was quiet until we reached the end of the long driveway.

"I do know what you mean, Mireille," Esme went on in a quiet voice. "When I first started my life with Carlisle and Edward, they spoiled me so much that I felt exactly like you do. Obviously I had the added troubles of being a newborn vampire and constantly ruining my clothes, but that's rather beside the point."

A smile found its way onto all three of our faces at that.

"My point is that you shouldn't worry, because it will all be for the best," the tender-hearted vampire explained herself. "We are happy to give you the same privileges that the rest of us have."

"Thanks, Esme," was all I could think to say to her kindness.

"And if that isn't enough reason," Alice threw in, "then just remember that you are helping us overcome what could have been a very sticky situation."

I smiled warmly at the tiny woman, and nearly thanked her as well, when she spoke again.

"Plus you're giving me a well-deserved shopping trip."

Esme and I were smiling warmly still, until we digested what Alice had just said more clearly. Glancing cautiously back at me in the mirror, Esme began to smile, and before I knew it we were both laughing at Alice's affronted face as the trees of Forks swirled away behind us.

* * *


	9. Chapter 8: Imaginings

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Previously** – Jasper created Mireille's new identity and documents, and Edward took Mireille's passport photo. The Cullens were intrigued by Mireille's achievements and Mireille felt badly about Alice's lack of memories. Alice saw the books arrive in her closet and Mireille went up to retrieve them. Mireille panicked about her effect on the _Twilight_ world, and Edward and Alice consoled her. Mireille found she owned Bree Tanner's story and the official guide. Mireille glossed over the Cullens' pages and read Alice's full history. Alice accepted her past and it was decided Carlisle should register Mireille for school the next day. Carlisle suggested Mireille should have her own car, and Alice persuaded Esme and Mireille into a shopping trip.

> **Chapter 8: Imaginings**

Wardrobes, as a general rule, should not be heavier than the vehicle one carries them in after the shopping excursion is finished. This, however, was a rule Alice Cullen had probably never even imagined, much less heard of. The weight of clothing and shoes that must have been forced into Carlisle's Mercedes by the time one _half_ of the evening had ended, was proof enough of that theory.

"Alice, where in the _world_ am I going to wear this dress?" I asked her exasperatedly from beneath a white garment bag containing a designer gown I could not find a purpose for as yet.

"Homecoming, of course," she explained quite patiently, examining a chipped nail with partial focus. "The Spring dance is coming up in March, too, but nevermind that for now. There's a charity ball in late November that the whole family is invited to, a hospital Christmas party for staff and their families, and some New Year's Eve gala or another – I was thinking New York this year, but Rosalie wants Los Angeles, so I can't tell for certain yet. Plus Carlisle was thinking of attending a cancer benefit sometime in the spring. There may be more than that, but until we're sure of everything, this is all we're buying. I hate shopping really early. The styles change too quickly for that. Even February would be too far away."

"Homecoming?" I latched onto the first surprise in her answer, trying desperately to forget the others until I comprehended that one. "But it's already the fourteenth!"

"The dance is on Saturday," was her off-handed reply. "It will be a great ice-breaker for you."

"Alice, Cullens aren't _supposed_ to have ice-breakers," I argued a bit too loudly. "You melt into the background and keep people away until you move onto the next location."

"You're not a vampire, Mireille," Alice clucked impatiently now, "People won't notice something unusual about you just by standing near you."

I tried to keep a lid on my temper as I continued to debate the point, but Alice really was being unreasonable. "If they know I live with you guys and am related to Carlisle, then they are going to compare me with all of you and wonder why you are all the way you are, but I'm nothing like that."

"They won't," Alice stopped me cold with the finality in her voice. "I can see it working out. Now will you please shut up and trust me?"

Groaning in defeat, I childishly threw myself back against the dark leather interior. It was then that a thought occurred to me which might actually throw a wrench in Alice's plans for Homecoming.

"Wait a minute." Sensing victory, I sat up straight and looked right over at Alice as I elaborated my unspoken point, "I'm not attending classes right now, so I can't go. Someone would have to invite me."

"Someone will ask you," was Alice's cryptic response.

"But I'm not going to be in class until January. No one is going to give me a freaking tour of the classrooms so someone can ask me to Homecoming," I said in sarcastic bewilderment, when suddenly I understood. "Oh. No, no, no. No way. I am not going to the dance with some weirdo who walks right up to a strange girl when she's registering for classes and asks her to homecoming because he has no other options. No. I refuse."

Alice snorted in a very unladylike way yet did not otherwise respond, irritating me further. But I recognized a pointless argument and knew it was not going to matter what I told her. She saw me at the dance and to the dance she would try to make me go. Esme's decision to ignore the discussion was understandable, all things considered; she knew her daughter was undaunted. Still, in my continuing agitation, that bothered me too. A distraction from my frustrations thankfully came up, in the form of an early dinner. Esme had insisted I eat while we were in Seattle, since the shopping trip would be a long one and I would probably be ravenous if I waited until we got back to the house.

Despite my hunger, we didn't spend much time at all in the little restaurant I had chosen. Esme had gone off down the road to buy some jewelry, which Alice said the mother of five was the best at picking out, and Alice was unknowingly rushing me whenever she tapped a foot or a finger in impatience. Plus, my sandwich was actually kind of boring and I was anxious to just get back and relax. My feet were already killing me and we weren't even three-quarters done yet, according to Alice.

"Oh, buck up," Alice nudged me playfully at the table, unable to miss the brooding look on my face. "There's not that many stores left."

Rolling my eyes for probably the tenth time that hour, I didn't reply. It felt useless to argue anymore and while that was kind of depressing, I was too tired to get riled up now.

"I'm done," I told her wearily, wrapping up the unappetizing remains of my dinner.

"Let's go then," she chirped happily, apparently ignorant of my complete exhaustion, and effortlessly pulled me up and out to the next store in the lineup.

If I had thought anything of exhaustion then, it was nothing compared to what I thought after Alice finally declared my wardrobe – temporarily – complete. When I got to the Mercedes at last, aided by a concerned Esme, I pretty much collapsed into the car. It was lucky my mind wasn't up to shouting, because Alice was actually whistling as she bundled the last packages into the car while still making room for herself. That alone made me wish I could hit her without irreparably damaging my entire arm. I started to imagine being strong enough to smack the back of her head, like Rosalie might do to Emmett when he was being his goofiest, but I never seemed able to think of a time that Alice wouldn't see it beforehand.

In the middle of my violent imaginings I must have fallen fast asleep because a burst of cold air woke me up as someone was lifting me into their arms. Half-asleep as I still was, I started to panic a little in confusion. A low whispering nearby and rapid wisps and whirls of sound around me only increased the bewilderment I felt.

"It's all right," a gentle murmur drifted into my ear. "I'm just taking you inside. You can go back to sleep."

Even in my muddled mind, the voice was comforting. Instinctively, I knew the person holding me was someone I could trust. Just as they instructed, I allowed myself to fall back into sleep's outstretched arms and drifted comfortably within my dreams for what seemed like an eternity.

A brown-eyed Jasper danced with me, dressed in his pristine confederate uniform, and a frothy white skirt flew out around my heeled feet as he twirled me with expert precision. We were smiling, both of us, and every once in a while I would laugh out loud in joy because I was actually dancing like a professional. Without rhyme or reason, I switched suddenly to dancing with a vampire Emmett, who was dressed in a sharp black suit reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties and a bright blue dress shirt. Then I was dancing with a green-eyed Edward, who was wearing an elegant black tuxedo – complete with tails – far more reminiscent of his human life. Jasper returned to me in his gray uniform, but on a particularly large twirl I found myself spinning away from Jasper's white-gloved hands, watching in confusion as he drifted away into a heavy gray haze. I kept expecting to seem him reappear, smiling again, and though his eyes had been brown, I kept thinking they would turn blue. But brown or blue or any other color of eyes, Jasper never came back. Even when I became afraid, I didn't stop spinning. Maybe I couldn't stop.

In the blink of an eye the world turned bright. Out of this new, lightened haze came Alice. She grabbed my hands and spun with me, a bright pink dress twirling around her knees the same as my white skirt did about my own feet. A secretive smile played on her face and in spite of the fact that I was no longer alone, it all felt wrong. What made it even stranger were her eyes. One was blue and one was dark brown, but right when we were about to make a new turn, they would flash red, then gold, then black, and then quickly return to their original state. Onward we spun, never ceasing, until I was so dizzy that all I saw were streaks of colors whenever her eyes changed. Nausea roiled in my stomach relentlessly, forcing me to close my eyes.

I snapped up in bed – positively sick to my stomach – with such sudden force that my neck twisted painfully. There was no time to even throw off the covers before I nearly threw myself to the side of the bed and vomited over the edge of it. Miraculously, there was a trashcan already awaiting my abrasive expulsions. Out of nowhere, three pairs of cool hands simultaneously aided me in different ways. One lifted the thick, heavy mass of hair away from my face and neck and tied it back too swiftly to even feel. The other held my upper body so I didn't fall forward. And the last (the gentlest and yet surest) pair of hands stroked my back and forehead soothingly until my retching finally turned to dry heaves.

Once the haze cleared slightly and my body expelled only groan-like coughs as it wound down, I was barely able to make out the soft voices that I had not even noticed while I was so violently ill. There were several people present in the room from what my bleary mind could tell, but I was too worn out to determine whose voice went with which remarks. One was a doctor, clearly. And the others were probably some of my 'neighbors' in the dorm, afraid I might have something catching after that crazy run in the woods. The walls were so thin in this stupid building, they must have heard me get sick.

It didn't occur to me to wonder how the trash can got there, or how anyone could have gotten into my locked dorm room. I just accepted the glass of water the doctor voice encouraged me to sip from my lowered position, although I quickly spat it back out to get rid of the sick that still sat in my mouth. A few mores sips like that and I felt comfortable actually drinking the water in the glass before falling asleep almost immediately, someone lowering me gently back to the pillow.

The next time I awoke, it was to a room lit by heavily-clouded sunshine and a cool hand petting my hair. My throat was dry and an unfortunate taste lingered there that I associated with not having brushed my teeth after being sick. That was what made everything come back to me. The crazy dream about Jasper, Emmett, Edward, and Alice; waking up to sickness; the numerous voices around me… Shockingly enough, I could remember the entire conversation and recognize who said precisely what. And it was certainly not my dormitory neighbors who had been talking.

" _Will she be all right?"_ Jasper had asked.

" _It's nothing serious, is it?"_ As expected, Esme was deeply concerned.

" _She's probably reacting to the shock. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."_ Of course, it was Carlisle explaining. No wonder I had thought a doctor was talking.

" _You expected this?"_ Rosalie had sounded surprised. So was I, thinking back. Hers was a voice I didn't think I'd hear.

" _Think of the upheaval she's been through in just one day. And then to have been so completely run down tonight..."_ That was Carlisle again.

" _I'm so sorry. I honestly didn't realize."_ There was Alice. She _had_ sounded quite sorry.

" _You couldn't have known."_ Edward had reassured her, his voice littered with distaste. I could only imagine how disgusting my mind must have been while I was sick.

" _I'm just glad you saw it when you did. Think if we hadn't been here for her…"_ Esme again, always concerned about others.

" _That would have been fun to clean up."_ Should have known Emmett would say something like that…

" _It's not funny!"_ Alice got pretty defensive then. Probably guilty that she had contributed inadvertently to me being sick.

" _Quiet, both of you!"_ Esme had effectively ended the debate, and that was where my mind clicked off from the ping-pong of conversation.

"That was the last of it."

Turning my face carefully to the left, I was pleased to see Edward leaning against the wall, looking far less distasteful than he had sounded… well, the last time I woke up. I wasn't sure when that was or even what time it was currently.

"It's about eight-thirty," Edward informed me. "You were in bed early enough last night, so you've gotten a lot of sleep."

"When did I wake up sick?" I asked him, clearing my throat immediately after I heard how hoarse it was at first.

"Around three," he answered, reappearing at my side to help me to sit up with one arm and reach over to the end table to bring back a full glass of water with the other. "Here, drink this."

Sipping water gave me more time to think, and I absently wondered if he had been the one patting my hair. Chancing a blushing glance at him, I smiled slightly when I noticed he was very amused.

"It seemed to keep you peaceful last night," he offered casually, "but it was actually Esme."

"She was the one?" I blinked, remembering the hands on my back and face when I was sick.

"Not the one you're remembering," Edward smiled. "That was Carlisle. He stayed for a long while, patting your hair like that. You tossed and turned quite a bit whenever he stopped. Alice did it after he went to work, until she and the others had to leave for school, then Esme took it up when everyone left. She would have gladly continued, but she needed to finish a few projects around the house."

"Who was holding me up?" For some reason, I had thought it was him.

"That would have been Esme. I was the one who pulled back your hair," he answered, then turned amused. "Somehow, even in the middle of being half asleep and desperately ill, you thought of how disgusting it would be to have your hair covered in sick."

"Sorry you had to hear all that," I murmured.

"You couldn't help it," Edward comforted me, briefly squeezing my shoulder.

"What happened, exactly?" I asked him curiously. "I know Carlisle said it was the shock, but… it isn't some weird flu bug, is it?"

"No, not at all," he shook his bronze head lightly. "Esme was terrified by how long it took you to stop, but Carlisle said nothing was abnormal. He believes your body was broken down enough by exhaustion that it couldn't quite handle the upheaval of the past day. So you became sick. That dream you had was just a manifestation of all this."

"Why was it just you four, specifically, that I dreamed about?" I wondered.

"I doubt there's any symbolic meaning behind it, if that's what you're thinking," Edward surmised.

"Funny you have to question what I'm thinking," I half laughed, still kind of lost in said thoughts.

"It is, isn't it?" was his laughing reply. "But it proves that my ability, potent as it often is, can still be fallible."

"Everyone is fallible," I shrugged. "You just have one more thing to be fallible in."

"I like your description better," Edward chuckled deeply.

"So Carlisle had to work today?" I wondered.

"Yes, he was worried it would perpetuate more rumors about you if he stayed home all day again."

"But aren't you still out sick?" It would have seemed a little odd to me if a man stayed home with his son because the boy was very ill, yet the man still came to work the next day.

"I was the sickest over the weekend," he explained humorously, "Last night I turned for the better, and now I merely need bed rest."

"You do have some pretty dark circles under your eyes," I joked. Edward huffed a laugh.

"You need to be ready by eleven-thirty, by the way," he changed the subject. "Carlisle is coming to pick you up."

"I thought he didn't have the day off?" I asked in surprise.

"When Carlisle explained your 'situation', Dr. Snow offered to take the second half of Carlisle's shift today so you could get everything settled for school."

"Don't tell me I'm a charity case now," I groaned at the thought.

"Dr. Snow likes Carlisle a great deal," Edward shrugged. "He admires his dedication to the family and his work, so he's usually very happy to help out in situations like these."

"So as of this afternoon, I'm going to be an official student of a formerly fictional high school," the remark slipped from my mouth before I could stop it, but Edward just smiled in amusement.

"Oh no." I just remembered what Alice had said about someone asking me to the Homecoming dance today and felt my good mood drop into the tank.

"Actually," Edward cut off my tirade before it could even begin, hesitance in his voice, "it wasn't while you registered that someone would ask you."

It took a moment for that to register in my head, but when it did, I felt unhappier than before. "So now it's just some kid who skipped class? This is so annoying."

"Mireille, will you stop being melodramatic for one minute?" Edward cut in again, quite irritably this time. Startled, I stopped talking or even thinking about what frustrated me.

"As much as I love my sister," Edward sighed, "she really can put a wrench in some of the best laid plans because she's so excited to see them come to fruition. There are no boys waiting to ambush you while they skip class."

"Then how will it happen?" I couldn't figure it out for the life of me.

"You'll find out later. Alice wants you to decide what shoes you'll wear with the dress." Edward's face was a mixture of laughter, exasperation, and resignation as he stood from the bed and moved across the room and into another part of it. It was only when he did so that I took in my surroundings at last. Before, I had been so engrossed in my conversation with Edward and the memories of earlier that morning, that I hadn't even paid attention. Now I flung myself straight up in bed and stared around, frozen with awe.

I was definitely not in Alice and Jasper's space.

All of the walls had been painted sea blue to match the white bedding with a floral print in sea blue, spring green, gray, and brown. The king size bed I laid in sported a smooth sleigh frame of some type of multihued dark brown wood, with a tall headboard that curved just slightly towards the wall. Gentle gray fabric draped off short white rods to each side of the headboard from a central point above, forming the illusion of a canopy. Beyond the footboard sat a tufted suede aqua bench with short arms at each end. To my right stood a small, round, silvery table with mirrored trim; an aqua glass lamp with white drum shade was the only thing on the table other than an alarm clock, which was brand new.

Beautiful, sea blue curtains spread across the entire six feet of wall to the right of the bed, blending perfectly into the wall color. By contrast, each section of glass on the long windowed wall opposite was bedecked with gloriously cheerful lime green drapes that had been left just slightly open to reveal the bright but clouded day outside. In either corner of the long windowed wall, there was a six foot section of window seating created from the same dark wood as the headboard and cushioned in soft gray. Pillows in broad mixture of color from the room's theme had been strewn over both sections of window seating.

Settled further down the wall in a more central spot, I noticed a modern sofa covered in the same sea blue suede as the bench at the foot of the bed – the only difference was the subtle silver studding along the sofa's outer frame. In front of the solid sofa, a mirrored coffee table complemented the small table beside the bed very well. The arrangement only enhanced an antique chair painted white and upholstered in white, bird-printed fabric matching the bedding's color scheme. An exact match to the chair had been placed between bed and doorway.

In the hallway Edward had disappeared into, the ceiling-high cabinetry was off-white; unfortunately the closed doors prohibited me from seeing whatever waited inside. Hanging on the side of the white cabinet was a matching ladder. Across from the bed and beside the light cabinetry, the wall beheld a huge TV and an entertainment kiosk in dark wood beneath that.

The only thing familiar to me about the entire room was the windows. I was absolutely positive of where I had seen them before, but I needed to make sure.

"Edward… Am I in _your_ room?"

The vampire in question was now standing in the hallway I had seen, eyes bright and mischievous. I took that to mean yes and was surprised I didn't faint on the spot.

"It was Esme's idea," he laughed at my stunned thoughts. "It's not practical for you to stay in anyone else's room, since they are often… otherwise occupied. Nevermind what Alice told you, it's actually a little inconvenient for them. Obviously I am not occupied in that way, so I don't have that kind of privacy concern. However, as you may have noticed, the room is substantially larger than before."

I _had_ noticed that briefly, but being so shocked, I could hardly be expected to pay much attention to it or even recognize Edward's space as the same one of the previous night. And certainly not the same one from the books.

"What happened to it?" I asked incredulously. "It doesn't even look the same."

"You would be amazed what seven vampires can accomplish in ten hours," he smirked.

"Meaning?" I prompted him. I had no idea what they could have done just the previous night to change the room.

"We condensed forgery central," he replied jokingly, leaning on the wall, but I could tell he meant it. "Then we knocked down the interior wall, rebuilt it much farther back, remade the support walls, added the cabinetry and the bed, built the window seating, installed a computer area and a creative workstation, and added the other décor. Of course Alice put away all of your clothes, shoes, and accessories. And the bathroom is the same as it was before, save the fact that Esme removed the short hall that led to it."

"Where's the computer workstation?" I wondered, not having seen it – or several things he mentioned, actually.

"Behind those curtains to your right," he nodded in the aforementioned direction, reappearing to open the drapes I had thought were only attached to a wall. The niche behind them was painted in a soft gray color this time, with accents of lime interspersed throughout. High above the all-white cabinetry with translucent sea blue knobs, I observed two medium sized pictures that drew all the colors of the outer room together. Two shelves floated high on the wall with what presumably was computer software, matching the level of a free-floating hutch two feet above the desk surface. The crisp, clean desk was as wide as the nook itself and complete with two padded white office chairs, a shiny silver laptop on one end, and an even shinier black laptop on the other. The laptops were obviously some of the latest models, accompanied by a printer beneath the worktop.

"The printer is an all-in-one with fax and the like. There's internet hook-up, also," Edward told me matter-of-factly. "You're computer is the black one on the right."

"And the creative workstation?"

"On the other side of that wall," he answered, nodding at the wall with the TV. "There's also a music space in this alcove behind me."

"I am so confused," I said dazedly. I was a bit worried about how all of this was going to affect the future. "Why?"

"Why all this?" he made to confirm, to which I nodded. "As I said before, it's more practical for you to share my room. Besides, it's the only place in the house where we really had room to make you a space of your own. Granted, you're sharing it with me, but it's not like we need a half-and-half room with two of everything. I don't even sleep, so I don't need a bed. The only things I really have to use specifically within the confines of this room are storage space, the shower, and my closet. And the music area, of course. If you don't mind me sitting there while you sleep, of course."

"You'll hear and see my weird dreams anyway," was my vaguely shell-shocked remark.

He simply said, "True," then disappeared into the deeper alcove once more.

"What's in the cabinets down that hall?" I asked for lack of conversation, since my eyes had traveled back to the closed cabinetry after he disappeared.

"Records, sheet music, and books," came his muffled voice. "You'll be able to fit your own elsewhere, if you decide to buy any. There's twice as much storage in the window seating as there was on my wall before. Oh, and Esme hung that ladder on the side of the white cabinet - the one by the TV - so you can reach up to all the top cabinets on your own."

This was too much, I couldn't help thinking to myself. Too much to spend on a person who might not even be in this house for more than a couple of years. But what could I say? Put it back the way it was? Not only was that impractical, it was ungrateful and rude.

"Then stop worrying about it," Edward snapped from inside the closet. It was the first time he had genuinely sounded angry with me. Even the first night, in the car and at the restaurant, it was mostly irritation.

"What does that tell you, then?" he sighed and finally exited the hallway, a familiar garment bag in hand, along with three shoe boxes. At least I knew where the closet was now.

"That I should shut up, probably," I mumbled down at my hands, embarrassed.

"I wouldn't say that," Edward countered with a roll of his eyes. "Just tone down your pessimism, will you? I admit I'm not a stellar example of that, but please try. Anyhow, now that I have your attention… You have three options, an outfit to change into, and approximately two hours. Choose and change. Or change and choose. Your preference, really."

Laughing at his uncomfortable command as he put the dress along the curtain rod of the computer area and the shoes on the floor, I stood and made my way over to the bathroom first. As I expected, towels, hygiene products, and clothing were already laid out for me. The outfit was one we had found the previous night for just such an occasion: a crisp white button-down blouse, a black cardigan, and dark boot-cut jeans. At least I liked to wear those kinds of clothes without prompting. Otherwise this would be far more annoying. Everything felt twenty times better after I showered and brushed my teeth, though. As a result, my annoyance over the pre-planned outfit was eliminated entirely. A much happier young woman exited the bathroom than had gone in it and Edward noticed from his seat on the slender sofa cross from the windows.

"Nice to see you looking pleasant again," he smirked slightly. "The brooding look doesn't suit you."

"That's probably a good thing," I replied simply and turned to examine the creative workstation that was right beside the bathroom doorway. A ceiling-high, wall-wide storage unit in white – with dozens of cubbies and drawers – took up the entire left wall. Also in white was a large work table sidled up against the larger storage piece, but on the perpendicular wall – and several smaller units full of a variety of writing utensils and small craft items floating above the tabletop. Deciding there was too much to really get into at that moment, I went over to the shoes and dress to make my choice. It took all I had not to examine the deep alcove where Edward had gone to retrieve my dress and shoes, or indeed the office space in front of me.

"One more thing," he stopped me. "Esme wants to know what you would like for lunch."

"I have no idea. I like a lot of different things. Tell her to go for whatever she feels like."

Eventually I would have to start deciding for myself, I supposed. But when a person came from a life of few options, it could be very hard to expand into the excessive choices the Cullens offered. Appeased for the moment by my reasoning, Edward let me continue with my footwear perusal.

The dress to which I matched the options was a long, flowing piece in alternating sections of plum and eggplant, with only one elbow-length sleeve. The entire gown draped down from the single left shoulder and across the body, a band of the same alternating fabric fitted at the waist. At first, I considered a very shiny pair of designer heels Alice had likely bought while I was trying on mountains of clothes. But another pair caught my eye far more significantly after several minutes of staring. They were a stiletto heel with a sheer black covering and an open toe, crystal embellishments strewn across the top of the shoe. Something about them just fit perfectly. The only thing I needed was a good necklace; perhaps a bracelet or a ring too. You can't have everything, though.

"All right, I've chosen," I happily let Edward know, but he didn't answer. Turning with a frown, I found he was not even in the room. He may only have been there to explain the room and what Alice wanted. Plus he had to tell Esme what I answered about lunch. Deciding that was entirely plausible, I headed downstairs at a leisurely pace, incredibly pleased to smell something very Italian wafting out of the kitchen.

"I'd know that smell anywhere," I sighed happily as I walked up to where Esme stirred rotini pasta and Italian dressing together in an overlarge glass dish on the counter.

"Good morning!" The caramel-haired vampire turned to smile at me warmly. "How are you feeling today?"

"Morning, Esme. I feel great now," I said honestly, smiling back at her. "Thank you for taking care of me last night."

"Oh, I'm just glad you're all right," she waved away my thanks. "I hope you don't mind pasta salad. There isn't much time. It's just past ten o'clock now."

"It's perfect," I assured her. "I really do love Italian food."

"That's what Edward told me," Esme explained. "What would you like in it?"

"I don't know," I shrugged helplessly. "What do you have?"

Esme hummed and opened the refrigerator to look inside. "Chicken, red and green peppers, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes... Here, why don't you pick out what you'd like?"

Gladly accepting the offer, I moved to her side to search out my favorite additions; happily, I pulled out salmon and a selection of vegetables equal to my very own vegetable patch.

"It looks like Carlisle was right about buying so many vegetables," Esme laughed once, eyes wide, when I closed the refrigerator door at last.

My jaw hit the floor as I stared, a package of grape tomatoes stuck in my frozen hand. "Carlisle bought groceries?"

"Not this time, but he goes with me whenever he isn't working." She grinned brightly at me in amusement, hurrying to take the tomatoes from me, move the vegetables into one pan and the salmon into another, and turn on the stovetop. "Parents should know these kinds of things, shouldn't they?"

"I guess so," I shook my head to erase the surprise. "I mean, my dad did the grocery shopping often enough. I just… it's _Carlisle_. I can't even _picture_ him walking through something as mundane as a grocery store!"

Esme's full, glorious laughter filled the entire first floor. Her laughter was positively infectious. I should have known it would be, what with her sweet disposition.

"That was my reaction the first time he offered to come with me!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "If he had been human, I think he would have blushed when I told him!"

"He was completely embarrassed," came Edward's mischievous voice from behind us. Turning, I found him holding a very small bouquet of unidentified, deep plum colored flowers in one hand, with the other hand hidden behind his back.

"What are you doing with those?" I laughed lightly at his expectant face. The flowers had to be for Esme.

"Mireille," Edward spoke smoothly, his beautiful voice a picture of the deepest velvet, drawing my eyes back to his bright face. He had moved a lot closer, standing only a foot away from me. Seeing as he was a foot taller than me, my neck was slightly craned to actually look in his eyes.

He said something, asked me a question of some sort. For a moment I just stared into his golden eyes, doing my best to even understand the fact that he had just spoken. Why did he have to dazzle me now?

Two laughs, one a tingling bell and the other a repressed chortle, snapped me out of my bedazzlement, thankfully. Not so thankfully, the air in the room seemed to shrink in on my lungs when I could finally comprehend what Edward had been asking me.

" _May I escort you to the Homecoming dance on Saturday?_ _"_

Edward had just asked me to the dance. Homecoming, Edward, dancing… all in the same situation. The words must have slipped out unbeknownst to me, because Edward was fighting tooth and nail not to burst into hysterical laughter and Esme's hand covered her upturned mouth. Magenta, surely, was the only color I could equate my face to.

"You?" I breathed hesitantly once my face and mind calmed, sure that he was mistaken. No one had ever asked me to a dance in my life. I had to take the initiative to ask a guy to both a homecoming dance and my junior prom.

"Yes, me," he smiled only a little, seeing the serious turn of my mind now. "I thought it would be advantageous. You get to go to the dance and begin ingratiating yourself with the students, while I spend a night out of the house with a friend and not 'wallowing at the piano.' Esme's words, not mine."

I smiled a bit over Esme's mothering. All too well did I remember her worries that Edward was too young when he was changed; that something was perhaps fundamentally wrong that disabled him from finding a mate… Even something so small as him getting out to the Homecoming dance with a strange new friend would be positive action in a worried mother's mind. Granted, it was not a romantic date, but Esme wouldn't care as long as her son actually got out and lived a little when he had the chance.

"I… I'd love to go with you to the dance," I blushingly admitted, hardly able to look him in the eye, "but for the fact that I can't… _dance_."

"We have three-and-a-half days," he shrugged endearingly, "You could learn a bit of waltzing in that time, if not a little more."

"Of course, dear," Esme finally rejoined our conversation, smiling over at me. "We'd be happy to teach you."

"If you're sure." Excitement was beginning to thrum in my veins. Ever since I was small, I had wanted to learn how to waltz. To be learning it from people who were beyond professional was amazing.

"Positive," Edward chuckled, stretching out the hand I could see to offer me the deep plum flowers that I could not name. "These are deep purple hydrangea. As you can see, they look more plum than true purple, so I thought they would match your dress admirably."

"Oh, I don't need a corsage," I murmured embarrassedly. "Besides, Alice told me last night that she already placed her order at the florist."

"Alice is picking up all of the corsages and boutonnières on Saturday," Edward contended easily. "It's a simple matter to add them to her order. But for now, these are for you."

"Thank you," I smiled widely, accepting the proffered bouquet with an appreciative sniff of the delicate flowers. "They smell so nice."

"Here, you can put them in this," Esme interceded, holding out a water-filled orange juice glass just big enough to fit my hydrangeas. It was a cute little sampling of flowers and I thought it would look nice in the remade room upstairs.

"I have something else for you," Edward continued far more nervously, driving my curiosity very high until he pulled out what he had been concealing behind his back. It was a large black velvet box. Large enough for a necklace, in fact.

"Edward, you didn't have to, really," I protested uncomfortably, feeling a little like Bella. "I think you're all spending enough on me as it is without adding in unneeded accessories."

"I wanted to," he nodded decisively. "Anyway, I didn't buy them. I'm letting you borrow them for Saturday."

That made absolutely no sense. "Did you rent it or something? In that case, you still paid money for it... Wait, what do you mean 'them,' anyway?"

"Open it first," he insisted laughingly, laying the flat box on the island counter in front of me.

Sighing, I did as I was instructed, opening the velvet case to reveal a beautiful gold and pearl jewelry set. The gold bracelet touted tiny pearls laid in a flower and leaf design that faded into a simple band. Also created mainly in gold and seed pearls, the accompanying necklace boasted three pearl encrusted flower shapes with deep plum-colored gems at the center and a single pear gem dropping from the middle.

"Oh my," I breathed in amazement. "They're beautiful, Edward. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he murmured in return, seeming newly bashful. "They're my mother's everyday wear. I think she'd like them to be worn."

"Huh?" I asked in confusion, only to realize rapidly which mother he really meant. "Oh! Oh no. Edward, I couldn't. Really I couldn't. These are so priceless! Elizabeth Masen's jewelry… oh goodness…"

The bronze-haired vampire only smiled knowingly at me, having seen the wayward thought creep through my mind… that only Esme or Alice (or a certain girl that I tried not to think of much at all, lest I give away the future too soon) should have these heirlooms of Edward's birth mother.

"What if I break them?" I whispered anxiously, fidgeting severely in my seat as I allowed my fear to come out.

"They're just baubles," Edward reassured me, as calm as anything. "I won't be upset if an accident happens. The truly serious heirlooms are in a separate safe."

"Promise?" I had to make sure.

"I promise," he assured steadfastly, smiling much wider. "Now try that ring on. I want to make certain it fits before you go trying to wear it at the last moment."

"What ring?" I wondered in renewed bewilderment. Wordlessly, Edward reached over to pull the object in question from its spot in the middle of the bracelet. The gold ring was slightly simpler in design from the necklace and bracelet; two creamy pearls lay one atop the other between parallel gold leaf designs, but otherwise the piece was unadorned. I wondered idly why I hadn't noticed it, but was more concerned with something else at the moment.

"What if it doesn't fit?" Surely he wouldn't resize it.

"Alice will buy one," he shrugged. Ignoring the fact that she would potentially be buying me more things, I slipped the elegant pearl ring onto my right ring finger, where I always wore my rings. After staring a while, I still couldn't believe my eyes. The little ring fit almost exactly; there was a bit too much give, but that was okay for me.

"That's handy," Edward remarked pleasantly, swiftly taking the ring from my grasp when I dazedly tried to put it in the bouquet rather than the box. "I'll take these up to the closet for you. You'd better eat. Carlisle should be here in about half-an-hour."

Shaking the dazedness away, I trained my attention on the freshly prepared pasta salad in which Esme was just now mixing the vegetables and salmon.

"That looks delicious Esme," I grinned with enthusiasm, gladly taking the plate and fork she offered and spooning a generous serving for my lunch. I'd nearly finished the plate of pasta when Carlisle arrived ten minutes early.

"Hello again, dear," Esme cast a sweet smile towards the entry as she spoke, lifting her arms to welcome the doctor into them. I frowned a minute, trying to figure out when I'd heard the door open or close. It took me a moment to remember that I would never hear any of the Cullens entering a room unless they purposefully informed me in some way.

"And the same to you, my love," Carlisle replied gently to his wife, warmly embracing her and kissing her forehead tenderly. My grin expanded so widely that I feared it would break my face in half. This was all like one very real, very beautiful movie, only better.

"Good afternoon, Mireille. You're looking much improved from this morning." The doctor turned to me with a pleased expression. "Do you feel as well as you look?"

"I feel fine," I happily concurred. "Trust me, if I can scarf down a huge plate of Italian food, I'm quite healthy."

The devoted couple laughed in perfect harmony and it took great effort not to sigh over it.

"Don't start," came Edward's contrary exhale. Leveling a glare at him, I remained mute, but reproached him in my mind. "All right, all right. No need to get so agitated."

"Should we even ask?" Esme sighed exasperatedly.

"Not really, no," I quickly informed her, having caught Edward's telltale smirk in my direction.

"Really?" He paused as if in thought, tapping his jaw. "I thought it was rather..."

"Edward," I cut him off warningly, not even capable of imagining anything I could do to successfully threaten him into silence.

"Threats now?" he laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry, then. I wouldn't want to get on your bad side. Your secret is safe with me."

"I'll believe that in twenty years, maybe," I muttered, rolling my eyes and slipping off my seat while he chuckled. Carlisle and Esme shared a look of amused resignation, but otherwise overlooked our sarcastic banter.

"Ready to go, Mireille?" Carlisle asked with the air of a man prepared for anything life could throw at him.

"Do you think there'll be a problem?" I wondered, brows raised high.

"No, not a problem," he laughed with much more ease than his tone had suggested a moment prior. "Just the awkwardness you will probably be facing. Not only are you going to high school again, but you're still human for it. It's bound to be somewhat uncomfortable as you try and keep a viable distance."

"Ugh," I groaned, wrinkling my nose in dislike. "That's going to be fun. At least the others will be around to help me out, though. Oh, hey, when will I know about my class schedule?"

"You'll be able to pick it up on the day you arrive, at the very least," Edward told me. "Or maybe you can find out early."

"We'll check," Carlisle decided, ushering me through the house to the front door and helping me into my new black and white tweed coat. I had just started to look around for the flats I had worn the last couple days, when Edward reached out, a pair of high-heeled black ankle boots in hand.

"You might need those," he smirked.

Scowling at the amusement on Edward's contorted facial features, I pulled the boots on over my jeans, straightened the sweater-like fold at the top, and walked out of the door that a chuckling Carlisle held open.

* * *


	10. Chapter 9: Inspiration

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Music in this chapter:**  
'Spring' by Vivaldi (from _The Four Seasons_ )  
'Summer' by Vivaldi (from _The Four Seasons_ )  
 _Entry of the Gladiators_ by Julius Fučík (a.k.a. _The Circus Song_ )  
 _One Day I'll Fly Away_ by Nicole Kidman (from _Moulin Rouge_ )  
'Autumn' by Vivaldi (from _The Four Seasons_ )  
'Winter' by Vivaldi (from _The Four Seasons_ )  
 _Für Elise_ by Beethoven  
 _Tempest Sonata_ by Beethoven  
 _Moonlight Sonata_ by Beethoven

**Previously** – Alice led Mireille and Esme on a shopping spree and explained Mireille would be asked to Homecoming. Mireille and Alice argued about interacting at Homecoming. Alice's spree exhausted Mireille and she felt asleep on the way back. Mireille had a vivid dream and woke up sick, thinking her experiences were a dream. Upon waking again, Mireille realized she wasn't dreaming and recalled the Cullens' worry over her sickness. Edward and Mireille discussed the dream and Homecoming. Mireille realized Edward's room had been restructured and redesigned, and Edward explained Esme's work. Edward invited Mireille to Homecoming, Mireille swooned over Carlisle and Esme, and Edward teased her for it. Carlisle and Mireille left to register for school.

> **Chapter 9: Inspiration**

My nerves returned in overdrive by the time I buckled the seat belt, asking Carlisle as we pulled down the driveway, "How should I act? Do I need to be kind of standoffish or a little down or what?"

"You should appear as though it is a little difficult to smile or laugh," he instructed me calmly, offering a reassuring pat to my hand where it lay on the middle rest. "Be slightly reluctant to divulge information, but not unwilling to speak when spoken to. Remember you are supposedly mourning your father, deceased only a few months ago. And just for your background information, as of last week I had you signed up for appointments with my colleague from Seattle, a grief counselor by the name of Elizabeth Anthony. Not that you'll need to talk about that."

I laughed with slight incredulity, some of my nervousness melting a smidgen. "A play on Edward's family?"

"We thought of it while you were out shopping," Carlisle laughed slightly as well. "The number we have listed for this Dr. Anthony is a line from a property of ours in Seattle. It will redirect to a cell phone here at the house. Once Alice sees the school's decision to call, Esme will be there to answer it. It's quite simple to create a different voice. For our kind, anyway."

"And here I thought everything was settled last night," I sighed disconsolately.

"Not nearly," he chuckled, patting my hand again. "Don't worry yourself over planning every detail. We have a great deal of experience in this, as you know. Most of what we are doing now is the dirty work. No need to involve you in that unless we have to. You just focus on what you need to be doing."

"Roger that," I sighed more amusedly. Carlisle chuckled at my odd reply and then the car filled with silence most of our drive to the high school.

Unless it was my imagination, the trees fairly glowed in the cloudy light, far greener in tone than they had looked the night of my arrival. The high school appeared like a splotch of faded red paint against such a widely verdant landscape, the brick seeming older and more run down than I had expected it to. I didn't even want to _imagine_ what the bathrooms looked like. The very thought made me shudder.

"Are you all right?" Carlisle inquired concernedly, expression now grim as he pulled in the drive.

"I just didn't realize it was this decrepit," I admitted with a sheepish rise of my shoulders.

"Oh that," he replied, a smile fighting its way onto his face. "Yes, my apologies that the school could not be similar in quality to our home. Perhaps I should make an anonymous donation for its renovation."

"That would be very nice," I grinned over at him. "Makes high school a little less harrowing for us humans when the bathrooms are fresh and new."

"Is _that_ what you were thinking about?" Carlisle laughed richly, rolling through the parking lot towards the front office.

"Um, yeah, actually it was." All I wanted to do was burrow my head in the sand after admitting that. Carlisle didn't even say anything further, merely shook his head amusedly and parked right in front, where as Bella said in _Twilight_ , no one else was parked.

"Dampen your mood a little," Carlisle instructed me with a smile intended to bolster my confidence.

When he opened the driver's side door, files in hand, my new world smacked me straight in the face. From what I could see, everyone was heading to lunch, if the drinks and food in a few gloved hands were any indication. Teenagers in heavy fall coats and scarves wandered everywhere, chattering and laughing and fooling around with friends. One boy had a football in hand, twirling it up in the air as he walked beside a flirting girl whose strawberry-blond hair swished a bit too much to be believable in the still afternoon air. A raucous group of boys jockeyed each other for the front position of their group as they strolled along. Three girls off to one side conversed in whispers, plainly ogling the group of raucous boys and giggling whenever one happened to look in their general direction. Even after attending such a large school in my high school days, I was unused to all the calamity and chaos of it after a couple years away.

The seeming impossibility of the task ahead had me sweating. I had never fit in with the other students when I was one of them. How could I do it now? And to add that to the great possibility that I might expose the Cullens accidentally and send them packing at the very least, if not bringing the Volturi down on them… Since we had begun to plan my entry into high school, I had thought of it as fun little retrial of my teen years and a chance to do my grades over. But it was so much more than that.

Only when Carlisle came around to the passenger side and opened my door was I able to voice my growing anxiety and lack of confidence.

"I don't think I can do this," I whispered frantically to him, my face a mask of mild terror. Smiling kindly at me, the doctor knelt down to my level in the car, set the file up on the dash, and took my hands carefully.

"Mireille," he began with a low and soothing voice that no one else would hear, treating me as the frightened child I felt like. "You _can_ do this. I know you can. All we're doing today is signing papers and talking very generally. We won't even speak to anyone but Mrs. Cope. Alice saw that. And I'll do almost all of the talking, remember? Come along, you'll be all right."

Biting my lip with continued nerves, I reluctantly nodded. As I accepted his hands and stood from the car, the wave of raw anxiety eased with the suddenness of a blunt axe, replaced with a calm confidence that I knew did not come from myself. Glancing around us, I spotted Jasper and Alice heading our way, the former looking amused and reassuring at the same time. How he managed that, I had no idea. Rolling my eyes amidst Carlisle's low chuckling, I waited with him while his two children approached.

"Thought you might need some moral support," Alice winked at me when they were close enough, reaching over to squeeze me carefully in greeting. Jasper grinned a bit beside her, the obvious answer to any question of moral support.

"Now I know why you suggested I do this at lunch," Carlisle shook his head wryly, reaching in the car to take the file in hand again. "Are you sure you will be on time for your classes?"

"Positive," the pixie winked mischievously, very lightly pushing the two of us forward to the office.

Faces I didn't know suddenly turned to stare at the regal figure of their town surgeon and wealthiest resident, still wearing his black slacks, dress shoes, and graceful fall coat as he emerged from behind the concealment of the Mercedes and walked up to the office door with his son, daughter, and rumored niece all in tow. One girl's jaw appeared ready to drop when she noticed Carlisle opening the door for Alice, Jasper, and me.

Compared to the cool temperature outside, the front office felt like sitting in a furnace. Only a minute or two inside it and already I started to sweat, completely unrelated to nerves. Carlisle's arm around my shoulder was a refreshing batch of coolness, even through my thick coat.

Everything matched Bella's description in the book, right down to the loudly ticking clock and the orange-flecked commercial carpet. Leaning over her desk filling in some paper or another, Mrs. Cope was as red-headed as ever, although thankfully she was not wearing a purple tee shirt; that would have been _too_ coincidental. This time, her top was a silky green (rather loud) blouse – an object which clashed quite stupendously with the secretary's colored hair.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Cope," Carlisle spoke in his most human voice, smiling mildly for effect.

Jumping in her seat, the secretary whipped around to find herself faced with three Cullens and me.

"Oh, Dr. Cullen!" she breathed out, sounding winded. Edward's ability would have made for interesting conversation just then, I was sure of it. "I'm so sorry. How can I help you?"

From the look of scrutiny on Mrs. Cope's face and the intensity with which her eyes sized me up from behind that long counter, I could tell she knew precisely what we were here for. Gossip moved fast in Forks, as I had expected. What I had not expected was that I would be judged so heavily by the staff. Judgment was not something I was equipped to be handling at all.

"To register my niece, Mireille, of course," Carlisle answered as if it was obvious, nodding down at me in reference. Glancing up at him more closely, I caught his eyebrow rising as if in doubt of the secretary's sanity. "Surely you have not forgotten my phone call from just an hour ago?"

Carlisle sounded amiable, but the muted sarcasm was there in his eyes. Thankfully Jasper was monitoring my emotional climate carefully, or else I couldn't have held in a snort of laughter. Despite my amusement, though, anxiety notched itself up to new heights at this unusually tense reception. Bella had been warmly welcomed in spite of the gossip; Mrs. Cope had even wished her well. Granted, Charlie had been talking about Bella's arrival for weeks before she came. My own 'arrival' had been immediately clouded with prejudiced suspicions of where I came from and what my parentage was.

"C-Certainly not," Mrs. Cope breathed embarrassedly, stuttering. "Just being cordial, Dr. Cullen."

"Oh, of course." Carlisle smiled more congenially, though some coolness lingered in his gaze. "Shall we settle everything?"

"I just need you to fill out these," she responded, taking out a folder that had clearly been set aside especially, as well as a clipboard.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cope," Carlisle said and led me to the padded chairs. The doctor took the end seat, leaving me to take the next one as he began to fill out papers. Alice and Jasper quietly settled in the chairs beside mine, surprising me when Jasper sat nearer.

"Your nerves are in overdrive," the southern vampire quietly answered my feelings of curiosity, offering his hand palm-up for me to take. Alice nodded encouragingly when I hesitated, pointing subtly at my left hand, so I slipped the same hand into Jasper's larger one, instant ease flooding my senses.

Sighing in relief, I murmured, "Thanks, Jasper."

He smiled reassuringly and sat back in his chair, free hand curling tightly around Alice's to his right; clearly I wasn't the only one needing support.

"Here," Alice murmured lowly – eyeing the head of a suspiciously quiet Mrs. Cope – and handed over a small notepad and a pen.

"What's this for?" I barely breathed, my lips almost stationary.

"Practice your full name," Carlisle murmured from my other side, eyes cast entirely on the clipboard in his hand as he added a signature.

"Oh!" I gasped very softly, understanding now. It wouldn't be good if I accidentally signed my real name to any papers. Awkwardly, with the knowledge that Jasper was sitting right next to me, I began to scrawl my full 'new' name. ' _Mireille Claire Whitlock'_ filled the page when I was through and I was pleased to say that at this point, I no longer stumbled over writing the last name Whitlock. Jasper inconspicuously pulled off the top sheet where I had written the name, crumbling it and stuffing it in the pocket of his dark slacks before taking my hand again. Relaxing back in my seat, I turned to check Carlisle's progress and found him signing the last line and dating it. I didn't realize I had taken so long in my scribbling.

"This is the only line you need to sign," Carlisle informed me, offering over the clipboard where I signed the name I had just been writing all over the notepad.

"Now we just need to get your files sorted." He smiled over at me, gesturing for me to rise with him and walk back to the counter. Mrs. Cope was already rising, having heard Carlisle's remark, and took the clipboard and folder from us with a little more grace than before.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," she smiled too widely. "We just need her records."

Nodding, Carlisle slid my thick file up onto the counter. "I've included her course selection and the… certificate, as well."

The doctor hesitated over the word certificate, and I guessed he was referring to my father's 'death certificate.' Taking the cue, I lowered my head slightly into Carlisle's side, my face slightly sad, and felt an arm slip around my shoulders in a comforting gesture.

"Of course," Mrs. Cope faltered. She sounded as though she were fighting herself over something. Rustling informed me the secretary was going through the files, either as a distraction or to ensure everything was in there that needed to be. Or both.

Minutes later, she spoke again, "Well, everything is here. You should receive a packet in the next couple of weeks with a schedule and other pertinent information."

"Thank you very much," Carlisle replied, smiling again – wider than either of the first two times – and I watched from the corner of my eye as Mrs. Cope's face went blank with shock. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Cope."

Without waiting for a response, Carlisle steered me to the door and outside a bit quickly. Alice and Jasper were waiting by the door, a relieved look on the latter's face.

"Tight air space," Alice murmured sympathetically in explanation.

"If it is too much, we will not think less of you for leaving," Carlisle insisted with a firm, but soothing voice.

"It's better now," Jasper muttered, embarrassed and slightly sulky, eyes cast towards the top of his wife's head.

"The air in the office was really stifling," I suggested.

"Yes, warm air makes it harder," Alice agreed gently, arms wrapped around her husband's middle.

"Well, I repeat what I said a moment ago," Carlisle said to Jasper. "However, if you truly feel you can handle it, we will see the four of you later this afternoon."

"Bye guys," I waved a little as we got into the car, trying to put on an encouraging face for Jasper, who was looking a little down now. His expression didn't change, but Alice was plainly grateful for some help.

"Bye," she waved back, and then we were pulling out of the parking spot and rolling away from the two of them. My eyes remained with them until Carlisle pulled onto the main road and drove off towards the house.

After passing most of the trip in comfortable silence, Carlisle commented with evident satisfaction, "You did exceptionally well today, Mireille."

"Thank you. I wasn't too quiet, was I?"

"No, not at all," he shook his head. "And the way you reacted to the mention of the death certificate was quite well done, if I say so myself. Mrs. Cope became quite sympathetic after she saw it."

Pleased was an understatement to how I felt after hearing that. And here I had been all prepared to quit. But my job had been as easy as Carlisle had said.

"I hope I can do that well when I start interacting with everyone," I confided in the doctor.

"I'm sure you will," he assured me confidently. "The others will be there to help you, just remember that."

"Yeah, I can't forget it," I laughed self-consciously. "I'll be depending on it a lot."

"A wise decision, really," he shrugged. "And besides, you won't need to worry for almost three months."

"Um… actually…" I nervously interceded. "I'll be interacting this weekend."

"Will you?" Carlisle sounded surprised, glancing over with furrowed brows.

"Edward is taking me to Homecoming," was my shy response. "He asked today, just before you picked me up."

"Did he?" Carlisle wondered softly, almost inaudibly. A slight smile crossed his face and I felt an instantaneous need to explain before he got ahead of himself.

"Sort of an icebreaker for me," I hastily told the doctor, turning slightly pink. "And Esme likes him to get out more, so he's sort of accomplishing something, too. With a friend."

"Mireille, you don't have to hash out the relationship," Carlisle chuckled deeply, leaning very strongly towards laughter. "I know it isn't a romantic date. However, I am amazed that Edward is stepping out so easily. Normally Alice and Esme have to use every trick in their arsenal to have him attend dances."

Sheepishly, I admitted, "Maybe they did and I just don't know it."

Lips pursed contemplatively, Carlisle asked, "How did he ask you?"

"Esme was making lunch for me, and he came in with a bunch of hydrangeas," I began to tell the story. "I thought they were for Esme, but then Edward stepped up next to me and asked me to the dance. I… er… was a little dazed at first."

"I imagine so," Carlisle tamped down a smile admirably.

"Anyway," I continued embarrassedly, "Then I said that I couldn't dance and both him and Esme said I could learn in three days, so I said yes. Then he gave me the flowers."

"Anything else?"

"Well… he offered for me to borrow a pearl jewelry set for Saturday." The thought still struck me with nerves when I remembered whose jewels those had been and how old they were.

Carlisle nodded casually, so I couldn't tell if he was amazed by this offer or not.

"So Esme and Alice had to whip out the book of tricks for this?" I smiled a little, temporarily ignoring the thought of the pearls.

"I don't think so," Carlisle disagreed with confidence. "This seems like something Edward would do of his own volition. Particularly if he offered up some of his mother's jewelry for you to wear, borrowed or not."

There was no chance to reply, seeing as we pulled onto the long, overgrown driveway to the house just as Carlisle stopped speaking.

"Edward's playing again," Carlisle said suddenly, with great satisfaction, a pleased smile on his face. The benefits of vampire hearing, I guessed. "I haven't heard him touch the piano for months. Esme must be beside herself with joy."

I smiled, too. "She really loves to hear him play, doesn't she?"

"Oh yes," Carlisle chuckled. "It was one of the very first things they bonded over."

Hearing that little tidbit was something I couldn't help enjoying. Things like this were not in the books and yet were so interesting to know. "Why hasn't he played in so long?"

A deep sigh escaped Carlisle, a sad and troubled one. "Edward is… well, he tries to edge around it, but he is lonely. Being surrounded by three mated couples is no easy feat. Lately he seems to have lost inspiration because of it."

There was little I could say, so I stayed quiet until the house came into view. I couldn't see Edward through the front windows. The vaguest sound of his music floated from within, but I couldn't make out the sound enough to know what piece it was. Or if it was even one I would recognize; perhaps it was his own composition.

Carlisle parked in front of the house and was around to my door before I could even think of opening it. "Shall we?" he offered, extending a hand.

The music came clearer and louder every step we took towards the front door, but it stopped momentarily until Carlisle actually opened the door. As I stepped fully inside the doorway, Edward took up playing again; it was now a tune I recognized very well.

"That's ' _Spring'_ , right?" I named the piece with pleasure. "From Vivaldi's _Four Seasons_?"

"I thought you'd recognize it," Edward called out to me from the other side of the dividers. "I rarely play Vivaldi. As a matter of fact, I haven't played it since Carlisle found Esme. But I decided on a change of pace for once. What with all of the surprises after your arrival, you've rather inspired me."

"I'm glad," I told him sincerely, smiling as I took off my coat and hung it up, though I kept the scarf and boots on until my body warmed up.

"Come sit," Edward offered. When I came around the dividers, he inclined his head in invitation towards a chair near the bench. Ambling over, I settled comfortably into the yellow, floral patterned armchair. Watching Edward's hands move across the keys in expert rhythm and grace struck me dumb for some minutes, my eyes following his movements carefully even as he eventually segued from ' _Spring'_ to ' _Summer_ '. I wished I could play that well, but I never practiced like a pianist should.

"Maybe you would practice here," Edward suggested thoughtfully. "Sometimes you might need to take out your frustrations in a way other than throwing the nearest inanimate objects, particularly after dealing with high school a couple of months. Playing might be a way of doing that."

"Actually, just listening to music is my way of coping," I confessed, ears slightly pink. "I get in moods as to what I want kind of music I want to listen to and nothing else will do."

"I do that as well," he remarked, eyes on mine while his fingers exalted ebony and ivory. "What kinds of 'moods' do you get into?"

"Well, for an easy example," I tried to explain without being too detailed, "I might watch a movie about the circus and then want to hear music that reminds me of it."

With a completely serious face, Edward instantaneously started playing the circus song instead of Vivaldi. I burst into delighted laughter as the familiar theme came to its end, amused – both by the comical play on my example and by Edward's cheeky smirk when he was finished.

"Not exactly what I meant," I continued to giggle a bit, "but I take the point."

"So it's mostly what you've recently watched or read about that inspires your music moods?" he asked, still sporting a mildly devilish smile.

"Something like that," I shrugged. "Sometimes it's just how I feel or whatever I'm thinking of at the time, though."

"Then you must have certain music that you listen to during your… rebellious phases?" he asked mischievously.

"Yeah, I do," I said sheepishly, "but it changes. I have different kinds of rebellious moods, if that makes any sense."

"Not exactly," he admitted. "What do you mean?"

"Well, take my parents for example," I brought up a little uncomfortably. They really were not my favorite subject. "If I was feeling annoyed with them, I'd listen to songs about breaking away from the nest or proving myself by becoming successful in the path they scorned. Like… oh… I know this probably isn't your style, but have you ever seen _Moulin Rouge_?"

"Unfortunately," Edward grimaced comically. "I blame Alice, which is a very common occurrence in such cases."

"Well, personal opinions aside," I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. "Satine's song ' _One Day I'll Fly Away'_ is one I might have listened to in a rebellious time. On the other hand, if I was annoyed about a movie where the men are really controlling or something, I might have listened to Kelly Clarkson."

"Who?" Edward wondered in confusion, and I suspected it was mostly because he would never watch something like _American Idol_.

"Alice again. She forced Jasper and me to watch the first couple of episodes when it came out," Edward recalled disgustedly. "The only reason she stopped begging me to do so was because I constantly pointed out the flaws. What an idiotic show. No value at all, except for cheap entertainment."

"Well, I don't like it either," I agreed, shaking my head at him. "But Kelly Clarkson won the first season. She's the only one I really have any respect for. I liked her few albums so far, and from what I heard she was planning on another one for 2009. It's too bad I won't get to see it now."

"Uh-oh," Edward laughed slightly. "You'll be going crazy whenever you can't listen to your later music, aren't you?"

"At some point, probably," I sighed. "Just knock some sense into me whenever I finally do."

"Hardly an appropriate measure to take," he said sarcastically.

Shrugging, I said, "Suit yourself. I can get really obsessively annoying."

"So can I," he retorted quickly.

"I can guess," I quipped back. Narrowing his eyes, Edward reappeared beside me and purposefully nudged my shoulder to tip me sideways.

"That's cheating." I nudged back fruitlessly, only squishing awkwardly against his immovable body.

"I disagree," he replied, staring down his nose at me. "You're just a sore loser."

"And you're just a cocky teenager," I smarted.

Laughter from behind us alerted me to the presence of Esme and Carlisle, who had either been silently observing our entire conversation or had just come in because of our play-sparring. The two of them sat together on the nearest white sofa embracing each other casually, Esme's caramel-brown head lying on her husband's shoulder. Neither even attempted to pretend they had not been watching Edward play and us making jabs.

"She seems to be a bit quick, dear," Esme teased her son, trying to restrain her smile, whereas Carlisle openly chuckled.

Face stiff, Edward abruptly turned his focus back to the piano and began a rendition of Rachmaninoff or some such composer that was so thunderous I jumped.

"Oh, really, Edward," Esme scolded him lightly. "We mean no harm. You know that."

"Hmph," was all Edward replied with, the grunt forcing me to restrain a bout of giggling.

"A cultured caveman," I barely said before laughing slightly with Esme and Carlisle.

Edward's eyes narrowed in on mine tightly, the look on his face warning me that I was in serious trouble for making fun of him. I didn't let it bother me, assuming he would just find some way of retorting.

It was without the slightest warning, then, that cold fingertips poked me in the extremely ticklish spot on my side. Yelping and flying up off the seat almost a foot, I knew instantly who had done it. Glaring at Edward's smug features, I immediately removed myself from the piano bench and stalked to the entry, pulling on my coat and gloves and walking outside without a word in spite of Carlisle and Esme's protesting voices.

Cold though it was outside, I decided to walk at least around to the garage and back, if not a bit into the trees at the edge. Time to calm my heart rate would be better than warmth right then.

It wasn't that Edward's icy skin had done permanent damage, but the fact was he had startled me enough to get my heart racing. Racing heartbeats had always scared me senseless; I attributed this to my father's hypochondriac mindset and his tendency to voice his constant impossible fears at least once a day for the first eighteen years of my life. Granted, I was not _nearly_ as bad as my father. My own mind tended to go into overdrive only if a physical feeling was powerful or awkward enough to seem unmanageable. Strong cramps in my legs freaked me out, for example. Charlie horses and my anxiety level did not get along at all.

Expecting a visit from Edward after him hearing all of my unlooked-for thoughts, I decided to tuck myself away with the vehicles for a little while. I knew he could reach me no matter how fast I went or where I went. Nevertheless my pace was a bit faster as I slipped through the side door. Talking with Edward was not a very pleasant idea at the moment. I wasn't angry; that had fled almost immediately. Mostly I was embarrassed by my mimicry of my father: it was the kind of overreaction he would have had on a good day. What made it worse was that my tension over that fact kept my heartbeat from slowing down like I wished, as did my walk outside.

Sighing deeply, I moved across the front of the three cars in the garage with an absent gaze. Rosalie's M3 stood out for its vivid red color, of course. Then came the monstrous jeep. Frightening was a word I had never used to describe any vehicle except for a tank or maybe a semi-truck, but Emmett's jeep forced me to reconsider that idea very quickly. If I had to crane my neck to see the top of it, the thing was definitely too large. The only car left was Edward's Vanquish at the far end. It was a sleek kind of vehicle, obviously not meant for everyday driving – not that Edward would mind driving it everyday – and something I did kind of like looking at, as far as cars went. Well, that and the M3. They were both a beauty of a car.

A slight shuffling step – a very deliberate one – not a second later, alerted me to the presence I had been anticipating.

His voice conveyed all the contriteness one would expect from the self-loathing vampire he was known to be. "I'm sorry I scared you."

In spite of how nice he was behaving, I didn't say anything. Embarrassment flooded me for the way I had run from the room without a word, so childishly.

"I know you're embarrassed," he continued with a heavy sigh, "but it's not really your fault, is it? Everyone is afraid of something. More than one something, usually. When faced with whatever fears we have, most of us _do_ overreact in some way. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for startling you so much."

When I didn't reply, even mentally, Edward pressed me, "Mireille? Come on, I won't bite."

I heard as he chuckled darkly at his own pun. Long fingers dropped carefully to my right shoulder, finally convincing me to turn (with great reluctance) to face him.

"Forgive me?" he wondered, obviously genuinely concerned that I was angry at him.

"Yes," I mumbled, chewing my lip for lack of things to say, before I gave in and made to apologize. "And I'm—"

"No," Edward stopped me instantly, finger against my chapped lips. "You weren't wrong. Overreacting? Perhaps. But not really wrong."

"Matter of opinion," I was able to get out before he went on, making him smile a little.

"I agree," he nodded. "Weakness is always a matter of opinion. In the eye of the beholder, so to speak. But if we are the ones beholding you, and it is our opinions you're worried over, then you shouldn't be worried at all."

"Now, I'm forgiven," he went on thoughtfully, "but are we friends?"

Rolling my eyes more good-naturedly, I said, "Friends."

"Come back inside?" he offered with a cheerier smile.

"Are you going to play Vivaldi again?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

"If you like," he nodded. I didn't talk out loud, but allowed my thoughts to confirm the wish vehemently. Clearly amused, Edward turned to lead me back outside, but turned abruptly to ask, "Oh, what do you think of the cars?"

"I don't like the jeep," the reply slipped off of my tongue rapidly and immediately. "It's much too big."

Quiet laughter displayed the mind-reading vampire's growing humor. "That was _precisely_ the point of it. You know Emmett. The bigger the better. We luckily talked him down from a hummer."

"I'd rather not think about anything bigger than _this_ thing," I half-choked. Edward laughed louder this time, the sound echoing in the more-than-half-empty garage.

Once his humor died down, he calmly asked me, "What kind of car do you think you'd want to drive?"

"I don't know," I shrugged ignorantly. "Nothing flashy, obviously, since I'll be driving it to school. I kind of like black cars or gray cars."

"A subtle, sleek choice of colors," he commented, pensive. "I think even Rosalie might approve, despite her typically flamboyant taste."

The mention of Rosalie made me a little wary, particularly after how her mood towards me changed so frequently. One moment she had seemed to outright hate me, then the next she was commenting on my course choices, then teasing me about my grades. At least, I hoped she had been teasing the previous evening…

"She was," Edward admitted, a smirk blooming on his face. "She's trying not to tolerate you, but you are already proving difficult… And I can tell you, tolerating someone is essentially the high point of Rosalie's feelings towards anyone except herself, Emmett, and Esme."

"She's having a hard time not hating me?" My voice was exceptionally flat as I paraphrased his answer.

"The first time she insulted you, you fought back," he explained. "Not a common occurrence, I assure you."

"That's all it took?" I queried dryly. "Fighting back?"

"Maybe," he grinned lightly, tugging me up to the house while I considered the absurdities of bitter, vanity-obsessed people.

Carlisle and Esme were gone from the main floor when we entered the house, and I figured they wanted me to settle back in comfortably, without worrying over my brief interlude outside. It was with a newly calm mind that I sat again in the chair beside the piano. Despite having ' _Summer'_ interrupted, Edward started afresh with ' _Autumn'_ instead. The music entranced me once more throughout the rest of the piece and then, with skill I envied greatly, Edward played through the beginning of ' _Winter'_ like a prodigy; his fingers danced and swayed across the ivory keys at grand speeds.

A satisfied sigh left my lips as the last chord sounded, resulting in Edward's soft laughter at my enchanted thoughts.

"I've never heard anything so wonderful," I told him happily. "I loved the first part the best, though, I must say."

"It's a rather thrilling part, isn't it?" he agreed enthusiastically.

"Oh, yes," I nodded, smiling. "Thank you for playing."

"Thank you for facilitating my playing Vivaldi, of all things," he teased, but turned thoughtful. "What else would you like to hear?"

Grinning, I leaned over and answered conspiratorially, "Beethoven."

"Ah, you have made me very happy indeed," he laughed again.

"You're favorite?" I guessed.

"He just seems to understand my moods quite well," he replied dryly. "Along with Chopin, that is… What piece did you have in mind?"

I though for a moment of ' _Für Elise'_ , because of its speed and intricacy, but decided against it. I wanted something different for a change.

"I'd like to hear ' _Tempest Sonata'_ ," I finally chose.

Looking pleased, Edward moved straight into the first movement. Beautiful was the only word I could use to describe the sounds he brought forth. For twenty long and glorious minutes, I listened rapturously to the serenade. Time was really inconsequential when attending such a concert of talent, but my disappointment was great when I realized just how short a time it actually took. The end had me wishing for more.

It took me by surprise, therefore, when Edward hesitated – hands waiting midair above the keys – before laying long fingers back down and softly, ever so softly, leading into the first movement of ' _Moonlight Sonata'_. Had I thought ' _Tempest Sonata_ ' to be beautiful, this piece surely had to be angelic by contrast. So much emotion filled Edward's performance that it was difficult to listen without being reminded of how troubled he often felt about living this life and being alone in it. Each downward scale told me of his growing hopelessness. Each heavy bottom note spoke to his sadness in frequent solitude. I tried to keep these thoughts quiet, considering he could hear every one, but it was impossible not to feel the despondency in the last wavering notes his fingertips pressed.

Edward's fingers still lay on the keys minutes later, in the exact positions he had ended the piece, and it was obvious his mind dwelled on my thoughts deeply. Neither of us seemed capable of moving or looking at each other; at least, I knew _I_ couldn't do it. Not with how my mind was effectively tormenting him with his own loneliness. Truly I would have said something, anything, to try and release the new tension in the atmosphere, but a door slammed outside (rather unnecessarily, I thought) and the front door banged open not-so-quietly. Rising mindlessly to see who it was, I watched Rosalie stalk inside with Emmett on her heels. They did not look my way, but even from across the room, I could see that Rosalie was angry again. At what, I didn't like to imagine.

Alice and Jasper did not immediately follow, which induced the idea that perhaps the small vampire had seen something. What she was now waiting for, I couldn't determine.

Edward seemed to answer my question by moving – not to leave my troublesome head behind, but to lean forward and awkwardly grasp my hand. Not being easily pressed into unprecedented physical affections, I stiffened vaguely beneath his hand, but didn't pull away. Friends, as we had agreed to be, did not do things like that.

"Thank you," Edward said simply, breaking the lengthy silence and his gesture at the same time. "That makes tonight's events a bit easier for all concerned."

"Tonight's events?" I asked, confused, feeling the atmosphere return to normal, as though it had never been awkward in the first place.

"Tonight," he began cautiously yet resolutely, "you learn to dance."

"Oh my," I squeaked, bringing a sudden laugh out of Edward.

"Don't worry," he said confidently. "Carlisle will be dancing with you for the most part. I believe his patience and good humor will be the best environment for you to learn in."

"For the most part?" I wondered, catching the extra phrase.

"Well, obviously you and I will need to at least try it once before Saturday." The pianist shrugged mildly.

"Who will be there?" I wondered timidly. Self-consciousness was hard enough to take without Rosalie's frigid presence and Emmett laughing at me whenever I goofed up.

"They won't be there," Edward comforted me. "Esme and I will be, but mostly to encourage you and help you learn. Plus, she would never turn down an opportunity to dance. And Alice and Jasper will be dancing for the fun of it. Although that's probably a good thing. Jasper will keep your nerves low."

"Good thing is an understatement," I sighed worriedly. "I don't know how good I'll be at this."

"If you're not, we'll simplify at Homecoming," he assured me calmly.

Alice made her appearance known just then, prancing in the house with Jasper's hand in hers, dragging the Texan vampire behind her. The amused smile gracing his features as they came over to us made me want to laugh, though I held it in. Edward had no such inhibitions and laughed outright. Sensing my amusement as well, Jasper grinned at me.

"She always like this?" I questioned him, in spite of knowing the answer already and the woman in question standing right there.

"Frequently," Jasper nodded, smiling indulgently when Alice turned upwards to eye him shrewdly. Instead of responding, the tiny woman just bounced up to kiss her husband's cheek and turned back to her brother and me.

"I'm stealing your piano buddy," she informed Edward casually. "We have things to discuss. You and Jasper need to go hunting."

" _I_ need to go hunting is what she really means," Jasper corrected Alice's description for my benefit, shaking his head at her.

"Quiet, Jasper," Alice swatted his chest a bit irritably. "Call it a run, if you like. Edward needs to get out for minute, too."

"I really do, Jasper," Edward sighed from behind me, rising to his feet. "A run would be nice."

"And a spar?" Jasper suggested quietly, a competitive gleam in his eyes.

"If you like losing," Edward retorted just as quietly. Jasper snorted disbelievingly.

"Boys," Alice muttered with her eyes far away, making me giggle, before she immediately ordered, "Take an extra set of clothes... Two, in fact. I know how you both get. And don't you dare go find Emmett and ask him to come, too. Rosalie is in a foul enough mood as it is."

"Am I the reason?" I wondered with a grimace as the brothers flashed upstairs and came back down within about a minute, a single duffel bag thrown over Jasper's shoulder.

"Oh no, not you," Alice waved me off easily. "Someone accidentally splattered her hair with food just after lunch. It was a near thing when Jasper and I showed up in the hall. Luckily Rosalie likes staying in one place much more than fighting over her hair."

Jasper and Edward both snickered, and Alice sighed as she pushed them both towards the back of the house. "Go on. Stop laughing, get running, and keep to the northern part of the woods. You'll avoid Rosalie and Emmett that way."

Snickering still, the two brothers disappeared in a blur, leaving Alice to pull me upstairs for whatever discussion she had in mind.

* * *


	11. Chapter 10: Instinctive

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prefaces/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
Carlisle's teal shirt is a nod to _Made In Morocco_ by ThisIsTrueImmortality. I definitely recommend reading that fic. :)

**Previously** – Carlisle registered Mireille at Forks High and Alice and Jasper joined them. Carlisle and Mireille discussed Edward's Homecoming invitation and his loneliness over the years. Edward played Vivaldi and discussed musical moods with Mireille. Edward teased Mireille and she panicked about her health. Edward apologized and they returned to the piano. Edward played Beethoven for Mireille and Mireille contemplated Edward's melancholy. Rosalie angrily returned home, Jasper and Edward went for a run/spar, and Alice pulled Mireille upstairs for a discussion.

> **Chapter 10: Instinctive**

As it turned out, Alice's idea of a 'discussion' was to give me fashion quizzes in a variety of areas that I had barely even thought of before. The real test, however, was when Alice laid out a hoard of clothing options from her closet and insisted I was to mix and match until I had six different outfits, including accessories and undergarments. Rather more interested than I thought I would have been, I took as much time as my mind would allow in such an exercise and came up with six outfits that I would gladly have worn out myself had I been the one wearing them.

"Oh, that's not bad at all," Alice's chipper voice startled me out of examining the last outfit I had put together. "They look better in person."

While it was difficult not to roll my eyes, I managed to withhold my instinctive response as the small vampire analyzed my style options.

"I suppose you'll do all right on your own," she finally commented, obviously reluctant to give up her fashion command post.

"How sweet of you." I sighed and sat on the vanity bench. Giving me a reproachful look, Alice began returning her clothes to their original locations in the enormous closets, coming back to pull me up from my seat and lead the way up to the third floor before I'd even remotely rested my feet.

"What are we doing now?" I asked confusedly.

"Changing," was her simple answer, as if that explained everything.

"Uh-huh," I went on flatly. "And why am I changing?"

"Dancing lessons!" she informed me in a voice that clearly said _don't tell me you're serious_.

"Hm. That." Not much else came to mind now that my lessons were upon me. Except nerves, that is. I had never gained a particular talent in dancing. Granted, I'd never taken lessons either, but that didn't fill me with any confidence as to my skills.

"Oh, cheer up," Alice sighed in exasperation and twirled me suddenly through the door of my shared room. "It'll be fine. I swear. You'll even have fun."

"With five perfect dancers watching me?" I asked dubiously. "Somehow I doubt that, Alice."

"Um… about that…" Alice bit her lip nervously of a sudden, her eyes somewhat shifty.

"What aren't you telling me?" I reluctantly questioned.

"Rosalie decided she would like to dance tonight, too," the small woman explained hesitantly.

"They'll be watching, too." If I swallowed a little convulsively, it really wasn't my fault. Nerves increased drastically by this unwelcome fact, I started to wring my hands a little.

"Yes," she admitted, biting her lip just as nervously. "But I haven't seen anything being embarrassing, so…"

"So what am I wearing? A ball gown?" was my wry question – an attempt to throw off the anxiety, although I was definitely not successful.

"Hardly," Alice laughed sarcastically, playing along with my change of subject and disappearing into my new closet at the back of the alcove I still had not explored. "It's just a dance dress. Actually it's extremely basic, but you'll look well enough in it."

"Flattering language," I snorted.

"Well, it's only a plain white dress, after all. I didn't exactly have a lot of options last night, you know," she argued from within, before abruptly reappearing with low, white sling-back pumps and a dress just a basic as she'd explained it would be – floor-length, long-sleeved, modest neckline, and no detail whatsoever.

"Okay, so it is basic," I admitted, shaking my head. " _Very_ basic. But I like it. For some reason I find those dress styles romantic. It must be the sway of the skirt."

"It _is_ pretty when you can twirl," she agreed with a tiny smile. "Anyway, get changed and I'll be back in a jiffy."

She was gone in an instant, but of course was present in the room when I emerged from the bathroom with my dress on. Before I even glanced over at her, she had already pulled my hair into a low, smooth ponytail to hang over my shoulder and then returned to standing in front of me.

Very much unlike my own plain dress, the little vampire's outfit was a long, vibrant red chiffon dress with a low v-neckline and a fabric belted waist. The open-toed heels adorning Alice's feet shone as vividly as the dress she wore; with her spiky dark hair and golden eyes, the red was quite striking.

"Shoes," Alice reminded me, remarkably patient while I dawdled staring. Shaking myself, I reached down to grab the sling-back heels, only to read the label inside and go into shock again. Knowing something and seeing it for real are very different experiences, I quickly realized.

"These are… Jimmy Choos?" I wondered, agape at the idea that I was wearing the pricey things for so basic an event.

"Of course," she cheerily answered, then shocked me further with, "as are mine, Esme's, and Rosalie's. Come on."

Speechless despite knowing the Cullens wore designer clothing every day, I slipped the shoes on and dumbly followed my tiny guide down to the main level, where the rest of the family waited for us in the cleared dining area. Sitting in a chair off to the side with Carlisle standing near, Esme looked radiant in a flowing, sleeveless teal dress that crossed over the bust; sleek matching pumps adorned her feet. Rosalie (to no surprise whatsoever) wore a tight, low-cut dress; the fact it was long-sleeved and black – rather than red – only enhanced the effect, as did pointy black heels with strips of leopard print on the back of the heel and across the toe. Rosalie's long blonde locks looked effortlessly sleek.

The men all looked leaner, taller, and ten times as attractive in dress shirts, black slacks, and shiny dress shoes; each of them sported shirts indicative of their dance partner's fabric color. Or should I say, their eventual and intended dance partner. Carlisle's teal button-up was not meant for my white dress, and vice-versa for Edward and Esme. No doubt Alice had planned it all beforehand.

"Eek," I murmured with heavily diluted sarcasm, causing all four men to chuckle.

"Don't look so worried," Esme laughed lightly, grasping my hands reassuringly as we came level to their position. "Just do your best, dear, and it will be fine."

"We'll only laugh _with_ you," Emmett nodded in mock graveness, countering it with a little wink.

Rosalie's smirk barely penetrated my thoughts as Carlisle, Jasper, and Alice laughed. Looking far less amused was Edward, who leaned casually (almost to the point of boredom) against the back wall of glass; likely his weak humor over the situation was due to the point that he had been listening to my nerves run rampant for some minutes. I would have apologized to Edward, but Esme didn't find her burly son's remark funny in any way and reproached him, "Emmett, don't be rude!"

"Do you ever give straight responses?" I wondered dryly to the aforementioned vampire instead.

"Occasionally." Carelessly the big vampire shrugged, sending Jasper into a fit of snickering.

"Ignore them, dear," Esme almost cooed, standing to put an arm about my shoulders and pull me out to the center of the floor space. "Carlisle will be teaching you mainly. Edward and I will give you an example of any steps or positions, if you need it."

"You just like dancing with Edward," I teased tentatively. Snorting a bit, Edward stepped forward to offer his mother a hand.

"I can't even deny that," Esme laughed richly. "He's a wonderful dancer."

Shaking my head resignedly at Edward's vaguely smug expression, I stood uncertainly where Esme had led me to stand. I watched the mother of five accept her son's invitation, feeling very little confidence in my abilities as Carlisle stepped towards me.

"Shall we?" the doctor offered, extending a hand with patience plain on his golden features.

"If we must," I sighed, my jest only half-hearted.

Smiling in understanding, Carlisle began, "I'll start with the hold... First, I'll put my hand on the back of your left shoulder."

He did just that, the palm of his hand resting on my shoulder blade, before continuing, "Then you lay your left arm over the top of mine and place your left hand on my shoulder…"

It was slightly awkward, considering our height difference, to actually reach his shoulder with even the very tips of my fingers. Cursing my short stature for the millionth time in my life, I frowned in confusion.

"Don't worry if you can't reach," Alice giggled from her place by the island. "Just lay your hand as far up as your reach allows."

Sighing slightly, I nodded, but nearly scowled when I saw that my fingertips only crept halfway up Carlisle's upper arm. Edward alone remained unresponsive and I couldn't have thanked him more for it. Emmett was laughing out loud by the time I had my hand in place, irritating me beyond belief and making Esme glare at him in reproach. However, I wasn't nearly as irritated when Alice giggled in Jasper's arms, since she knew what I was going through. She had to have a harder time of reaching Jasper's shoulder than I did reaching Carlisle's.

"And finally, I will take your right hand in my left," Carlisle finished with an amused smile, lifting up our joined hands and pulling me so close that I felt my face growing slightly warm. "That's the hold. Obviously you don't _have_ to do it formally at the dance, but I suspect Edward will anyway."

Half-a-glance at Edward proved the doctor right, as Esme and Edward were definitely in the formal position while they interestedly or impatiently observed us – and standing just as close together as we were, to my relief. That eased my embarrassment, although the no-longer-serene face of my future dance partner did not allow the pink of my cheeks to recede entirely. Beneath that smooth façade, Edward was quite enjoying himself.

"Now we're going to do the box step," Carlisle informed me, voice calm and placid, plainly not having any indication of what passed between his eldest son and me. "We won't be turning about the room yet and we'll move very slowly, so don't fret overmuch."

A grateful smile crossed my face as he moved on. "The first step for you will be with your right foot. When I move my left foot forward, you put your right foot backward. All right?"

"Okay," I agreed nervously, trying to figure out if I even knew how to step far enough without looking at the floor, which I was doing quite frequently at that very moment. And we weren't even moving yet!

"It's practically instinctive," Jasper advised, though he did nothing to ease my awkwardness. In fact, he seemed to be holding back snickers. "You learn to feel when your partner is stepping and how they move."

Somehow, I wondered if Jasper wasn't subtly teasing me over my embarrassment. But I had no real proof in spite of my suspicions, and so decided to let it go.

"That's part of the reason you stand so close while dancing," came the wickedly amused comment from Rosalie.

Great. Now even she was making fun of me. Maybe my suspicions of Jasper were not so far off… Gritting my teeth over the muffled laughter of everyone except Carlisle and Esme – who were both glancing around at their children suspiciously – was all I could do. Snapping at any of them, making any type of remark in kind, would only fuel their fire.

"Carlisle?" I prompted the doctor, lifting my head up with as much confidence as I could muster.

Turning back to me instantly, though wariness remained in his posture, Carlisle explained, "As I said, you will first step backward with your right foot. Then you move your left foot to the left, and bring your right foot over, to end with your feet side by side again. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," I nodded firmly, ready to begin.

"Would you like to see it once?" Esme kindly inquired, to which I shook my head.

"Thanks, but I think I understand it pretty well," I answered certainly.

"Then let us try it," Carlisle suggested, pleasantly surprised by my abrupt change in attitude. "On three – One, two, three…"

At first it was unsettling trying to match his steps without getting my toes squashed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I was able to step just as he said. Back, left, and step… The three steps. One for each of the three counts of the waltz. We tried it several times, just to make sure I had it down, by which time I felt far more appeased as to my capabilities and far less bothered by the teasing.

"You're doing quite well," Esme praised me with a smile. Standing by her side, Edward also smiled at the progress and probably at my thoughts, positive as they had become.

"Indeed you are. And now we have only to complete the box step," Carlisle informed me. Confused, I looked back up at him.

"What we just did was only a half box," he patiently explained. "The second half is really the same procedure, just reversed. This time you step forward with your left foot, step to the right with your right foot, and move your left foot over, so that both feet are beside each other once more. And now we are in approximately the same spot where we began, having completed the box step."

"Same procedure, reversed," I muttered more to myself than any particular person, now understanding what the doctor had meant by that. "Now I know why it's called a box step, anyway."

Another round of practice on the second half box, my confidence growing by the minute, and I was ready to admit to myself that Jasper had actually given me sound advice. It really was instinctive as you went along and learned to move with your dance partner. I only hoped Edward was half as patient as Carlisle when we attempted it.

Happily, Carlisle announced, "Now we just put the two together. Start with the first half, then end with the second half. All right?"

Nodding excitedly for this step up in my dancing lesson, I readjusted my hand on his arm and much more easily moved as he did, never once looking down at my feet while we practiced the full box step several times. I even found myself smiling throughout it. Putting the steps to music, as I had no doubt we would soon be doing, was likely to make me actually laugh.

"Wonderful!" Carlisle complimented me after completing one last box. "You're doing excellently, Mireille."

"What about some music now?" Alice enthusiastically suggested, to which I couldn't say no. "Great!"

Not having actually answered her yet, I had to laugh at her response.

"I'm guessing no one planned to object," Esme laughed also.

"They wouldn't dare," Edward added, shaking his head.

"Hush!" Alice retorted, choosing a disc and putting it in. "We finally get to dance, too!"

"Wasn't that a given?" I wondered in surprise as a very slow, proper waltz tune filled the air. "I mean, you didn't see me totally failing, did you?"

"No, of course not," she assured me simply, dancing over to Jasper to pull him onto the floor. Their height difference, for some reason only now appearing so obvious, was quite comical. Desperately I tried to stamp out my giggling as I watched them walk out onto the dance space, but Jasper was all too aware of my high bout of humor.

"You should see her dance with Emmett," the Texan joked dryly, turning my giggles into laughter at the idea. Emmett gladly joined in, to which Alice rolled her eyes, but she was giggling again soon enough.

When I turned to face Carlisle, something from the corner of my eye caught my attention. For some reason, Esme looked pleased as pie about something or other. Incapable of fathoming why her emotions traveled that path in particular, I shook myself internally and focused on dancing my first waltz instead. So well did I learn it, that Carlisle didn't even warn me when he began to turn us. Upon realizing his slight trick, my predictions of earlier couldn't have been truer; laughter bubbled up as Carlisle and I successfully waltzed around the floor between the others.

Chuckles sprang up from most everyone at my enthusiasm and Esme's face lit up radiantly.

Our excitement, however, was cut short. First by Alice's annoyed groaning and second by the ringing of a phone. Ending our dance and apologizing to me, Carlisle slipped across the room to answer the call. It was just as well, I supposed, since my feet kind of hurt when I really thought about it. Not bothering to listen in on the conversation, I walked over to take a seat on one of the dining chairs and wait out what was going on.

"That was Dr. Gerandy," Carlisle sighed at last – clearly for my benefit alone – after ending the call. "There was a complicated accident on the 101, south of Forks. We're too small to house everyone from the pile-up, but due to our proximity we'll be receiving the worst cases."

"You'll be gone a while, then," Esme sighed a bit sadly, though she tried to appear toughened about it. I felt guilty that I had been the one dancing with Carlisle when his wife had probably wanted to. Now they wouldn't be able to dance together at all, thanks to him dancing with me.

"You have to be joking," Edward voiced suddenly albeit quietly, his tone bordering on incredulous. Looking around along with the rest of the family to see what he was talking about, I was surprised to see him scowling a bit – straight at me. "Don't tell me you're actually taking on the responsibility for a multiple-vehicle accident."

Irritably, Rosalie interceded, " _What_ are you raving about?"

"Mireille felt guilty for a moment," Jasper added, brow furrowed.

"Guilty about what, dear?" Esme worriedly asked, appearing beside me to fuss mindlessly with the ends of my hair. "I hope you weren't being hard on yourself."

"I wasn't beating myself up or anything," was my indignant reply, thankfully not a tone which Esme took insult over. "It was just a stupid little stray thought, not a full-blown self-flagellation. Honestly, Edward, you over-dramatize everything _way_ too much."

"Me?" he half-laughed, vague sarcasm evident in the sound. It looked like my comment had only made him irritable. "That's so hypocritical I could choke on it."

"What is _with_ you?" Emmett wondered in confusion, frowning at his brother. I couldn't help agreeing with the big vampire. Edward was so agitated over such a little thing! It wasn't fair.

"Life isn't fair," he retorted, thankfully not actually angry. Yet.

"You ought to know," I argued back, getting agitated myself. "Considering you're propagating the fact!"

"Please!" Carlisle interrupted abruptly, some astonishment on his features. "Will the two of you kindly act like the adults I know you to be? This is foolish."

"Edward, please explain yourself?" Esme asked in a demanding manner that brooked no refusal.

"She's blaming herself because you didn't get to dance with Carlisle," he answered, eyes flickering toward me reproachfully. "As if she had a hand in that car accident occurring at this particular time."

"How could you think that?" Alice cut in, surprised at me.

"I did _not_ think that!" I countered amazedly, gaping at Edward. "Where in the world did you get that from? It was just that Esme looked so disappointed Carlisle had to leave and I only thought it was a shame that she couldn't dance with him because he had been dancing with me. How is that some kind of guilt complex?"

"It's not," Rosalie inserted her opinion sharply, surprising everyone by supporting my side of the argument. Scowling again, Edward crossed his arms and moved out of sight.

Sighing, Esme smiled weakly at Carlisle and gestured for them to step outside together. Matching her sigh, but not smiling, the Cullen patriarch disappeared upstairs and came back down with his black bag. In those few seconds, Esme had slipped on her coat, clearly ready to go with him at least part of the way. Mildly surprised by this, though clearly not unhappy, the doctor held open the door, threw a wave to the five of us still standing in the kitchen and dining area, and followed his wife out.

A moment or so after hearing the car drive off and become no more than a distant purr, no one seemed capable of moving. Edward's strange behavior weighed on everyone's minds no doubt; certainly it weighed on mine. I just couldn't fathom what had been so terrible in my head that made him react that way.

Harsh laughter from the stairs caught my ears, but it wasn't long before another – far less welcome – sound graced the Cullen home.

Even from all the way down on the main level, I could vaguely hear Edward's door slam.

Well, _our_ door.

That was just a little more awkward than I could possibly have suspected. In theory it all seemed great, but when it really got stuck in my head, I was terrified of how things had already changed because of me. The panic of the previous evening all flooded back to me and I couldn't imagine how to fix the blatant changes. Bella was not supposed to come into the Cullen house and find _Edward's_ room looking like _my_ room. Even worse, it was a shared room. It wasn't that Edward gave it up for me to have; he was actually taking stock in it still. How would Bella feel, knowing that another girl, who was not a 'relative' of the Cullens, was sharing the room of her potential — er, friend?

Groaning internally, I plunked right back down on my chair despondently. Should I just let the family read the books? Should I pick and choose the parts they would need for the moment? Maybe I should briefly summarize what was going to happen in the future? I was just so confused!

"You should calm yourself, Mireille," Jasper's deep voice invaded my scattered thoughts, just as his hand descended to barely graze mine.

"Sorry, Jasper," I sighed.

Appearing at my other side, brow furrowed with slight concern, Alice wondered, "What's up?"

"Why would those books show up, if not for all of you to learn from them?" I asked her, needing help to sort out my confusion.

After a time of thought, the small vampire admitted hesitantly, "I can't think of any other reasons off hand… But why does that bother you so much?"

"If those books are to be learned from," I replied, "then why not just have them turn up in _your_ possession? Why have some random person show up and then the books come to _that_ person, and not your family?"

"In other words… why are _you_ here?" Rosalie inserted, though there was no insult in her words, merely curiosity. How odd.

"Exactly," I admitted, gloom beginning to set in.

"We might not have believed them if they showed up that way," suggested Emmett, more serious than I'd expected.

"Why not?" was my only question.

"They're just books," he shrugged. "Anyone can write a book and leave it for someone else. We might have thought the books were a trick or something and then burned them. But with you here, Edward can read your mind and know that the books are true."

Blinking owlishly, I found myself speechless for a very long moment, until my brain finally caught up to my gaping mouth. "Emmett, that was brilliant. Thank you."

"Your welcome," he grinned widely, obviously pleased by his ingeniousness.

"Okay, so you needed me in order to believe they were real," I repeated, almost to myself. "And yet…"

"Yet?" Rosalie prompted me impatiently.

Frowning, I answered her slowly, "It still doesn't quite make sense. I mean, why _my_ books in particular? Why not any old set of the books? As a matter of fact, why not any old _person_?"

"Didn't I already explain this?"

Snapping my face up towards the staircase, I found Edward standing uncomfortably on the bottom step, hands in his pockets.

"What was your explanation again?" I made sure to ask, just in case I'd forgotten some of it.

"I still say you are here because it's a better future for you," he insisted. "A chance to make a life you want, rather than just mucking it through hour by hour."

"I'm pretty sure that was a little more than what you originally said," was my dry comment.

"You didn't seem to believe my original statements," he argued lightly. "I figured a new angle might break through more solidly."

Allowing the statement with as little of my underlying disbelief as possible, I just shook my head. Then I asked, "Why are you so annoyed with me?"

"I _was_ annoyed," he sighed, coming to stand in front of me. "I'm sorry about that. You just… irked me. I know you didn't outright believe that you were to blame for that accident and Esme not dancing with Carlisle, but it bothered me that your mind might turn in that direction, given the right situation."

No words came to mind that sufficiently analyzed his reply, so I ended up silent and thoughtful, which apparently satisfied Edward for the time being.

"I'm going out," Rosalie announced out of the blue, examining her nails in boredom.

"Have fun," responded Alice, bouncing up out of her seat beside me. "And don't bother with the gold one. It's terrible quality."

While one of my eyebrows rose in wonderment, Rosalie just nodded normally at her sister and left – presumably to change out of her dance attire. Close on her heels was Emmett, already walking sans dress shoes.

"I won't bother to ask what you were talking about," I commented wryly.

"That's probably better for your health," said Edward, rolling his eyes.

"I think we'll go out, too," Alice thoughtfully remarked, ignoring her brother entirely. "Jasper?"

"Gladly," he nodded, lips lifting slightly at the corners, and moved to the stairs with his wife just as Rosalie and Emmett came down in jeans and fall coats.

"See you, Mireille," Emmett called out behind him as he and his blonde beauty glided through the front door.

"See you," I answered. The jeep grumbled to life at a distance and was heard driving off. When Alice and Jasper also headed to the front door not two minutes later, I slouched in my chair. What had been turning into a very fun evening with everyone together now felt empty. In a matter of one day, I already was spoiled for the company of a group.

"Don't look so glum," Alice pleaded, encouraging cheer in her tone. "Edward is more than capable of keeping you entertained. And Esme will be back soon."

"I know," I shrugged, only a little sheepish.

"We'll be back later tonight," she added, sighing slightly at my lackluster reply. "Have fun."

"I'll try to make that happen," Edward dryly offered.

Giggling, his tiny sister grabbed Jasper's hand and they ran straight out to the forest surrounding the front yard.

"Are you hungry?" Edward asked suddenly, turning back to me.

"I kind of am," I answered in surprise. "Wow, I totally forgot about dinner."

"Precisely why I reminded you," he smirked, gesturing over to the kitchen area as invitation.

"Thanks for that." So saying, I rose a bit slower than normal from the chair and walked over to the refrigerator, my body now aching from the level of physical activity I had initiated by dancing.

Concernedly, Edward inquired, "Are you all right?"

"I'm okay." A half-laugh escaped me at his worry as I moved to take out the leftover pasta salad Esme had made earlier that afternoon, sitting at the island for my meal. "I just don't normally do that much of a workout on a daily basis."

"Oh, good," he sighed in relief.

The house became quite silent after that, even the sound of me eating coming across as immensely quiet. I didn't really have a lot to say even when I finished. My mind wandered over the day absently, nothing in particular keeping my interest for long. I just hoped Edward didn't mind the lack of conversation.

"It's fine," he offered sincerely, sneakily nabbing my plate and spoon to deposit them in the dishwasher before I could.

"I thought you were going to keep that in mind?" was my suspicious query.

"I have kept it in mind," he replied with a straight face, "but I never promised we would always follow it."

Mocking a huffy attitude, I hopped down from the island stool and walked into the dining area. However, finding nothing to do but start a roundabout pacing, I was soon snagged by the shoulders and turned back to face Edward.

"We should practice," he suggested, flashing over to the stereo to turn it on and returning to my side before the same waltz tune even started. "Don't you think?"

"Sure," I quietly agreed, nervous to twirl the floor with such a talented dancer.

"You were doing wonderfully earlier," Edward smiled exasperatedly, tapping my hands to stop the wringing motions and pulling me into place for the waltz.

Biting my lip, I tentatively admitted, "You make me nervous. The books even mentioned you and Esme dancing around like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers."

A laugh burst from Edward upon hearing that, before he started to waltz with me. Dancing with Edward didn't feel like nearly as flawless of a process as it had with Carlisle, however. All I could think was about messing up and feeling stupid. The number of times I inadvertently stepped on Edward's toes, despite it not hurting him, made me cringe. It got to the point where Edward actually stopped trying to dance and took a long breath, our arms still in position and our bodies nearly a foot apart.

"Why is it so different this time?" he asked as patiently as he could manage, though it was plainly very difficult.

"I told you," I explained again, feeling a tad agitated and very embarrassed to be constantly repeating myself. "You make me nervous."

"Then will you allow me enough trust to try something?" he questioned, obviously curious.

"What something would that be?" I asked, again suspicious.

"Close your eyes," he answered, ever so calm.

"I don't think that's a good idea at all."

No. Not at all did I find that a plausible situation. If I couldn't see, how could I dance? It sounded positively impossible.

"You dance with your feet," argued Edward with great determination, "and you determine potential movements by feeling what I'm about to do. Hence why we are not supposed to stand a foot apart. The rest is up to me, by leading you properly."

To emphasize our need for a closer stance, the bronze-haired vampire tugged me close like Carlisle had, but my continuing discomfort with the idea of closing my eyes caused him to sigh, wafting the sweet scent of his breath towards me. It was a very nice smell, but a tiny bit distracting because of how hard I suddenly attempted to determine if it smelled like honey, lilac, and sun or not. Chuckling thankfully brought me out of my ruminations, bringing me to look up at Edward.

"Do I need to keep you stunned?" he asked, golden eyes sparkling with mischief.

Fearing the stupidity that might ensue if he did just that, I snapped my eyes shut instantaneously, hearing only the vibrant laughter of my dance partner in response. Turning serious after a moment, Edward only insisted, "Trust me."

Tentative though my first steps were, I did feel when Edward moved and I knew the timing well enough to anticipate the steps as he initiated them. Nerves didn't really leave me for a long time as we danced, but the more we did it, the more I trusted Edward. What really cemented it was the fact (as Edward pointed out) that he could read in my mind how my own body was moving and changing and what he needed to do to keep us in line with each other.

With that, I gradually grew to the point of opening my eyes while we whirled around the floor. Same as the first time I began to turn the steps with Carlisle, I was laughing at the accomplishment of successfully waltzing. Disappointment flooded me when we stopped after a long while of fun, but I knew my feet were going to be paying dearly as it was, let alone if I continued further.

"You see?" Edward smiled at the end of it. "You're a wonderful dancer."

"For a human," I tacked on humorously, still on a sort of high.

"Well… yes," he laughed, "but that's not really the point."

"I like dancing," I confessed, restraining a large grin.

"Good," he replied, smile widening.

"Hey," I spoke up abruptly, remembering that Esme had never come back from driving with Carlisle.

"Oh, she came back," Edward informed me amusedly. "While your eyes were closed, she snuck in and watched us for a little while."

"Whoops," I mumbled embarrassedly.

"You couldn't have noticed me, dear," Esme herself spoke from behind me. The caramel-haired lady stood at the foot of the stairs, smiling over at the two of us. "I wanted to see you dancing without making you nervous, so Edward let me sneak by unnoticed."

"That's good, because I was afraid I'd missed something."

"No, not at all," she assured me.

A slightly awkward silence took place while I wondered what to do next. It was early yet, so I certainly wasn't going to sleep, but I couldn't determine anything in particular to do.

"I think I'll go change," I spoke after a little while of fruitless thinking. "So my feet don't hate me any more than they already do."

Laughing slightly, Esme agreed, "All right."

In hindsight, removing my heels would have been the most appropriate measure to take before climbing all the way to the third floor, but my mind apparently was not working as well as it ought to have been. I was halfway up the stairs and complaining inwardly when Edward literally picked me up – eliciting a gasp of surprise from me – and plucked the heels from my aching feet before setting me back down.

"I'm guessing that's better?" he wondered knowingly, smirking as usual and dangling my heels from his fingertips teasingly.

"Can you ever _not_ be sarcastic?" I asked rhetorically while snatching my heels back, though I imagined he would probably answer anyway.

"Occasionally, I fulfill that condition," he remarked easily, joining me in my walk upstairs.

"Remarkable as it sounds," I changed tack, rather than take the bait, "I don't really know what to do with myself right now."

"Music, books, movies, TV, shopping, internet, talking…" Edward listed off rapidly. "I'm sure there are many more, but I won't bore you by rambling."

"All feasible," I shrugged, glancing at the walls just to see the artwork again. "I guess I'm trying to think of what will be the best to help all of you with the future. That has to be a part of the reason I'm here, otherwise I highly doubt the books would have shown up like they did."

"I'll agree that far," he nodded thoughtfully, though he quickly turned mischievous. "You must have been amazed that we didn't indulge in reading all the books while you slept."

"I didn't even imagine that, actually," I admitted, shocked. "Alice swept me away so quickly… And of course, for me it's _not_ strange to have the books around, so I wasn't thinking like that at all."

"A very good point," Edward agreed. "Not that you needed to worry. Emmett decided to read the books, but Alice saw it would end up going rather badly if we did it without you."

"I don't know why that would be true," I said with a frown.

"So when do you think you'll divulge these books to us?" he changed the subject slightly. "Or will you just release snippets of information as we need them?"

"I don't know," I sighed deeply, throwing my hands up in frustration. "I haven't really had time to think about that. Sometimes I feel you should know everything possible, but then other times it seems too dangerous to hand out your future so freely."

"Too dangerous?" he repeated with some incredulity, eyebrows shooting upwards. "That sounds a little exaggerated, don't you think?"

"With Aro ready to wrap his greedy fingers around your neck?" I retorted more sharply than I had intended – and perhaps too informative.

"I disagree," he countered plainly, brows furrowed now as he continued, "Aro sounds worse and worse every time I hear about him."

"Sounds pretty true to life," I grumbled bitterly.

"What _has_ he done to make you feel this way?" Edward questioned concernedly, albeit quietly. "You make him out to be a dastardly adversary to avoid. The last Carlisle heard from him, Aro was quite congenial and wished him well."

"He's greedy," I explained, deciding this was one fact the Cullens needed to know as soon as possible, no matter what happened. "And I don't mean for wealth, although he seems to be in that area, too... I'm talking about greed for people – people with talents. Your talent, for instance, would be an amazing addition to Aro's brood."

"Aro can read minds already," Edward argued, shaking his head in disagreement. "Why would he want me?"

"You don't require physical contact to hear what's going on up here," I countered immediately, tapping my temple for emphasis. "Aro does, however, and he also can only read one mind at a time, unlike you. Didn't Carlisle ever tell you that?"

"We've actually discussed the Volturi very rarely," he confessed, brows burrowing deeper and a frown creasing his face. "Mostly about the laws. I'm not entirely sure Carlisle even knew Aro could only read one person at a time… This is rather disturbing."

"Tell me about it," I sighed again. "Now that I'm here… now that all this is real… everything I read about in the books makes me so uncomfortable because I know any of it could actually happen; to you, to the family, to Bella, to me… to everyone. It's overwhelming to think through."

Just thinking about it so vaguely in that moment was giving me a headache and a slight anxiety attack – which, of course, Edward noticed.

"Let's change the subject for now," he suggested suddenly. "You're here a year earlier than the story begins. Surely spending a couple of days avoiding the topic is not going destroy our chances of improving the future?"

"I certainly hope not," was all I could think of to say as we came up to the door of my—his—oh, _our_ room!

"That is awkward," Edward hesitantly spoke up, but the hesitance did not seem related to that particular thought. Curious as to what troubled him now, I stopped just inside the bedroom doorway and glanced up at his pensive features with questions in my eyes.

Taking the hint, he tried to get out what he worried over. "I just wanted to ask… Is Bella—I mean, _will_ she be… No, I mean—In the books, was she… Ugh!"

Such annoyance was by no means unusual from what I knew of this particular vampire, but ineloquence to this severity definitely was. As was his openly embarrassed expression.

"I'm sorry," he sighed irritably. "I don't want to assume too much, as that would very arrogant… But considering the situation in my family, I have to wonder what this girl, Bella, will… _be_ in our family. Where she fits in. Do you understand what I mean?"

While I was certain I did understand, I wasn't altogether positive I could tell him what I knew about that subject. If I prompted a relationship for him that did not naturally come to be, then would Edward be going about the relationship the wrong way? Was that any different from Alice's visions or was it a far more dangerous game to play?

"Mireille?" Edward cut into my thoughts, sounding rather uncomfortable. Turning back up to his face, I lifted an eyebrow to show I was listening. "You… Well, you pretty much confirmed what I was thinking about Bella. Just by worrying about forcing a relationship… I'm sorry."

How could I have let that slip? Stupid, stupid, _stupid_! Groaning loudly at my stupidity, I actually tried to palm my forehead as a means of venting my frustration with myself.

"Hey, don't…" Edward started, quickly reaching towards my hand to stop it.

"I didn't mean for you to find that out," I groaned again, hand encased in his cold fingers. "You heard my worries. You know why I didn't want that out there yet…"

"I don't think it's as much of an issue as you think," he made to console me, squeezing my hand.

"But I do," I replied anxiously. "You don't know… Oh, but how could you if you didn't read it?"

Sensing my thoughts were too jumbled to keep discussing at that moment, Edward remained silent and allowed me time to go change into the blouse and jeans I had worn earlier that day. Emerging from the bathroom no more enlightened than before, I wasted time by hanging the white dress with impossible precision – even going so far as to pick off nonexistent lint or smooth wrinkles that were invisible – in my new closet. When that failed to give me enough time, I took the effort to look through most of my new socks and pick a pair I liked for the night.

Foregoing the chance to examine my closet and the rest of the room in depth until I was more coherent, I walked back towards the main part of the room. There was nothing left to distract me except for Edward sitting cross-legged on the pale aqua sofa; his inquisitive gaze drove me crazy.

"I'm trying not to stare," he informed me pleasantly, eyes sparkling with good humor. "It's just that you're so distracted."

"That makes me feel so much better," I retorted huffily, feeling less than stellar that I was the object of his amusement right then.

"Forgive me," he laughed on a breath, turning to gaze at the sofa beneath him briefly before returning his gaze to me. "Really, I don't want you to overwork yourself trying to figure this all out right now. Regardless your worries, we have more than a year before Bella arrives in Forks. There are three months now and three in the summer that will be free of schooling and we'll be able to think on it all. How does that sound?"

"While it sounds reasonable," I began tentatively, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, "we have no idea what could happen between now and then. For all we know, a fire could burn this house down next week, with the books in it."

"Do you often think up these pessimistic probabilities?" he chuckled.

Not amused by his joking, I crossed my arms defensively. "It's entirely possible, thank you very much. And if you don't mind, I'd appreciate you taking this more seriously."

"All right, no wise cracks," he agreed, spreading his hands out before him in appeasement. "In all seriousness, aside from reading the books all day tomorrow or something of that nature, I don't know what you expect to happen. Either we wait or we don't. Unless you want to spend your free time going through all the books and writing down only the most pertinent information?"

"We'll have to just read them," I sighed in resignation. "It's not that I don't want to spend my time listing the significant points, but I don't feel I'm qualified to makes the choices of what is and isn't important to all of you. All of you should be the ones to decide that."

"Sounds like a plan," he summarized, smiling a little. "You see? It wasn't as complicated as you worried it would be."

"You won't say that once we start reading," I retorted lightly, giving up on not hinting towards things.

Edward grimaced. "I can imagine. But again, for some reason I am in the mood of avoidance, so let's discuss something else, shall we?"

"Like what?" I asked, hopping onto the bed and allowing my body to fall where it would. It was a relaxing, if odd, way to lie down, with my head near the foot of the bed and my legs almost perpendicular to my torso. I couldn't even see Edward from my position.

"I'm not sure," he hesitated, then asked, "You must have a lot of things you're curious about… Why don't you ask me something?"

"But most of my questions are about your human life," I warned him hesitantly. That couldn't be the most joyous subject to remember.

"Take it away," Edward encouraged me. "I can handle it, I swear."

"Okay, well…" I thought for a moment what I would like to ask. "Do you have a lot of memories of your father?"

"Father…" he repeated, surprised. "You mean Edward Masen?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, biting the inside of my cheek.

"Well, not really," he confessed, sounding as if he were frowning slightly. "From what little I know, he was often gone on business and didn't spend an inordinate amount of time at home… Why do you ask?"

"I just thought about how often your mother was discussed in the books," I answered honestly. "Your father was never really brought up, except when Carlisle talks about him—um…"

"Dying?" Edward suggested the word much easier than I could, smiling at my mild astonishment. "It's not hard to say it anymore. I've had almost a century to deal with that particular aspect."

"I guess I'm overly sentimental or sensitive about that kind of thing," I mentioned. "For other people, anyway."

"You really don't need to worry about it with me," he insisted. "Only Rosalie is likely to take your head off if you ask about her human past, as I'm sure you could understand."

"Yes, that I could definitely understand," I murmured sadly.

"Moving on, though," he continued with a breath. "What other things might you be interested in knowing?"

"Um… maybe we should just play twenty questions?" I joked.

"I'll go with that," he laughed a bit, moving in a blur to sit on the bed beside my inert form. "You've already asked me something, so I'll start…"

* * *


	12. Chapter 11: Interview

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Previously** – Alice tested Mireille on fashion and realized Mireille is fashionable. Carlisle taught Mireille the waltz and the others teased her nervousness. Mireille overcame her nerves to dance wonderfully. Dancing was interrupted by a highway accident and Edward argued with Mireille about feeling guilty. Carlisle headed up to the hospital, Edward disappeared in a huff, and Mireille began to wonder why she is in their world. Emmett offered a logical reason and Edward returned to add to it. Edward apologized, the others left the house, and Edward tried to practice dancing with Mireille. Mireille was nervous and Edward slowly persuaded her not to be. Mireille went upstairs to change, wondered how to reveal the books' information, and decided they would read them. Edward and Mireille agreed to play 20 Questions.

> **Chapter 11: Interview**

"What's your favorite color?" Edward asked. This, the first of his 'twenty' questions, sounded a bit silly.

"You're really going back to the basics," I laughed, rising finally to sit Indian-style, facing him.

"The best place to begin," he shrugged.

"The particular shade matters, of course," I said first, then continued, "but I do seem to like a lot of blues and greens. Really, though, I love so many colors that it would be hard to specify. It all depends on how they're used, where, and why."

"That's quite a few qualifiers," he remarked wryly.

"It's how I do things, usually," I said. "What about you? Which color is your favorite?"

"Well, frankly, I agree with your qualifications," he muttered somewhat sheepishly.

"Oh, so you do, huh?" I teased him.

"It's more reasonable," he hedged, rolling his eyes at me before indicating, "Your turn to ask a question."

I asked the first question that came to mind, "What was your mother's maiden name?"

"Keating," he answered. Before I could fully wonder if it was an Irish name, he went on to say, "Yes, it's Irish. One set of my maternal great-grandparents immigrated to America in 1847 and the other set in 1849."

Seeing the interest in my eyes and hearing the questions in my mind, he sighed on a chuckle and began to talk about his mother's family in a bit more depth. "All of my mother's side was Irish and they came over because of the Potato Famine. Mother was named after her grandmother, Elizabeth Allen, as was the tradition for the first daughter in the family. Not that tradition made much difference when she had me. She was bound and determined to name me after my father, rather than after Samuel Masen, my grandfather."

"Samuel?" I wondered, brows lifted when I tried very hard to fit that name to the young man in front of me. It just didn't work. "No way. That name doesn't even remotely match you. It would be the same as calling you 'Eloise'."

Chortling loudly, he leaned down on one elbow with his lanky legs outstretched almost to the headboard. I only then noticed that he had removed his dress shoes.

"Don't you think you're a bit biased to the name Edward?" he inquired amusedly. "Considering the fact that it _is_ my name and you've been reading about it for the past few years?"

I waved away his argument, "That's not the point. Samuel doesn't suit you. Period. You're mother definitely knew what she was doing when she ignored tradition."

At that thought, I grinned suddenly. Cautiously, Edward asked, "What?"

"The rebel Victorian lady." Still I grinned. "I think I would have liked her."

"I think you would have, too," he admitted with a smile. "She was cheerful like you, although a bit more confident in herself… A lot more, actually."

At my glaring, he snorted. "Don't look at me like that. You know it's true."

I decided to ignore that like a mature adult.

"What was your mother's maiden name?" he asked in kind.

"Bager," I answered shortly.

"Sorry, but you made me curious," he apologized for bringing up my family.

"It's fine. What's your favorite color of car?" I asked for a change of subject.

"Silver," he admitted a little sheepishly. I just shook my head; really I should have known.

"What's your favorite movie?" he inquired.

It took a long time to think of an answer to the question with my large variety of interests, and in the end I decided I couldn't really choose just one. "I like too many to pick and choose favorites."

"Well, then what are _some_ of your favorites?" he persisted, interest on his face. Obviously my thoughts on the subject hadn't been very clear.

"Okay… well, _The_ _Lord of the Rings_ ," I started with. "Oh, is _Return of the King_ even out yet?"

"No, it's slated to come out in December," he informed me. Pausing briefly, he then asked another question, "Would you like to go see it?"

" _Would_ I!" I exclaimed with a grin. "I never got to see it in the theater. The first time I ever watched the movies, it was 2005, I think. I was watching it on a portable DVD player, but their _Return of the King_ DVDs were already out at the rental place, so I had to get it on VHS. Luckily we had the VCR hooked up still and I watched it."

Edward was laughing halfway through my speech, but I couldn't figure out why.

"You're definitely a diehard," he chuckled in response, forcing himself to composure. "Only a dedicated fan would have been incapable of waiting for the DVD to be returned."

"I wanted to watch them straight through," I shrugged sheepishly, to which he just laughed again.

"Well, the others would enjoy it, I'm sure," Edward suggested. "It's rare that we get to go out as a group to something so ordinary as movie. Mainly because we can never agree on which one to see. This one has us all interested, thankfully."

"What are _your_ favorites, then?"

"Action, sports, and science films mainly," he answered.

"That's too broad," I pointed out quickly, leaning down onto my side.

"Okay… _The Natural_ is a favorite of mine."

"Oh, I like that one too!" I exclaimed happily. "It's a good movie. And of course the music helps."

"It usually does," he chuckled, then abruptly announced, "My turn… Actually, you never answered my first question completely, so technically I get to ask two questions."

"Picky much?" I said rhetorically, not bothering to argue that he, too, had only answered with one film. " _The Lord of the Rings_ , as I said. I also like _Sense and Sensibility_ and _Pride and Prejudice_. And I love the Granada TV version of _Sherlock Holmes_ with Jeremy Brett. He was the best Sherlock I've ever seen."

"I would have to agree with you on that," Edward nodded. "That particular series was the truest to Doyle's writings, I think."

"Was that enough of an answer?" I dryly questioned him.

"For now," he smirked, making me wary. "What about books?"

"Same as my movies, really. I read less than I watch, although I do love to read."

"So Austen, Tolkien, Doyle?" he listed. "Any others?"

"Well, the bible, of course," I added thoughtfully. " _Nancy Drew_ … Oh, and _Star Wars_! How could I forget?"

"You like _Star Wars_?" he half laughed. "Jasper and Emmett will love that."

"Do they like it or hate it?" I asked tentatively.

"Love it, actually," Edward grinned. "It's rather amusing, but Jasper might break me into pieces if I ever say that out loud."

"Okay…" I trailed off amusedly. "So you must hate it, then."

"No, I don't hate it," he qualified, "I just don't think it's the end-all obsession like they do."

"Sound like my kind of guys," I giggled, wishing I had my books with me.

"Your question," he waved to me, rolling his eyes.

"Is there anyone in the family who dislikes watching movies?" While it was rather random, I thought it was an interesting question anyway.

"We all enjoy watching films," he answered. "Emmett and Alice especially, but none of us would turn down the chance if it was a movie we might like. Now… what is your favorite season?"

After a moment of thought, I decided, "Fall. I love the colors and the brisk weather. Although Spring runs a close second, just because it's so full of new life."

"So you don't like extremes in the weather, do you?" Edward wondered.

"Not really," I shook my head, then scolded him, "And that was one question too many."

"You already answered it," he half-smiled at my indignation.

Rolling my eyes, I randomly asked, "Favorite time in history?"

"Difficult to say," was Edward's confession, brows furrowing deeply in thought. "I did like the teens and early twenties. It was when I grew up… Overall, however, I might say it's a tie between that and the fifties."

"Alice must have made things a lot livelier," I laughed.

"That is the understatement of the century," he chuckled with me. "She really did light up our lives. Emmett did as well, but he was a little… er… offensive sometimes."

Laughter bubbled up before I could stop it. "He isn't still?"

"That's beside the point," Edward retorted, grinning slightly. "So, based on what you know, which time in history would be _your_ favorite?"

"The Victorian period was cool in a lot of ways," I began, thinking it over deeply. "I mean, not so good in some ways, but better in others… Yeah, that or the time you grew up in would be my favorite. The thirties sounded neat, too. I liked the clothing styles then. Actually, I liked the clothing for all three of those times."

"Don't tell me we have another Alice on our hands." He mocked a groan of frustration. "I can't take that much fashion under the same roof."

"Ha ha," I laughed sarcastically. "Aren't you so funny?"

"I think so." He smirked, then waved me onward. "Go on, ask your next question."

"Ugh… well… Are there animals that interest you from a more objective point of view?"

"You mean, do I find any animals interesting as something other than a food source?" he teased, partly serious.

"Yup." I popped the 'p' purposely, avoiding the darker aspect he was obviously starting to focus on.

"Sea creatures are intriguing," he answered thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "And in spite of my preference for mountain lion, I do find large cats fascinating on the whole. What about you?"

"I like big cats, too," I commented casually, forcing myself not to grin, although Edward's narrowed eyes proved he knew exactly what I wanted to do. "I also like sea otters, seals, horses, owls... Oh, I like a ton of animals, as long as they're at a distance. And penguins. I'm big on penguins."

If Edward's brows rose any higher, I would have been shocked. "Penguins?" His tone bespoke the incredulity he felt. My mind was drawn to the line Edward said in _Eclipse_ and I giggled.

_Edward snorted, breaking the tension. "Penguins. Lovely."_

"Seems I don't change much," the current Edward laughed loudly.

"Was that all right?" I asked worriedly, my smile dropping to a concerned frown. "I know you said you're kind of on the avoidance track…"

"It's fine," he assured me quickly. "Don't worry about it. I don't have an issue with references here and there. I just think that large hints would be a bad idea until we read the books."

"Okay, I can do that," I nodded easily. "Um… favorite place you've lived?"

"Chicago, of course," he smiled a little in reminiscence. "Not just when I was human, either. I'm still rather fond of my early days with Carlisle."

"Really?" I questioned in surprise and sat up to look at him straight on. "I thought you would have despised it. What with being bombarded by bloodlust, a life you didn't ask for, and the thoughts of half the population…"

"Aside from all that," Edward dryly remarked, eyeing me amusedly, "I actually am fond of that time. Carlisle was a wonderful mentor – well, he still is – and I enjoyed the talks we had. And believe me, there were many. It was the only way he could distract me outside of going hunting every five seconds."

"You're not as pessimistic as I've been led to believe," I admitted wonderingly, gazing up at him in curiosity.

"I doubt you'll see it by staring at me," he chuckled, but soon turned serious. "Truthfully, I think you've been lucky with your timing. Lately, I've felt a bit more upbeat. Probably because we just moved here. If you'd come a few months later…"

He let the implication trail off into silence for a little while, until I decided it was too awkward. "Any other places?"

Edward pursed his lips, eyes lighting with mischief. "Letting your double question slide…"

"Like I did yours earlier?" I cut in sweetly, making him smirk.

"At any rate," he went on wryly, "other than Chicago, I enjoyed Ashland and Hoquiam best, I think. The weather is perfect for us in both places. A little less so in Ashland than Hoquiam, but that was to be expected… And now for my next question. What holidays do you enjoy most?"

Rapidly I answered, "Christmas, Independence Day, and Easter."

"That was easy," Edward shook his head. "Your question."

For a moment I almost repeated his question, but felt that perhaps Edward might not feel joyous about holidays at times, so I rapidly redirected my mind. "What games do you like? Outside of contact sports, that is."

Taking a minute to think, he finally responded, "Well, chess is one game I enjoy. I just can't play it with many people because of my ability. Regardless what Emmett thinks, I don't like being able to read the moves before someone makes them. Alice and I play too quickly and easily, so it's not the challenge I would like it to be. Carlisle is a good opponent, but his work keeps him away, as you can imagine. Jasper _could_ be a good opponent, but when he gets into the game, he forgets to block his moves from me at times."

"Your so-called gift truly is a curse sometimes, isn't it?" I frowned. Not that I had believed otherwise, but still…

"It's not easy to handle," he confessed in a quiet voice. I wondered if he was trying to keep it from Esme. "But after this many years, I've become used to its ups and downs."

"Is that the only game?" I asked, clueless as to how I could reply to his deep thought.

"No, but it's one of my favorites. Words games are enjoyable, too. Usually I don't have to worry about reading anyone's answers and therefore getting an advantage. What about you?"

"Well for one thing, I like word games, too. Other than that I like card games, trivia, and interactive computer games. _Nancy Drew_ is my favorite PC game. There's a whole series of them. You have to go through and solve the mystery by interviewing people and doing puzzles and things like that. My other favorite is the kind of computer game where you build a nation or a city or something."

"You seem to enjoy strategy," Edward commented.

I shrugged. "I like puzzles and mysteries."

"Maybe you would like chess, as well," he suggested, a thoughtful expression on his face.

A grimace crossed my face. "I've tried it before, but I'm not very good at it. I don't think ahead very well."

"That can be improved, you know," was his counter-argument. "Carlisle and Jasper are much better at it than the rest of us and I have no doubt they could teach you."

"I don't mind learning something new," I agreed hesitantly. It sounded okay to at least try. That worst that could happen is if I stayed at the same skill level.

"That's the way to think about it," Edward smiled encouragingly. "It's your question this time."

"Let me think… Oh. Do you remember if you liked any particular foods as a human?"

"Not precisely," he answered, frowning in concentration. "I have a vague memory of drinking iced tea on the porch with my mother, after I came home from school. There was some kind of stew my mother made at Thanksgiving, but I can't say if I enjoyed it or simply tolerated it. Other than that, I don't remember anything specific… You must have a lot of memories of foods you like, though. Which do you like best?"

"I'm a real food-lover," I admitted embarrassedly. "There are so many different foods I love."

"Just name a few," he pushed patiently. Before I could reply, he turned abruptly to the door. "Esme?"

Whipping around, I found the caramel-haired vampire standing in the doorway with a pad of paper and a pen in her hand. "Not to intrude, but your conversation was exactly in line with what I was thinking about. Mireille, could you make out a list of grocery items you would like? And perhaps any hygiene products you need? I know we didn't buy much of anything the night we went shopping, save soap and deodorant. And when I went out to the grocery store, I only bought enough for a few days."

"Oh, sure Esme, I can do that."

"Here, this is what I take with me when I go shopping," she said, coming over to offer up the pad and pen to me. "I know humans aren't supposed to remember everything, so Carlisle convinced me to take this every time."

"I'll start working on it now," I told her with a smile. "Thanks, Esme."

"You're welcome, dear," she smiled back and then left.

"I don't actually know what to put down, though," I muttered to myself, staring at the blank pad of paper.

"Start with drinks," Edward suggested. "And you'll be answering my question at the same time."

"Not really. I mean, I like a lot of things that I won't actually buy anymore."

"Why not?" he inquired with a confused look.

"There are things that aren't very healthy for me, but I like them. Now that I'm more in tune with healthy eating, I don't get those things."

"Oh, I see," he nodded. "Very responsible of you."

"I guess," I shrugged nonchalantly, writing tea, water, and skim milk down.

"What do you like to drink that isn't healthy?" Edward asked me.

"Um, chocolate milk, strawberry Crush, and Dr. Pepper."

The two of us went over as many things I liked as possible, Edward always wondering what unhealthy things I used to enjoy eating all the time. The list I made ended up including the drinks I'd mentioned, tons of vegetables and fruits, various yogurts and cereals, and a boatload of pasta.

My hygiene list was much shorter, boasting mainly cleansing items like shampoo, wipes, and toothpaste. I didn't add any makeup, save a couple types of lip balm for the winter. I definitely didn't need a split lip for several months at a time.

"Finis!" I cried out in relief, flourishing the paper in the air dramatically and sending Edward into a fit of snickering.

"So you know Latin, too?" he ribbed through the snickers.

"Shut up," I threw back at him.

"Mireille?" Esme called as she arrived in the doorway. Looking in at Edward's snickering and my face full of annoyance, she hid a smile behind her hand. "Did you say you were finished?"

"Yes, I am," I answered pleasantly, though all the while giving Edward a dirty look. "I don't think I've forgotten anything."

"Thank you very much," the mother of five took the list and glanced over it a minute. "It does look complete. I'll go shopping Sunday, I think. Would you like to come?"

"Gladly," I responded immediately, feeling excited at the prospect.

"Wonderful," she smiled widely, eyes sparkling. "We'll drag Carlisle along, too. Then you can watch him shop in the mundane little grocery store."

We laughed together at the reminder of our discussion that morning and Esme headed back downstairs.

"Speaking of forgetting things," I mentioned to Edward suddenly, "I have a request, now that I think about it. Can we check and see if any more of my things are hiding around the house?"

"Of course," he agreed amiably. "Would you prefer to do it your way or mine?"

"Tell me the difference between the two and then I'll choose," was my suspicious reply.

"Speed," he smirked.

" _My_ way."

Edward was left laughing as I abruptly rolled off the bed and stood up to find my possessions, but of course he was at my side in an instant when I asked him, "Should we really be in the others' rooms while they're not here?"

"They know you have to check for your things at some point," Edward assured me. "Carlisle already asked their permission for you to search all the rooms in the house."

"Yeah, but probably with them present," I suggested. "I don't feel right going in them right now."

"You've already been in most of them," he argued calmly. "You can at least look in the ones you've already visited. And Esme has given you free reign to search her and Carlisle's room whether they are present or not. That only leaves Jasper's study and Emmett and Rosalie's room."

"Neither of which I am going into without their owners present," I firmly declared.

Out of a need to corral and catalog everything of mine that had appeared in the house, I took my musical books and papers from Edward's piano bench, in spite of the fact that I would only be using them downstairs anyway. On the rest of our way around the main floor, I was introduced to the laundry room, with its enormous hampers, and the food pantry. Then Edward reintroduced me to every cupboard in the kitchen and the butler's pantry.

Emmett and Rosalie's room was, like the latter vampire, beautiful and sophisticated to an extreme degree, with vivid red and terracotta coloring everywhere. As I stood in the doorway, an elegant chaise lounge caught and held my attention for the time it took Edward to search the room.

"How are you going to find my things if I don't point them out?" I asked concernedly after a few moments, albeit tainted by my curiosity for the décor.

"Scent," Edward pointed out simply, later returning with a whole stack of magazines, some DVDs, and a few pairs of shoes. The last items rather surprised me.

"Apparently, you and Rosalie wear the same size shoe," he explained with a shrug and headed back to the hall.

Bypassing Carlisle's office with the explanation that I was bound to have a lot in it that we wouldn't be able to safely carry without dropping off other items first, the bronze-haired vampire led me into Alice and Jasper's room. Their room yielded a couple more books and Alice's separate closet provided my class ring and my grandma's wedding ring and band.

Jasper's study, a room that reminded me strongly of British colonial decorating, posed an interesting container of items to examine, but I decided to wait until we stopped searching to get into it all. Edward ran all of the things we had found so far up to our room before heading into Carlisle's office. As expected, I found more of my books. And as Alice had pointed out the previous night, some of my artwork sat on the floor, tucked into a corner between the bookshelves and the portrait wall.

"You're pretty artistic," Edward commented, switching his gaze between studying a teal monochromatic copy of Van Gogh's _Starry Night_ that I had done in my last year of high school and a larger pencil drawing of a tiger's face, also completed in that last year.

"Thanks," I smiled shyly, purposefully moving out into the hallway with my collections in hand.

"I'm glad there hasn't been much to find," I admitted once he had joined me. "I really didn't want a huge amount of stuff from before."

"You really were unhappy in your other life, weren't you?" Edward softly asked, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

"Guess so," I shrugged, not wanting to go into it when I was having so much fun.

"Moving on, then," he nodded in acquiescence, leading me back up to the third floor.

Carlisle and Esme's room I did enter, since they allowed it, though we only found a couple more books. Edward then led me into our shared room and settled my latest possessions along the window seating. "The only space left to search is Esme's work room and the attic."

"You have an attic?" I wondered, blinking, when I suddenly recalled that Alistair had been hiding in said attic during _Breaking Dawn_. "Nevermind."

"Fascinating," he commented, watching me for a moment in curiosity. "You have a good memory."

"Only for things that interest me," I admitted ashamedly. "I sort of have unintentional selective hearing at times."

Muffling a laugh behind his hand, the bronze-haired vampire merely shook his head and led me out into the hall and through the door to the forgery area. Esme's art room was still there, to the right of the door, dark as it was when Carlisle first showed it to me.

"Where's Esme?" I wondered curiously. What would she be doing outside of it? She wasn't shopping, obviously. Cleaning, maybe…

"Gardening," my companion informed me as he turned the lights on in the space. Everything to be found in the art room was related to my scrapbooking interest, which I had never gotten around to before.

For the attic, Edward led me back around to the hall outside the photography room. He reached for a hidden panel in the wall with a switch to release an automated door in the ceiling, which fell into a full ladder. Casting me a wondering look, he prompted, "Coming?"

"There aren't any critters up there, right?"

"What critters would come around us?" he asked, grinning a bit. "We eat them, remember?"

"In a manner of speaking," I remarked distractedly, now thinking about bugs.

"Trust me, Esme has pest-proofed this house in every way known to the world," he laughed. "She dusts and cleans every room, every day – attic, too – and she hates insects or arachnids. A remnant of her human dislikes."

"We are in total agreement, then," I nodded emphatically, now much more easily walking over to join him, though I didn't like ladders much. Well… heights would be the more accurate explanation of my fears.

"You go first," he offered, "I'll be right behind you if you feel unsteady."

That did make me feel better, so I climbed up as instructed, but the room I entered could hardly be considered a dark little hole up in the ceiling. More like a modern loft – complete with a ton of enormous skylights along the back angle of the roof. Granted, it was full of stuff, but it was all organized so that it almost looked like it was meant to be furnished with everything it housed.

"You call this an attic?" I gasped in amazement, slowly turning to take in every inch of the light, beautiful, and gigantic space. It was as wide as the house, but not as deep.

"Esme can't go without designing a room," Edward chuckled. "Attic included."

"I'm surprised she didn't put me in here," I wondered curiously, frowning. "I didn't need to cram your room so badly."

"You're hardly cramming the space," he countered with a roll of his topaz eyes. "Besides, Esme would never have put you up here. There isn't an adequate entrance and it's not heated… Alice would never have allowed you to live in this room either, come to think of it."

"Lack of closet space?" I guessed knowingly, eyebrow raised.

"Exactly," he agreed, smirking. "We use this for hidden or useless storage. Any items we don't want visitors to see end up here, or things we didn't feel like using in this particular house."

We didn't say much after that, but searched through everything for objects that could belong to me. In the end, the attic had given up more items than Carlisle's office. Books and more art of course, DVDs, and some trinkets I'd always liked. Most surprising was the appearance of photos. Nothing too numerous, but some from when I was small, my time in the choir, graduation, and a couple other events I found significant.

For the time it took to search out the remnants of my other life from the bottom of the house to the top, Edward was actually quite a good companion. Not only did he help me by looking in places I felt uncomfortable rummaging, but he also gave me a running commentary on the rooms and what Esme had found particularly irksome or wonderful in the construction of them.

Going through all of my things back in our room was interesting to say the least, considering all that sat on the window seat. Edward was full of curiosity, asking questions about my possessions left and right.

"Are you sure you watch more than you read?" he asked me, glancing between the disproportionate amount of books to movies.

"Yeah, well, I spent so much money on the books that I couldn't afford the movies, apparently," I shrugged, surprised myself by the difference. Books littered almost a quarter of the window seating. _Star Wars_ , my bible, a small part of the _Nancy Drew_ books, _The Silmarillion_ , _The_ _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy, _The Hobbit_ , _Macbeth_ , _Pride and Prejudice_ , _Les Misérables_ … the collection went on and on.

" _The Adams-Jefferson Letters_ , _The Adams Chronicles_ , _John Adams_ by David McCullough, _John Adams: A Life_ , _My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams_ , _John Adams: Revolutionary Writings_ …" Edward prattled off with one eyebrow lifted. "You clearly have an interest in John Adams."

"He's my favorite president," I shrugged sheepishly. "That and I've always loved learning about the Revolutionary War."

"You and Jasper could go around and around about history, I can tell," he sighed. Ignoring that remark, I went on looking through my things.

"I'd forgotten about this," I commented with a half-laugh, looking over a photo of my five-year-old self in a cowboy hat and boots.

Edward laughed loudly at the picture, containing himself enough to say, "Alice will hate you for that, you know. She's always trying to convince Jasper to not wear cowboy boots, but they're what he's used to and he likes them too much not to."

I laughed at that myself, able to imagine Alice wearing a disgusted look at the thought of the detested cowboy boots her husband liked to wear.

"They're absolutely the _worst_ excuse for fashion I've ever seen," came Alice's voice from the doorway. Her face was the exact picture of disgust I had been imagining, forcing a burst of laughter from my throat. The small woman didn't reply, but settled onto the floor beside me, glancing over all the things Edward and I had found.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked distractedly, eyeing my DVDs.

"In his study," she told me, predictably picking up the shoes that had been tucked into Rosalie's closet. "These are edgy. Not designer, I grant you, but they are more on the edge."

Looking up more clearly, I found Alice examining a pair of dark red velvet flats into which a rose pattern was pressed. I had adored them when I bought them, but never found the chance to wear them. "I liked the shape of them. They remind me of Audrey Hepburn."

"They do, don't they?" she agreed wonderingly. "Hm… I may actually let you wear these."

"I hope it's on a dry day," I added amusedly.

"Oh, of course," she confirmed seriously, waving away the concern.

"What's this?" Edward asked suddenly. Turning, I found him holding a magnetic shirt badge with my name engraved on it. The trinket box from Jasper's study was open in front of him.

"That was my name tag at a local art museum," I answered. "When I starting volunteering during college, they made one of those for me."

"You're a woman of many talents," was his complimentary reply.

"Well, I like so many things," I explained modestly.

"You certainly do," Alice agreed, lifting the box of scrapbooking supplies as another example.

"I… um… never actually got around to that," I admitted sheepishly, averting my eyes to the magazines in my lap.

"Oh, I actually like _Teen Vogue_ ," she instantly commented, eyeing the top couple of magazines interestedly. "They help me keep our clothes a bit more teenage than I would normally plan for."

"Yeah, well, I just like looking at the pictures," was my dry response as I handed all seven issues over to her eager fingers.

"You seem to like looking at homes and decorating more than clothes, though," she countered with a vague frown, as though this preference was an offence.

Indeed, _Romantic Homes_ , _Traditional Home_ , and _House Beautiful_ made up most of the magazine stack. Four issues of _French Country_ , two of _Michigan Travel Ideas_ , and two issues of _National Geographic_ rounded out the rest of the pile.

"I like decorating and putting colors together." Shrugging, I set aside the stack and picked up _The Magic of Jell-O_ , a book of Jell-O brand recipes that I'd almost forgotten I had.

"What in the world is that?" Alice giggled, catching sight of the very colorful cover.

"Jell-O is the world's cure-all," I grinned. "Give me some orange, lime, or raspberry Jell-O and I'm happy. Or chocolate pudding. That's tasty, too."

"Humans eat such strange things," Edward sighed in amusement.

"We can't exactly sniff out our food and take it down right then, you know," I remarked with a laugh.

"Perhaps humans would be healthier if they could," he joked.

"That was terrible, Edward," Alice laughed.

Her brother only shook his head and continued sifting my things, holding up most items to ask me about them.

"I got that in Detroit, when we went on a field trip," I explained to him about a silver coin similar in size to a quarter, a donkey embossed on one side. "They say it was made in Mexico, so I thought it was pretty cool."

"And the other?" he wondered, holding up a grayish coin with a tiny square cut out of the middle.

"I joined a Japanese language group in seventh grade," I answered. "My teacher visited Japan a lot and she gave us all items that she'd gotten there; that coin, a shampoo packet, a shower cap, and a couple other things."

"Any other cultures you've been involved in?" Edward asked with fond exasperation.

"My maternal great-grandparents were one-hundred percent Danish," I suggested casually.

Laughing a little, he moved on to a couple of corks with a sharply raised brow.

"I don't drink," I immediately corrected any doubt on that point. "One of the volunteers at the art museum collected a bunch of corks from wine bottles and made some project out of them. He had two left over in his pocket and randomly decided to give them to me. He said 'I have no idea what you're going to do with them, but they were in my pocket.' So I kept them. I thought it was a nice gesture."

Alice and Edward both laughed at the story and my sentimentality.

The three of us spent approximately thirty minutes more sorting through everything and storing it in the appropriate places in the room. DVDs in the media kiosk, books in the cushioned bench at the foot of the bed or the window seating, my CD case in the music area, scrapbooking materials in the creative corner Esme had made for me, and jewelry and shoes in the closet. Until a basket or a rack could be bought, the magazines sat out on the coffee table. As for my artwork, photos, and trinkets, Alice laid them atop the desk in the office space while Edward returned my musical books and papers to the conservatory downstairs.

"Everything's put away now," Alice informed us both after we'd all reconvened in the room. "I'm going to go help Jasper. Good night, Mireille."

"Oh, Alice, wait!" I called as she disappeared from sight. Just as quickly she reappeared, a knowing expression on her face.

"Discussing the books will go much better if you wait until after Homecoming," she answered my unspoken question.

"Are you sure?" I double-checked, biting my lip. "It seems awfully careless to not at least tell you some major points."

"Trust me, Mireille," Alice soothed. "Just live in the moment through Saturday. On Sunday, we can talk about the books and what we want to do. All right?"

"If you're sure," I further begged her assurance.

"I've seen it," she cheekily responded, winking at me. "Night."

"Night, Alice," I half-laughed as she left the room for good.

After the small vampire had gone, Edward inquired knowingly, "Music?"

"How ever did you guess?" I grinned, making sure to change into a pair of pajamas before heading into the alcove, which I was finally able to fully take in without interruption or distraction. There were technically five walls, three of which had been extended into 'forgery central' as Edward called it; all five walls were painted sage. Each of our closet doors separated the music area from the rest of the hall.

Against the farthest wall sat the stereo, placed on a cabinet that reached the middle of my thigh. A floating shelf on the wall above hefted two large speakers and two tall, cylindrical speakers stood on the floor on either side of the stereo cabinet. Two ceiling-high shelving units covered three-quarters of the angled walls and a third matching unit was placed across from Edward's sofa on the closet walls, apparently reupholstered in the same fabric as the window seat.

After sitting with Edward on the sofa, the rest of the night was filled with Brahms and Bach, at first, then followed by a sudden mischievous change to Queen, over which Edward smirked with glittering golden eyes. I laughed freely at the offering.

"I thought you didn't have much of anything from the seventies?" I teased him, leaning back in my seat.

"I didn't," he agreed, "but you made me rethink my opinions a little. I may have wrongly judged the entirety of that decade on disco, so I asked Esme to buy a selection of the artists you mentioned. She bought them while you were out last night."

"Have you actually listened to any of it yet?" I asked doubtfully.

"Not yet," he confessed. "I was actually hoping you would walk me through it, since you know so much more."

"I'd like that," I grinned.

I got through most of Queen before my eyes finally started to droop and Edward made sure I got into bed without falling flat on my face in sleepiness. I rolled onto my side and slid up onto the pillow without bothering to pull on covers.

"Night," I murmured a little drowsily, feeling the cover slide over me. Turning upwards, I found Edward essentially tucking me in.

"Goodnight, Mireille," Edward returned softly. Not long after, I tiredly recognized ' _Moonlight Sonata'_ coming from the alcove.

My mind almost unconsciously woke up a bit, just to hear the beautiful song as it played, and as it did, I oddly remembered a moment from our dancing lessons earlier the day.

"Edward?" I called him confusedly, brows furrowed as I tried to sort out the memory, though admittedly I was too tired to think it through enough.

"Yes?" Edward prompted, appearing at the edge of the bed with curious eyes.

"Why was Esme looking so pleased today?"

"What do you mean?" he wondered, taking in my steadily growing drowsiness with amusement.

"After Jasper joked about Emmett and Alice dancing together, Esme looked pretty smug for some reason. I just wondered why."

"Oh, that," he said more understandingly, obviously remembering the moment I referred to. "She was just glad Jasper was joking. It made her happy to know you could get him to open up a little more."

"Huh," I remarked unremarkably, too easily falling prey to sleep's comforting embrace. Before I fell completely to oblivion, Edward's soft laughter filled my ears like music.

Over the following two days, I took Alice's advice, ignoring the books temporarily and focusing on the moment. She had said the conversation would go much better after Homecoming was over, so I decided it was worth the wait.

After I had gotten ready and eaten a late breakfast on Thursday, Edward played for about an hour as I looked on from the nearby chair. Following the concert, I headed outside for a walk, then went back up to my new space and just dug around. Edward came up with me and pointed things out if I hadn't noticed them yet. I went straight down for lunch at about one o'clock, after which I spent time talking with Esme.

When we exhausted three or four topics of mediocre interest like color schemes or the beauty of nature, Esme went to garden or clean the house or dabble in her work room, among other things. That left me to return upstairs and further explore my room. Edward interrupted my findings to initiate a couple hours of dancing, so as to keep boosting my experience.

Dinner came soon after dancing, then Alice stole me away to discuss anything and everything fashion that could be fitted into a two-hour period, as well as making me walk around in my homecoming shoes to get used to them. I was passed to Edward after that, who spent time just listening to music with me before I fell asleep around ten-thirty or so.

A couple changes in routine occurred on Friday, however. First, Edward was 'well-enough' to go back to school. In truth, Alice had seen some of the staff and students becoming suspicious that Edward was sick enough to miss Friday, but well enough to attend the dance on Saturday. So, groaning and complaining far more than necessary, Edward drove to school with his siblings. That meant I was left an hour after breakfast with nothing to do. Upon Esme's suggestion, I reluctantly decided to practice my piano skills for that time. The experience was refreshing I had to admit afterward, although I was obviously nowhere near Edward's talent.

The second change in routine, because of Carlisle's odd hours due to the accident on the 101, was that the doctor was home Friday afternoon sooner than Esme had expected him to be. To my happiness, therefore, husband and wife had a chance to dance with each other as had been impossible on Wednesday. Esme gladly changed into an elegant white blouse with lace sleeves and a long black skirt that twirled beautifully, matching it with a pair of black Jimmy Choos with cutouts across the toe. My own blue, off-shoulder dress didn't spin nearly as wonderfully as Esme's, though it was pretty and looked sharp with the shiny nude pumps I had picked out.

Overall, until my conversation with Esme ended on Saturday at three-thirty, life was mostly regular and expected. Fate took that late afternoon to intervene – in the form of Alice Cullen on a mission.

* * *


	13. Chapter 12: Irksome

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Previously** – Edward and Mireille played 20 Questions and Esme asked Mireille to make a grocery list. Mireille and Edward search for Mireille's possessions, Edward admires Mireille's artwork, and Alice joins them to look at Mireille's possessions. Alice tells Mireille to wait on reading the books until after Homecoming. Mireille examines the music alcove in her room and Edward suggests she led him through 60s and 70s music. A couple days passed, Edward had to return to classes or risk trouble, Carlisle came home early and danced with Esme, and finally Alice began prep for Homecoming.

> **Chapter 12: Irksome**

Come Saturday afternoon, Alice began my prep for the Homecoming dance by cutting out my usual afternoon room explorations.

"You need to practice dancing in your heels," she said firmly, pulling me downstairs with a written schedule and the aforementioned heels in hand. "Esme will be doing your nails at four o'clock, so you won't have any time for practice afterward if you go spend time in your room now."

"Oh, all right," I groaned a little, accepting the black heels from her hand without an argument.

"Edward, crunch time!" Alice commanded sharply of her brother, who was sitting at the piano as we passed the conservatory area. He had been playing steadily ever since that morning, when I'd gone out for my usual exercise. I suspected he was trying to steel himself for the hormonal mental onslaught he would be facing at the dance.

" _Trying_ being the key word," Edward remarked rather darkly as he headed over to the dining area with us.

"Stop whining and dance," Alice scoffed, pushing him forward to the CD player that was again sitting on the side-swept dining table.

"Yes, mother," he snarkily replied, switching on the player with a vicious flick of his index finger. Alice rolled her eyes and left the room, presumably to start getting herself ready.

"Are you going to be in this mood the whole night?" I complained to my intended escort for the evening.

"I'd forgotten the past few days how irksome their thoughts can be," he admitted with a scowl, pulling me into position. "Going back yesterday only reinforced that."

I didn't really know what to say to that, so we danced in silence for the most part. What I eventually realized was if that was how the dance was going to go, I wasn't all too certain I wanted to attend.

"Look, I'll try to ease up on the gloomy behavior," Edward interceded with a sigh. "Okay?"

"Okay," I shrugged. We only had about forty-five minutes of silent twirling, thankfully, when Esme came to get me.

"It's time to do your nails, dear," she informed, smiling slightly.

"Thanks, Esme," I sighed in some relief to be away from Edward's mini-tantrums. In response to that, the vampire in question scoffed and headed outside in a blink. Esme frowned unhappily at that particular action, but said nothing (aloud, anyway) as she took my heels for me and led the way upstairs.

"I wish he wouldn't stay that way the whole night," the lovely mother fretted quietly as we cleared the third landing. "I'd really hoped he could enjoy himself somewhat. And of course I want you to enjoy the evening, too."

"We'll be fine, Esme," I did my best to assure her, feeling my own doubt laughing at the contradiction.

"You're sweet, dear," she smiled gratefully, pressing a hand on my back to gently lead me into the room she and Carlisle shared, "but I know Edward. This mood he's in right now doesn't usually lead to anything except moody dirges and sonatas for the next week."

While I easily let Esme draw me around the shelving unit that served as a divider for their bed, a deep frown creased my face. Edward looked to be heading straight into that less-happy place he had suggested was yet several months off. The reason he was arriving there so quickly was a matter that reached quite beyond my comprehension. Hadn't he found some encouragement by knowing there was someone meant for him? Did I not make it clear that Bella would become something special to him? I had pretty much confirmed it on Wednesday night, but here Edward was, moping and grizzled not three days later.

Thoughts no less bothersome continued to assault my mind as Esme helped me focus on choosing a color of nail polish.

"What about this one?" she asked me with a vague smile, offering up a sparkly dark plum polish for me to see. It was the eighth polish she had asked about, as far as I knew.

"I like it," I agreed just to help the poor woman feel productive in her endeavor to help me get ready. I just couldn't find the enthusiasm any more, knowing that Edward would be in a foul mood the entire time we were gone. At least the color I'd agreed to wear was a good match for my dress.

"Wonderful," Esme reluctantly agreed, her smile hesitant in the extreme. My obvious discontent was not easy to gloss over, much as she was trying. Nonetheless, the motherly vampire continued in that precise vein of communication until my manicure and pedicure was finished. The motions were a little bit soothing in spite of the cold hands performing them.

"Now for your hair," she murmured, pulling me into the beautiful spring-like bathroom and settling me at the cornered vanity counter. "What would you want it to look like, Mireille?"

Chancing a glance up at my reflection didn't help me decide any, nor did it enthuse me any more than before, but I made a general estimate based on the dress itself. "Something to the side, I guess."

"Maybe a chignon on the same side as your bare shoulder?" The suggestion was full of hope that my interest had grown.

"Sure, that'll be great," I smiled less distantly, hating to disappoint her hopefulness. Whether or not I liked it, I really needed to be more enthusiastic. For Esme's sake, at least.

"What about some pieces hanging loose?" she wondered next, picking up a comb from the countertop and beginning to tame my fuzzy, curly mane of hair. "I could take a couple pieces at the temple…"

"That sounds okay," I nodded, pleased by the more generous smile on the Esme's face.

Time passed very silently while my hair was smoothed, twisted, and turned into what I could only imagine was a professional-looking chignon on the right side of my head. As yet I couldn't even see it; I was facing the sink wall – the one that happened to have a window instead of a mirror. Even when Esme completed the look and nearly turned me around to see it, Alice bounded in at high speed and dragged me out before I ever glanced in the mirror. The only part of my hair I was capable of seeing were the two loose strands at each temple.

"She didn't even get to see her hair, Alice," Esme scolded lightly from behind us, but the psychic would not be moved.

"That's just it," she argued respectfully, towing me out the door and down the hall. "She can't see it until she's all ready. It won't be as lovely without the dress and everything else to go with it."

"That's kind of true," I shrugged for the tenth time that day.

"Oh, very well," sighed Esme exasperatedly. "Let me know if you need any more help."

"You could get started on dinner for Mireille," Alice remarked just as we disappeared into her wardrobe. Esme's melodic laughter reached my ears from down the hall.

Pointing to the long, pink-cushioned bench at the opposite end of the room where the vanity mirror was covered with some fabric or another – Alice moved off to her lengthy closets and opened one of the doors to reveal the garment bag holding my dress.

"You've got about ten minutes to put on lotion and change into your undergarments," she told me bluntly.

"Alice!" I exclaimed embarrassedly, ears and cheeks turning slightly red.

"Oh, what?" she half-laughed, waving my reaction off blithely. "We all wear them, don't we?"

"Unfortunately, some people don't," I grimaced, nose scrunched in distaste, causing the fashionista to break into a full laugh.

"That's not exactly relevant, but I take the point anyway," she continued to giggle, opening another closet door to reveal a black garment bag.

"What color are you wearing?" I asked, now curious. That was one topic we had never discussed in the few days I had been in Forks so far.

"You'll see after you eat," was her hedged reply. Knowing I would get no more from her, I accepted the lotion and undergarments that that were set out for me to use. Alice was forced to speed up the process and apply some of the lotion herself because I began to intrude on makeup time.

"All right, on to the makeup," she cried at last, seeming to grow in excitement by the second. "You keep your eyes closed!"

"Yes, Alice," I sighed resignedly, closing my eyes immediately. "Work your magic, pixie."

"Ha," she laughed abruptly, and in front of me I could hear the fabric being whisked off the mirror in one quick swoop. The most difficult thing I had to do was constantly keep my eyes closed. All the while, I just had that annoying urge to open them and see what was going on. Every swipe and brush and powder puff applied to my features increased my curiosity. Intermittently, Alice would pop in with a "Don't you dare!" or an "I know what you're trying to do!" and I would squint my eyes closed with renewed willpower.

"Done!" Alice exclaimed happily at last. "But you still can't look. Wait right there."

"Well, I wasn't planning to trot along blindly," I snorted.

"Shush," she demanded amusedly, and I could hear her whisking the fabric over the mirror again. "All right, you can open your eyes, but don't look down at yourself at all."

Opening my eyes was a relief after so long of seeing blackness. Any longer and I probably would have fallen asleep. Another relief was the incoming scent of something very tasty, followed by Esme with a tray of food.

"Alice didn't want you accidentally looking into any mirrors," she explained laughingly as she settled the tray up on the counter before me. Atop the tray was the most beautiful-looking bowl of minestrone I had ever encountered, accompanied by soft bread and a large cup of yogurt with granola and raspberries.

"Wow, Esme," was all I could say, my mouth already starting to water. The mother in question laughed a second time and patted my shoulder on the way out.

"Hurry and eat," Alice pushed rapidly, pulling her garment bag off the closet and disappearing into her bedroom to change. In spite of the impending rush, I ate my dinner quite comfortably and peacefully, not leaving a single delicious bite on the tray. Esme came up as if an alarm had gone off, though I supposed Alice had informed her.

"Finished?" Esme inquired smilingly, eyeing the empty dishes.

"Yes. There's not a drop on there now," I laughed slightly. "Thank you. It was really good."

"You're very welcome," she smiled wider, picking up the remains of my dinner and gracefully slipping out the door. "Alice is coming back now."

"Nope, I _am_ back," the black-haired vampire replied, sidling in beside her mother.

Practically dancing into the room, Alice looked quite sharp in a vivid green belted gown, for which the single sleeveless shoulder was on the opposite side of my own. A slit came up to Alice's knee, leaving exposed the strappy black and green heels she wore.

All of her jewelry was black and simple, save the necklace falling across her collar bone. The thick necklace consisted of five rows of black beads.

"That's definitely an unusual color to wear," I commented. "I like it."

'Thank you," the tiny woman grinned, reaching out to me. "Now close your eyes again and stand up."

Aiding me with a hand on my elbow, Alice made sure I stood without seeing myself at all. Getting into the dress with my eyes closed was not fun and I was embarrassed at wearing only my under-things in front of Alice, but she kept jabbering so freely that I somewhat overlooked it all.

The black sheath heels finally went on, my makeup was touched up or – in the case of lip products – applied for the first time, and Alice turned me towards something only she could see. The sound of fabric being removed boosted my somewhat weak enthusiasm, albeit barely. Clearly it was time to see myself.

"Open your eyes," Alice told me, excitement palpable in her voice. I wondered why she sounded so far away.

Again relishing the lack of blackness that opening my eyes entailed, it took a moment to adjust my sight. When I did, I was mesmerized by the reflection in the mirror.

Makeup was no unknown in my life, but I had never taken much care with it. Lip balm or a touch of mascara. Blush, perhaps, if I was so inclined. Never eyeliner, lip liner, foundation, a full complement of eye shadows, and whatever else Alice had put on me. Half the time her touch had been too light to properly understand what she did with the makeup. Now, with the finished product sitting before me, I couldn't explain it either. All I knew was that my eyes were covered with medium plum and dark gray shadows to create a smoky look, in addition to a gray-purple eyeliner that brought out the blue of my eyes. On my lips – thankfully not a shiny finish – was a rich color to complement the plum in my dress and the blush was a mix of muted pink-peach colors.

My hair was another world entirely. Esme had surely done the most beautiful chignon I had ever been party to. While my dark, golden-brown locks were pulled snugly into the hold at the back of my head, there was a looseness that allowed some of the natural wave in my hair to show through. The two free strands at my temples were soft and delicate, but not so thin as to be flimsy. Elegant was the only word to describe the entire effect.

"Thank you," I said distractedly, but with genuine gratitude. I forced myself to look in the mirror at Alice, but the small vampire was not there. Confused, I tried to turn around and make sure, but suddenly there were cold hands at the back of my neck and beads falling against my collar bone. Whipping around to the mirror, I was amazed to find Edward standing behind me and his mother's necklace around my throat. The plum-colored gems matched perfectly.

"They do," he agreed quietly. "After I saw your dress a few days ago, I thought that immediately."

"Thank you," I repeated, this time for his benefit. "They're lovely."

"Here," he murmured, reaching out for my left arm to slip the bracelet on. He then took my right hand to slip the pearl ring onto my finger. Fresh and beautiful, a corsage of deep purple hydrangea easily slid onto my wrist next. Only then, when I remembered there was a flower for Edward's lapel also, did I genuinely examine my escort's appearance.

Simple yet classy, Edward's black suit and dark gray tie enhanced his pale handsome features excellently. I saw now why black was not a frequent color in the Cullens' public wardrobes.

"You look very dashing," I grinned at Edward, the first time I had grinned with such sincere cheer the entire day, before I noticed something. "Oh, where's the boutonnière?"

"Right here," came Alice's happy reply, followed abruptly by her appearance at my side and the matching hydrangea boutonnière being handed over to me. Both vampires stared expectantly at me for a minute or two, until I realized they were expecting me to put it on the lapel.

Raising any eyebrow, I dryly remarked, "You do know I haven't the slightest idea how to put this on, right?"

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed in understanding while Edward muffled his laughter. "Sorry! Just watch."

Watching the green-bedecked woman attach the small bunch of hydrangea to her brother's lapel was easier than remembering how to do it after she left, but I managed well enough with Edward's help.

"Note to self… don't try flower arranging," I murmured sarcastically, making Edward laugh a little.

"I don't think that's the same thing," he chuckled, offering me his arm.

"Close enough," I sniffed slightly, slipping my hand through the crook of his elbow. "Anyway, you finally have a decent-looking boutonnière… I wonder what in the world Alice did for flowers to match that outfit of hers."

"White," Edward answered with a shrug, leading me out into the hallway. "You look lovely, by the way. Violet tones are a good match for your coloring."

"You didn't compliment her first thing?"

We turned as one to find Emmett in a black suit and dress shirt, fiddling with his white garden rose boutonnière while waiting outside his and Rosalie's room. A mock look of disapproval on his face was tempered by the grin trying to break free.

"I didn't exactly get a chance to say it," Edward defended lightly, rolling his eyes. "Alice bounded in with the boutonnière before I could."

"Actually, I think I started talking immediately, so it was kind of me," I mentioned thoughtfully.

"Still," Emmett pressed on, allowing his grin to show finally. "What with how pretty Mireille looks right now, I'd think you couldn't hold it in, little brother."

Edward opened his mouth to offer a snarky retort, when Jasper's voice came from the other side of the staircase, "Emmett, will you shut up? I'm sick of feeling Rosalie's irritation."

"Sorry, Rosie," Emmett apologized through the partially-open door of his bedroom. "You know no one's ever as beautiful as you are. And I had to rib Edward, didn't I?"

Edward rolled his eyes more strongly this time, pulling me down the stairs quickly while I giggled at the candid exchange between siblings. This experience was so much better than the books or fanfiction could ever produce.

"Glad to know that," Edward snorted amusedly. "Although why you haven't lost your mind yet, thanks to us, is a mystery I have yet to solve."

"No mystery necessary," I laughed more freely. "I'm already crazy, I guess. Hence why it was so easy to adjust to being here with all of you."

"I wouldn't call intense vomiting and strange dreams _easy,_ " he chortled. "But whatever suits your fancy, I suppose."

"Oh well," I lifted one shoulder nonchalantly. "At least I wasn't completely lucid for that part. I hate being sick."

"I can see why," he muttered disgustedly, bringing another giggle out of me.

In the foyer, Carlisle and Esme stood arm-in-arm with satisfied smiles on their faces as they watched us come down.

First Alice and Jasper, then Rosalie and Emmett came downstairs mere moments after us. I couldn't decide which couple looked more striking. There was Alice in her vivid green dress, white lily corsage, black snakeskin clutch, and spiky black hair offset by Jasper's honey blond hair and black suit with green satin vest and tie, and matching lily boutonniere. I'd never imagined Jasper in such a color before, but the Texan looked quite attractive in it.

Then there was Emmett in his all-black suit ensemble matched by Rosalie's glittering, strapless black gown with a slit up to mid-thigh, her slender black heels with glittering silver straps down the middle, a large white garden rose corsage, a glittering black clutch, and glowing blonde tresses barely pinned on one side of her face. Like Alice, Rosalie had all black jewels. Personally, I would never have worn the low-cut gown she wore, but Rosalie was gorgeous and confident in it. And as for Emmett, while I had never particularly admired his looks as much as Edward or Carlisle, now I could truly appreciate the handsomeness of his charmingly roguish grin and glittering, laughing eyes.

"You all look so wonderful," Esme sighed happily, hands clasped gleefully in front of her. Carlisle smiled at her joy, rubbing a hand up and down her arm.

"You really do look exceptional," he agreed, plainly including his wife in that assessment. Edward caught my eye, nodding with a smirk which put a grin on my face. The night was looking up.

"Thank you," I replied pleasantly, contrary to Alice's bright "Thanks!" and Rosalie's self-assured nod. The three sons all nodded gratefully, but said nothing.

"Here, Mireille." Alice handed over the fluttery black clutch I remembered her picking out on Tuesday. The fact it was from Christian Louboutin still hadn't registered completely in my head.

"Now we have to take pictures!" the pixie informed everyone even more brightly, popping over to Carlisle and handing him an expensive-looking camera. Smiling indulgently, he stepped over to the wall of coat hooks, waiting patiently while Esme and Alice determined the best angles to use and who should stand where against the opposite wall of the foyer. Somehow upon our arrival downstairs, I had missed the fact that the Cullens' two cushioned benches were missing.

The final decree was that Rosalie and Emmett, wearing all black as they were and both invariably the tallest of their respective gender in the house, would stand in the middle. Jasper was moved to stand beside Emmett, while Edward stood beside Rosalie, leaving Alice and me on the outside edges for the group photo.

Our alternate photos moved a little slower. Alice was picky about seeing _all_ of the accessories and flowers in each picture, but Esme also wanted two different poses for each couple, so it was a trial to capture different poses that still covered all of Alice's accessory bases. There was the typical standing couple pose, and then different positions for each pair.

Rosalie chose the enormous and dramatic stone fireplace for her picture, sitting on the large hearth with her dress spread artistically to one side and hair fanning out like liquid gold on the other. Because of his height, Emmett ended up on the hardwood floor beside Rosalie's knees, his hand reaching up to grasp hers over his broad shoulder.

Alice picked the stairs for her alternate pose, standing a few steps above her much taller husband. Jasper faced his wife on her higher plane, face upturned and one foot on the step in the very middle of the distance. Their hands stretched the space like a goodbye scene in a fairytale. I loved the pose so much that I dubbed it my favorite straight off.

Edward and I were not decided upon much of anything for our alternate pose. The sofa was Esme's suggestion, quickly turned down by Alice on the grounds that it was too much contrast with our dark clothes. Privately, I thought the sofa was just too plain – much to Edward's amusement – though I wasn't going to tell Esme that. Emmett brought up the front porch. While it was a good setting, Carlisle wisely pointed out that it was a little too chilly for it at that time of year.

In the end, Rosalie was the one to find our pose. While Alice and Esme rapidly debated reusing the stairs in a different way, the blonde vampire calmly seated us side-by-side on the piano bench, hands joined between us, knees leaning towards the middle, and ivory and ebony showing through in the background. Everyone except Edward had stared momentarily before Alice quickly informed Carlisle that it was perfect and he should take the picture.

Now with only twenty minutes before the dance was set to start and none of us even in the car yet, Alice inexplicably stopped us once again, shouting, "Oh, wait!"

"What, Alice? We're going to be late," Rosalie complained snappishly, flicking her hair back with great impatience.

"We need to take a picture of Mireille with Carlisle and Esme!" Alice exclaimed in a voice that screamed ' _are you kidding me?_ '

"Why?" Rosalie demanded, echoing my own sentiments, albeit in a rude way.

"We've always taken individual pictures with them before dances and special events," the smaller woman argued firmly, standing her ground with a steely glint in her golden eyes. "This is Mireille's first homecoming, so we're definitely taking a picture. Carlisle and Esme, stand against the back wall behind the sofa. Mireille, I want you standing between them. Come on, or we _will_ be late."

Carlisle and Esme were already in place by the time I came over to fill the empty place in-between, their genuine smiles warming me. Camera in hand, Alice sat atop the back of the closest white sofa to take the picture of Carlisle's arm around my shoulders and Esme's around my waist.

"Wonderful!" Alice cheerily announced. "Okay, let's go. And no, Rosalie, we are not going to be late."

"At least there's that," griped the blonde, grabbing her fur-collared dress coat as she swept outside, followed more slowly by Emmett, who was still looking quite cheerful.

"Now you really know you're welcome, Mir," the big vampire said with a wink, hands in the pockets of his dress pants. "Picture with the parents and all, you know."

With that he disappeared completely, leaving me pleasantly surprised by my new nickname.

"He's been cooking up all sorts of nicknames the past few days," Edward informed me with a chuckle and an eye-roll. "Alice kept arguing with him about your reactions."

"Oh, some of them were just ridiculous," Alice inserted, rolling her eyes. "I had to get in your corner on almost all of them."

Turning pink, I didn't respond further. Heaven only knew what kind of names Emmett had been considering.

Japer and Edward helped Alice and I into our black dress coats at the same time, while Carlisle and Esme wished us an enjoyable evening.

"Try to be slightly more mellow than normal, Mireille," Carlisle regretfully informed me, apology in his eyes. "I am sorry, but the story requires some reticence on your part."

"It's fine, Carlisle." We had talked about that particular subject twice since Thursday morning. As per my public back-story, it would only make sense that I wasn't as enthusiastic as the rest of the group. "Really, I understand the need."

"All right," he chuckled gratefully. "Have a good time as much as you can under that restriction."

"I will," I smiled, easing into Esme's parting hug at the same time. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear," she said with a squeeze, propelling me to the front door where Edward waited. "Have fun, all of you."

"Well be back by eleven at the _earliest_ ," Edward told his parents with a smooth face, offering his arm for me to take again. Only a slight hint of mischief was visible in his bright eyes.

"Get out of here, you ingrate!" Carlisle laughed richly, holding an embarrassed but smiling Esme to his side. Smirking devilishly, Edward pulled me outside. I was too well-humored too much to say a proper good night to Carlisle and Esme; the amusement only left after I was already belted into the backseat of the silver Volvo. I was greatly surprised to find Emmett behind the wheel.

"Hey Emmett," I greeted him in amusement. "Why aren't you with Rosalie?"

"Hiya," he grinned back at me, then answered my question, "Well, we can't let the little sophomores drive yet, can we? Chief Swan might not like that."

"Oh, yeah!" That made sense. I kept forgetting that Edward couldn't legally drive yet.

"You and me both," Edward remarked in annoyance as Emmett sped off behind the M3. At that moment, I was very grateful to be in the backseat and somewhat distracted. "Rosalie has been driving us to and from school every day."

"Hey, I did some smooth driving sometimes," Emmett interrupted indignantly, scowling at Edward in the rear-view mirror.

"Four times, Emmett. Four." Edward left it at that, ignoring the continued scowling of his black-haired brother.

"Who will be able to legally drive next?" I asked curiously.

"Jasper in November," Edward answered. "Then Alice in February."

"And you in June," I added without thinking.

"How do you… nevermind." He shook his head as if to clear it. "I shouldn't be surprised. The books probably mention it."

"Oh, no, it wasn't the books," I contradicted him pleasantly. "The author was talking about it in some interview. Plus it was in the guide when I glanced over your bio page."

"It lists our birthdays?" Emmett wondered out loud, frowning a little. "Weird. Cool, but… weird."

"Actually, I don't think it lists anyone else's. Except Bella, that is. I'd have to double-check, but I'm pretty sure yours only has the year."

"Damn," the big guy snapped his fingers.

"Sorry," I laughed. "When is your birthday, Emmett?"

"August eighth," he proudly announced, seeming to puff up even more than normal. "When's yours? I didn't read your birth certificate, only heard Jasper say it was in January."

"January third. Almost the fourth, but I was too headstrong to wait any longer, I guess."

Laughing loudly, Emmett pulled into the high school parking lot, whipped into an open parking space beside the M3, and jumped out only a second after having turned off the car. To have arrived so quickly, I didn't want to know how fast he'd driven.

"You definitely don't want to know," Edward assured me and got out of the car to come around my side and help me out.

"I'm so nervous," I muttered, seeing all the students milling about in groups, chattering and laughing and glancing around nervously like the rest of the herd.

"Herd?" Edward chortled heavily, trailing behind Rosalie and Emmett while Alice and Jasper came up beside us.

"What about a herd?" Alice asked, glancing inquiringly at her brother.

"Mireille is being funny again," he glanced over the remark I'd been thinking, sensing my vague embarrassment.

"Nothing new there," Emmett called back to us from where he walked with his arm around Rosalie's waist. Not that I could deny it. Most of the time, I made sarcastic or randomly funny remarks just by commenting on day-to-day things that I noticed. Half of those times were unintentional; indeed, the unintentional ones were usually the funniest of the lot, much to my indignation.

"It's actually your embarrassment that is so amusing in those instances," Edward confided in me with a hint of a smirk.

"Thanks so much," I grumbled, glaring at him and a giggling Alice. Jasper was trying to stay neutral, I could tell, so I gave him a break.

"Oh, if you only knew," said Edward with a low chuckle, patting my hand sympathetically where it lay on his arm.

"I don't like the sound of that," I frowned suspiciously, eyeing Jasper with accusation clear in my gaze. In response to my wary emotions, the Texas native just grinned slightly. Rolling my eyes came naturally by now, so I didn't fight it.

Instead, I turned to focus on the decorations outside. Typical balloons and crepe paper announced the front of the gym, all in black, white, and occasional yellow. The black banner above the gym doors matched the color scheme, proudly announcing 'Night of Stars Homecoming.'

"Boring," Alice sighed very quietly, also eyeing the décor.

Boring didn't begin to cover it, even with stars everywhere. Who didn't like to see a bit of color at a dance?

"Here's your ticket," Edward told me in a low voice, handing over a little black rectangle of cardstock with the details of the dance in white and yellow lettering and (of course) a little star image.

"Thanks," I smiled slightly in return, slowing as he did when Rosalie and Emmett found the end of the line.

Someone ahead was turned in our direction, talking with the person behind them, when they noticed exactly who was in line for the dance. Staring in what they probably thought was an inconspicuous manner, the original person who espied us whispered the news to their neighbor. Faces began to turn everywhere, most every pair of eyes zeroing in on the elusive Cullen family and their newest member. My discomfort rose every passing moment, but as I was short and stuck in-between the other members of the family, actual eye contact with my personage was relatively small. Nevertheless, as a show of support, Alice, Jasper, and Edward closed ranks on three sides and left Emmett and Rosalie as my forward guard.

The time it took to approach the ticket table was really too long as far as I was concerned, although once we did reach it, I decided I would rather have stayed in the line. Neither of the two adults accepting our tickets looked at all pleasant towards me. They seemed tolerant of the siblings. Indeed, one might say there was respect in their eyes for Carlisle and Esme's adopted children. For me, mistrust colored their gazes. What on earth they were suspicious of, I could hardly imagine. Not that I was ignorant of how the rumors of my 'arrival' would have tainted their opinions, but it was strange that I once again faced so much hostility from people I had never even met. One would think that being Carlisle's 'niece' might have added some level of understanding, but apparently not so.

"Don't let it worry you," Edward murmured in my ear after the man at the table handed us back our stamped tickets and allowed us to proceed. I could feel his gaze following me doubtfully as I moved off to the side of the hallway with Edward. "They just don't trust outsiders. You should have seen their first reactions to us."

"I don't think that's quite the same thing," I countered with a nervous laugh, eyeing the decorations through the inner gym doors a bit skittishly. A white and black balloon arch stood in one corner of the gymnasium that was covered in black paper; the place where a photographer waited in boredom for students to come and get their picture taken. Nothing much else was actually decorated, save the black-draped table of drinks and cookies on the wall opposite the main doors.

"Maybe not," Edward agreed with me, an understanding smile lighting his face, "but you'll be fine. Come on, coat check."

Unpleasant worries kept on hitting my brain as we moved to the makeshift coat check opposite the ticket table and Edward helped me out of my coat. He kept my coat check ticket himself, slipping it into his inner jacket pocket.

"If we dance, you won't be as bothered by all of the unfriendly faces," he suggested kindly. Nerves in full force, I nodded and followed him into the gym itself and to the middle of the floor where Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett had already begun to dance. No one danced near them. As a matter of fact, no one danced within a full ten foot radius of any of us.

"Relax," Edward murmured again, pulling me into the proper hold and slowly leading me with the rhythm.

In spite of the enjoyment I derived from the dancing itself, eyes still followed me everywhere I went. Disconcerting though it felt, there was little I could do about it, as Edward kindly pointed out to me. The Cullens still received stares, after all, and they had been here a little while already. I could only hope everyone became accustomed to looking at me _without_ suspicion after I started attending school.

The usual twirling, such as Edward's siblings were doing right then, didn't even begin until about five dances in, so I guessed he wanted to ease me into it.

"Sort of." He tried not to smile.

"What does that even mean?" I asked suspiciously as we spun past the front doors. That hidden smile of his was troublesome at best.

Still tamping down his smile, Edward leaned down to murmur in my ear, "How would you feel about dancing with my brothers?"

My jaw fell slightly. That was not at all what I expected. "Why?" I murmured back.

"It would prove our solidarity, as Alice put it," he explained simply, pulling back from my ear to glance cautiously at my surprised expression. "…You don't have to, if that bothers you."

"I didn't say that," I hedged rather conspicuously, but quickly gave into the shrewd expression on his face. "I'm just worried I won't be very good. Since I've never danced with them before…"

"Don't be ridiculous," he muttered, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Emmett is already thinking of how careful he needs to be. And Jasper's patience is in full force. Stop worrying, will you?"

"Easy for you to say," I frowned at him, making sure to lower my voice just in case. "You can see what's going on through everyone's heads and Alice's visions. I can't."

"Neither can Rosalie, Emmett, or Jasper," he argued quietly, frowning the same as I did, "but they're not worried."

Sighing, I gave up on debating the point; it was too irritating.

"Good, that's settled then," he smugly asserted, sending my own eyes rolling. When the song ended, the watching crowd of students was shocked to find us all switching partners. Edward moved to Alice's side, Jasper to Rosalie's, and Emmett to mine. His size was wild to stand next to. I felt kind of like a Geo Metro parked next to a semi-truck.

"Hey, Mir," he winked at me, positioning us much more loosely than Edward. That was a bit of a problem, however, because I could hardly reach up his arm at all in the first place. Add in the distance and I was pretty much grazing his forearm with my fingertips. The two of us seemed to realize this at the same time. Emmett broke out laughing quieter than normal and I bit my lip to hold in a laugh.

"Oh well," he shrugged once his laughter died down, still sporting a happy face. "At least you're taller than shorty over there."

"Watch it, you big bear," Alice hissed playfully as she and Edward danced past us suddenly, both of them grinning slightly. Emmett laughed again, not taking it badly in the slightest. He began to slowly dance us across the floor, clearly being incredibly careful with my fragile human body. For that, I was very grateful, even if his extreme care started to make me smile.

The big guy grinned a little at me. "What are you laughing at?"

"You," I admitted, still biting back laughter. "I've never seen anyone dance so carefully."

"Oh, you want a little less careful, huh?" he teased, getting a dangerously mischievous look in his eye. My nerves went on red alert, even though I was sure he wouldn't hurt me or anything.

"Emmett, don't you dare," Alice hissed angrily as she passed a second time. Edward, too, looked frustrated with his brother.

Dancing around our spot with an equally annoyed Jasper mere seconds after her brother and sister, Rosalie hissed equally as irritably, "We don't need a scene."

"Sorry, babe," Emmett groused, deflating instantly. Whatever he had planned, it wasn't a good thing. Maybe my red alert hadn't been so wrong after all.

The dance continued just as carefully after that, until Jasper came over to cut in. Emmett stepped back, offering another smile. From the corner of my eye, I watched Rosalie and Edward begin a stiff yet beautiful dance. They really were two of the best looking people I had ever seen.

Jasper took up a stance slightly less distant than Emmett, though just as formal as Edward. His care was no less than Emmett's, yet somehow it didn't feel as tentative. Our dance was still very graceful and smooth.

"You're having quite a night," the Texan commented with some dry humor. "Anything you haven't felt yet?"

"I can think of a few things," I mumbled embarrassedly, quite glad I had yet to feel a few in particular.

Jasper's brow rose curiously, and I sighed before continuing, "Love, hate, horror, terror, disgust... Do I need to go on?"

"Please do," he muttered in great amusement, beginning to twirl us around the floor with greater ease and less caution than before. He was obviously getting more comfortable as we went along.

"Uh…" I pretended to think about it for a moment or two, before going on definitively, "No. Actually, make that a _double_ no."

Snickering quietly, Jasper turned us once, and my eyes caught sight of something he had told me about on Wednesday, but I hadn't really believed. With a gasp of laughter, I drew Jasper's startled attention over his left shoulder. When he saw the source of my amusement, the honey blond vampire started snickering all over again, this time louder than before.

Emmett and Alice were dancing together, both sporting stamped-out grins at my reaction. They were just so… different! I couldn't help laughing at the height and size differences.

"I told you, didn't I?" Jasper teased in a deep voice. "But you didn't believe me, did you?"

"Shut up, Jasper," I uttered in embarrassment, cheeks tinged pink. He did as I suggested, but a smile never left his face the entire time we danced.

After a while, I was back in Edward's embrace and spinning the floor with much more confidence than earlier that night.

"You don't seem to have done badly at all," he smirked.

"Okay, so it was fun," I confessed freely. "I just wasn't sure at first. And it took my mind off of the staring."

"Have you looked around lately?" he wondered curiously, some glint of smugness in his eyes. Warily and confusedly doing so, I no longer found myself the object of everyone's gaze. Amazement flitted through me.

"No one seems to be doing much staring now," was his stolid addition.

"Wow, I didn't even realize," I breathed pleasantly. Unfortunately, my pleasant feelings were interrupted by human urges. "Where's the uh…"

"Oh, it's over there," Edward nodded towards a wide entryway in the back wall. "I'll be waiting by the refreshment table, all right?"

"Okay," I smiled slightly, then moved off to the indicated area to take care of my human minutes.

The bathrooms were actually not as bad as I had feared earlier that week. They looked clean and relatively modern, although the lighting was low and awful. When I checked my reflection at the sink, my skin looked as though it was tinted goldenrod, rather than its natural peachy color. Sighing resignedly to this small and (admittedly) insignificant flaw in the bathrooms, I moved to grab a paper towel when I realized I had left my designer purse hanging by its short, thin strap on the door hook inside the stall. Throwing away the harsh brown paper once my hands were dry, I headed back to grab the purse.

No sooner had I disappeared into the stall than did the bathroom door creak open on noisy hinges and a few twittering girls enter the room. At first I didn't pay attention to what they were saying, but just as I was ready to open the stall door again, I found myself the object of their conversation.

"Ugh, did you _see_ her?" one girl commented disgustedly in a very prissy voice.

"The new Cullen girl?" another clarified in a deeper and slightly more mature voice, though equally as unhappy as the first. "Yeah, of course. Who didn't? She walked in like she owned the place."

"Rich kids think they can do whatever they want," a third girl griped, her voice of a distinctly nasal quality. "She'll probably be another stuck-up thing like Rosalie Hale."

"Looks like it," the first girl chimed in icily. "Did you see them in line? Edward Cullen was carrying her ticket. She must be a real snob, if she can't even hold her own ticket. She was too full of herself to even take her own coat off. He did that for her, too."

"Bet he likes her _that_ way," the deep-voiced one remarked with a rude snort. "Like the other ones do with each other. That has to be illegal."

"Like Dr. Cullen practicing plastic surgery on them," the third girl added conspiratorially.

"Doesn't look like he's done much with this one yet," the girl with the deeper voice laughed sarcastically.

"Thank God she's in the grade below me." The first girl let out an exaggerated sigh of relief.

"I know, right?" the second one agreed. "It's bad enough having Hale the ice queen in classes."

"You get all the luck." It was the nasally girl again, and her voice was really starting to bug me. "She's in my grade, from what Samantha heard Mrs. Cope telling Mr. Banner. I'll probably have her in one of my classes. As if that freak Alice Cullen wasn't bad enough with her horrible hair and weird personality."

"I feel for you," the first girl added, words a mask of sickly sweet sympathy. The deeper-voiced girl hmm'd her agreement. The next sound I heard was the door opening and closing, the creaks and squeaking passing straight through me. Minutes passed after they had gone, and all I could do was stand there and think.

They were just some dumb girls. Just stupid kids who didn't know me. And they were too selfish and snotty to try and see me as a person. That was all… I tried to convince myself of that truth; tried to tell myself it didn't matter. But no matter how much I told myself their words were unimportant, it was a terrible challenge to stop tears from flowing down my cheeks.

* * *


	14. Chapter 13: Imitation

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Music In This Chapter:**  
 _I Hate You Then I Love You_ by Celine Dion  & Luciano Pavarotti

**Notes:**  
I would have replied to the reviews, but I honestly didn't know what to say, except a gigantic thank you over and over again. You are all so wonderful!

**Previously** – Mireille and Edward practiced dancing and Edward sulked. Esme and Alice got Mireille ready for Homecoming. Edward helped Mireille with jewelry and corsage. Alice showed Mireille how to put on a boutonniere. The Cullens took pictures together and Emmett gave Mireille the nickname "Mir" as they left. Emmett drove Edward and Mireille in the Volvo. People stared at the newest 'Cullen' and Edward danced with her to ease the nerves. Mireille danced with Emmett and Jasper. Girls gossiped about Mireille in the bathroom and she was hurt.

> **Chapter 13: Imitation**

I wasn't sure how long I stood in the stall fighting back tears, but it seemed too long. Edward certainly was close enough to read my mind, though, and he hadn't sent Alice in. Perhaps it wasn't that long after all.

That blasted bathroom door creaked open again, and I prayed it wasn't someone else with a negative opinion about me.

"Mireille?"

It was Alice, her soft voice just outside the door, and she pushed it open enough to stick her head in. A look of understanding filled her eyes. "Come on out, Mireille."

Nodding too sharply, I waited for her to back out before I opened the stall. Suddenly, Alice embraced me very tightly and murmured firmly into my ear, "Don't you dare listen to what they said. They're just jealous. You are a very sweet person and you don't deserve that kind of talk."

Her kindness, ironically enough, pushed my tears overboard. Embarrassed that I was overacting so strongly, I muttered, "Sorry. This is so stupid… I just… it hurt more than I thought it would."

"It's not stupid," Alice countered quietly, wiping away some of the tears as they fell. "It's hard when people judge you so harshly without ever getting to know you."

"I already guessed they were going to be like that, though," was my weak reply, an unsightly sniffle going along with it.

"It doesn't make it sting any less when you actually hear it," Alice argued, firming up again. "Now, we aren't going to let them think they got to you. That's just what they'd want. So let's clean you up and fix your makeup."

Giving the small woman a slightly watery smile, I let her pull me in front of the mirrors to wipe my face clean of tears and reapply some of my makeup.

"Where in the world did you fit all that?" I asked her somewhat incredulously, allowing my hurt feelings to subside mostly and instead watching as she laid out several products that she must have used on my face.

"Trade secret," Alice winked mischievously, opening the eye shadow container with a quick flick of her wrist. "Close your eyes."

Giggling mutedly, I did as instructed and felt light swipes and brushes along my cheeks and eyes. In no time, I was given the all clear. "There, you're right as rain now."

"Thanks, Alice." I smiled sheepishly, moving into step as she guided me with an arm around my waist.

"It's nothing. We'd better hurry out, though, before Edward and Jasper combust. They were ready to growl at Lauren—"

Blanking out abruptly as Alice kept on talking in a low voice, I realized very quickly why the third girl in the bathroom had seemed somewhat familiar. Granted, I had never heard anyone imitate Lauren Mallory's voice before, but that nasal quality to her voice was directly mentioned in the books.

"—was ready to as well, but thankfully Rosalie stopped him. Not that I blame any of them," Alice was saying coldly as we stepped out onto the dance floor and over to the right, where Edward and Jasper were standing together by the drink table. I briefly wondered if they were holding each other back in the figurative sense.

"Pretty much," Edward admitted darkly, casting an angry gaze across the floor.

I could see a girl with long and perfectly-curled corn silk hair in a strapless, form-fitting, orange taffeta dress, laughing and whispering with three other girls: a heavily highlighted blonde in a vivid purple, one-shoulder taffeta gown; a strawberry-blonde in a strapless, cobalt blue number with sequins and pluming chiffon on the skirt, and one with dark sandy-colored hair in something resembling my great-aunt's ugliest quilt. Her yellowish-white dress was something I wasn't all too sure I wanted to examine, but the thing was so ridiculous that I couldn't help staring a little. Simply put, her grandmother probably hadn't even worn a dress that was so despicably floral.

The first two girls must have been the same ones in the bathroom with Lauren. I wondered if the sandy-haired girl was Samantha, who had been listed in the official guide as a friend of Lauren's – that much I had read in random perusals of the book.

"Would you like to dance?" Edward asked me, forcing himself to a calmer state of being.

"Sure," I agreed, smiling a little to take the edge out of my earlier reaction to being criticized. Alice tugged Jasper out onto the floor as well, only marginally taking away the tight expression which spoke to his own anger at how the three girls had spoken of his wife.

Occasionally as we danced, I recognized more students from the books. Eric Yorkie standing off to the side with a couple of other stag attendees was simple to spot with his trademark oily hair. Jessica Stanley's voluminous black curls, let loose for the night, drew my attention to her short, magenta-clad form. Angela Weber was of course tall and thin, wearing a very dull, strapless navy dress and her light brown hair straight as a pin; it was obvious she didn't have the confidence to do much with her hair or clothes for such events, but she clearly didn't want to miss out on the dances either. I really hoped I could befriend her (and possibly boost her self-confidence). Mike Newton, the last one I spotted, was still wearing his hair in spikes and his face had a definite roundness to it yet, although I could tell it was already beginning to shape into a more adult form.

There was a strange atmosphere in the air after I stopped noticing any book-familiar faces. It was an atmosphere which I was incapable of shaking off, and one which was clearly part of the reason Jasper couldn't lose his agitation very well. Something was moving in some of the gathered group that I didn't like the look of. Staring happened even more frequently than it had the first half of the night and whispers started passing around just out of my range of hearing. The whispering, I noticed, seemed concentrated in students who appeared older than most. Seniors, I determined. I couldn't figure out why, though, and Edward wouldn't speak of it. Even when I asked him outright, he shook his head and frowned uncomfortably. I tried to ask as randomly and as quickly as I could, and in different ways, to perhaps startle him into answering me, but he never faltered.

"Just wait," he said sharply at last, his temper getting the better of him. Glaring icily at him for his rudeness, I snapped my dress coat out of his hands and pulled it on without his aid, stalking away and leaving him to get his own coat and hurry after me. Thankfully we were all leaving a little early and no one else was outside to hear or see our spat.

"Don't do that," he snapped quietly, firmly but comfortably grabbing my elbow as he caught up to me outside the main doors.

"Stop being so rude, then," I snapped back, frustrated with the lack of explanations.

Gritting his teeth, Edward kept silent until we reached his car, where Emmett waited with a remarkably stern face. Sitting in the M3 beside the Volvo, Rosalie, Jasper, & Alice looked rather similar to Emmett. Taking stock of their sudden seriousness, I kept quiet only long enough for us to climb in the back seat.

"What is going on, Edward? I want to know," I practically demanded, staring directly at him.

Sighing exasperatedly and reaching over to buckle the seat belt I had neglected, he finally said, "I only want to say it once. Can you just wait until we get home? You'll know then."

Begrudgingly accepting this proposition, I settled back into my seat for the ride home, not even noticing the trees as they flew by.

"Deputy," Edward remarked once, but other than that, the brief drive was all too silent. Everyone except Alice ran in ahead when we stopped in the driveway, right beside the house. The small vampire came to my side, taking some of my things when I got out.

"Is it really all that bad?" I asked in a sigh, searching her face for honesty.

"It could turn that way," she admitted, putting an arm around me as she had done in the bathroom and leading me inside at my own pace. We stopped to remove our coats in the foyer (in which the bench, I noticed, had been put back) when I decided Elizabeth Masen's pearls needed to come off too. Alice took them from me and disappeared to put them away, with the instruction that I wait there for her. Confusion was my primary response to such an odd request, but further than that I didn't speculate because she was already back.

"We're having a family meeting," she explained upon seeing my puzzled face, guiding me to the dining room.

"Did I do something wrong?" I wondered vulnerably, aghast that I might have done something to hurt their chances of staying in Forks.

"No, of course not!" Alice exclaimed, a shocked expression stuck on her elfin features. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, Edward didn't want to tell me and I thought… I don't know. I was just worried and I didn't want to do something to mess up your chances of staying…" By the last word, my voice had become nearly inaudible with mortification over my mistaken guess.

"Oh, Mir," Alice groaned and sighed simultaneously, shaking her head in pure exasperation, but saying nothing more. Everyone at the table when we approached seemed to be holding back amusement somehow. At the head of the table, Carlisle's mouth was tight from holding back a smile. On his right, Esme held a hand over her smiling lips, and on his left, Edward's eyes gleamed with sharp humor. Emmett shook with chuckles between Esme and a pleasanter-faced Rosalie. Last to catch my eye, Jasper positively trembled with repressed snickering two seats down from Edward. I could feel my cheeks and ears heat up in reaction.

As Alice pushed me ahead of her around the side of the table and took a seat on the other side of Jasper, Edward offered me a helping hand into my chair and wondered irritably, albeit amusedly, "How your mind works itself into these kinds of knots, I will never know."

Glaring instead of blushing now, I folded my arms across my chest and stared at the table. Unwillingly, I felt the irritation fade thanks to Jasper's finger against my exposed elbow. Coughing past a slight chuckle, Carlisle finally began the meeting. "Alice, you only said there is a troubling development amongst some of the students. Can you explain now?"

"It was actually Edward who noticed it first," Alice answered, turning grim. "I told you of the girls who were talking about Mireille. And a little about us…"

The brothers all growled and I could have sworn I felt vibrations from the men on either side of me. Carlisle nodded his acknowledgement, eyeing me sympathetically when I grimaced. Alice eyed me in concern, too, before she went on, "Well, Edward heard the senior, Vanessa Travis, think of teaching Mireille her 'place' in the school."

A loud gasp left Esme and me at the same time, our eyes wide and expressions disturbed. Edward and Jasper each took one of my hands, one to calm and the other to comfort.

"Is that why we left?" I asked quietly, hardly able to believe someone hated me that badly already.

"Not that moment, no," Alice sighed unhappily, traces of anger in her voice. "What settled it was when Rosalie overheard – and I saw – Vanessa, her boyfriend Greg, and her junior friend Whitney planning to jump you after the dance."

"What!" I yelped in deeper shock and added fear.

"I'm sorry," Alice sighed again, her face troubled. "I think it's because they don't feel any resistance to you, since you're human. They don't feel that need to stay away."

"And they are heaping all their jealousy for our family onto the one member they now feel they can safely alienate," Rosalie added coldly.

"That's why you didn't want me walking off by myself," I suddenly pieced together, turning to face Edward with recognition dawning on my face.

"I didn't know when they would head outside precisely," he nodded gravely. "I was afraid they might get even a hit or two in before we could reach you."

"We need to employ deterrents as much as possible," Jasper suggested knowledgeably.

"You obviously have thought out some options," Carlisle sighed, deeply troubled by the developments. "What are you planning?"

"We have to make sure one of us in each of her classes," Edward replied.

"And I'll be coming with her if she needs to use the bathroom," Alice added apologetically. "It's the only safe way."

"But they already have my class worksheet," I said worriedly.

"We can get into the system and change it," was Emmett's blasé solution, shrugging as he spoke.

"Er… okay."

"You'll have to get used to it, Mir," the big vampire laughed, no longer bothered now that we had a plan. "Got to do what you got to do."

Edward snorted sarcastically, but thankfully the meeting came to an end before he could say anything.

"Just be on the alert," Carlisle concluded, focusing on me in particular. "It may not be your usual way, but please be extremely cautious."

Nodding was the extent of my response as we all rose from the table or – in the case of Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper – disappeared entirely.

A thought hit me then, however. "What about sunny days?"

"You should probably miss those as a rule of thumb," Carlisle sighed.

"Okay," I sighed also.

"I know you would prefer to stay if possible," he apologetically replied. "I wish you didn't have to miss, but for both our cover story and your safety, it would be best."

Nodding resignedly, I decided changing was my next order of business, so I went upstairs to my closet.

After I removed my shoes, washed my face, and took my hair down, however, I found I didn't want to take my dress off. For a fashion statement, it was remarkably comfortable and the skirt was freeing in a way. After dances in high school, I had always felt a strange urge to keep the dresses on after I returned home. I was never sure why.

Scuffing the carpet on my way into the main area of the room, I wondered why the girls at the high school would be so angry that they would want to hurt me. It bothered me more than I had admitted or shown at the meeting downstairs, much as I tried to quell the feeling. Slouching overtook me and I sighed as I sat disconsolately on the edge of the bed facing the office space.

"You aren't the first one they've decided to haze," Edward spoke consolingly from behind me. "It's not because of anything _you've_ done."

I just shrugged. Did it matter much anyway? They were doing it to me regardless.

"Of course it matters," he sighed, walking around the bed to face me. When I refused to look up from my feet hanging off the side of the bed, he knelt before me and lifted my chin with his fingertip. "I just want to make sure you aren't blaming yourself for their decision to be bullies."

"I'm not," I replied honestly. "I've just never had to face this kind of… of… persecution, I guess. I'm not used to being so blatantly despised."

"I know," he allowed gently, pulling his finger away. "Try not to let it get you down. Vanessa and Greg will be gone by June. I've heard their thoughts about college and getting out of this place for good. Whitney doesn't really want to join in on their hazing anyway, so once the seniors are gone, she won't even bother with that behavior. We'll keep you safe until then."

"Thanks," I smiled slightly at him, though I was still feeling a little down.

"Why don't we put some music on?" Edward suggested on a much lighter note, standing in a lightning quick movement and offering his hands to me. "Pick whatever you want. As a matter of fact, why don't you dig through your CD case? I'm curious as to what you like that I don't have."

"And probably won't ever have," I said wryly. "Celine Dion will never be your style, for one thing."

"Do tell," he chuckled, letting me walk ahead of him.

"Do you mind if I listen to her?" I made sure, looking over my shoulder at his good-humored face.

"I did say pick whatever you want," he pointed out.

After picking out one of my Celine Dion CDs and putting it in, I took a seat on one of the two armless, pale aqua chairs that flanked the hall on either side, Edward's dark gold drapes for acoustics covering the pale gold wall behind them. Edward slipped onto his reupholstered sofa, bravely facing the music he could hardly be a big fan of. Everything went fairly simply for a while, Edward behaving quite kindly about my musical preference, until it got to track fourteen 'I Hate You Then I Love You'.

I'd always enjoyed the song's mixture of Celine Dion's voice and Luciano Pavarotti's – the mix of pop and opera. But two minutes into the song, Edward gave me no warning when I heard something that threw me for a complete one-eighty.

" _You make me long for you_ …" came a loud and false Italian operatic voice from behind us, clearly trying to match the way Pavarotti sang the words.

Turning slowly around, my jaw fallen open and eyes nearly popping out, I found _Emmett_ standing in a more casual outfit of jeans and tee shirt at the end of the hall as he continued to imitate Pavarotti's part of the song. Thirty seconds of staring at his dramatic face and listening to his purposely ridiculous attempts, and I got a second shock in the form of a high soprano imitating Celine Dion's part just as exaggeratedly as Emmett, " _Then I love you… I love you more_ …"

Alice appeared at Emmett's elbow, also in a more casual outfit, the two of them now feeding off of each other and getting more melodramatic every time they sang a new line. When they finished the soft, slow ending with a cheesy look of adoration, I sat gaping in blatant disbelief, only vaguely recognizing Edward's heavily muffled snickers. Alice found time to snap a picture of me in my frozen pose and Edward bent over with laughter.

"Well, how was it?" Emmett had the gall to ask, grinning wider than should be allowed after such a disgustingly blasphemous performance. Edward finally exploded with laughter and I could hear a matching laugh somewhere on the other side of Emmett and Alice, the combined roar startling me into facing that ducked head of bronze with saucer-sized eyes.

"Is he _serious_?" I asked at last, my voice high and incredulous. More laughter broke out and I did not get an answer. The blank look on Emmett's face told it all, anyway.

"Come on, Em," Alice sighed, shaking her head in mock sadness. "Some people just don't appreciate artists."

"See if we serenade _you_ again," Emmett scolded, shaking his finger at me like I was a misbehaving puppy before he left with his tiny sister.

"You should have seen your face," Edward still laughed, though now capable of sitting up. "It was absolutely priceless."

"That was complete misrepresentation," I retorted. "I loved that song and now I don't even think I'll be able to listen to it again without cringing."

"He just thought you needed cheering up," Edward murmured hesitantly, his smile becoming more serious. Pretty much instantly, I felt ungrateful.

"I'm not trying to give you a guilt-trip," he told me before I could even wonder. "I would probably be just as annoyed if Emmett and Alice did that to me. Actually more so… I'm just letting you know Emmett didn't intend to ruin the song for you."

"Sorry, Emmett," I muttered almost under my breath, ashamed of being so touchy about a stupid song. "And Alice."

"It's okay." It was Alice who appeared in the alcove again, looking quite accepting. "Emmett would say the same, but Rosalie is kind of upset with him."

' _Why?_ ' the question rang in my mind. I knew better than to say it aloud with Rosalie possibly listening.

Edward left and then reappeared with a pad of paper and a pen, scribbling a note at a human pace and offering it to me.

**_She secretly loves Celine Dion and Emmett knows that, but he still made fun of it. He wasn't thinking; he just didn't like the sad look on your face downstairs, so he wanted to make you feel better._ **

"Oh," I sighed, again feeling ashamed of my negative reaction. Why couldn't I have just laughed? It _was_ pretty funny, now that I thought back on it. As a matter of fact, if I had been reading a fanfiction story where Emmett and Alice did that, I would have cracked up.

"Don't worry about it so much," Alice tried to reassure me, smiling convincingly. "You've had a nasty shock tonight. And remember to change out of that dress before bed. You'll be achy all tomorrow if you don't."

My lips twitched. "Okay."

"Night, Mir!" she chirped and sped out the door. I didn't bother to say goodnight.

"Would you like to sleep now?" Edward inquired. "It's been a long day for you."

"I guess I should if I want to be up at a reasonable time tomorrow," I admitted, rising from the chair and moving into my closet to change into a pair of white and pink pajamas.

Edward already had a soft classical piece playing just loud enough for me to hear from the bed and the covers of said bed pulled down for me. The vampire himself waited at the foot of the bed, searching for something in the cushioned bench.

"What are you looking for?" I asked through a lengthy yawn, stretching my arms above my head comfortably.

"Gatsby," he murmured absently, rising from his bent position with a thoughtful frown on his face. "Do you know where it went?"

"I thought it was in the window seat," I commented with a frown of my own as I tried to remember where I had seen the book last.

"I could have sworn it ended up in here," he said, pointing down to the bench. "Are you sure it was in the window seat?"

"Oh!" I exclaimed as I recalled finally. "It was mine in the window seat. I don't know where your copy went."

"Strange," he uttered with pursed lips. "I'll have to look for it."

"Just use mine," I shrugged. "I'm not going to need it while I'm sleeping, you know."

"If you don't mind," he acquiesced.

I shook my head, climbing into bed and pulling the covers over me while he searched out _The Great Gatsby_ in the window seat.

"Goodnight, Edward," I yawned again, settling further into the blankets. It was amazing how quickly sleep crept up on me once I was cocooned.

"Goodnight, Mireille," Edward responded and removed himself to the alcove for the night.

The next morning I woke up earlier than I had expected, feeling strangely energetic – enthusiastic, even – as I washed up, brushed my teeth, and later pulled my hair back into a high ponytail. I didn't think much on the reason for it, but I was glad when Edward let me know Jasper wasn't around to be driven crazy by my unexpected emotions.

"Where is he?" I questioned him through my closet door, which I had left open a couple inches so I could talk with him while I changed into dark gray pants, a light pink sweater, and sequined flats to match.

"Hunting," he answered simply.

"I'm guessing Alice went with him?"

"Yes. Emmett and Rosalie went, too."

"What about you?"

"I went with Carlisle and Esme last night, a little while after you fell asleep," he explained.

"Oh, that's good," I said, pulling on my jeans. "By the way… um, this is kind of an embarrassing question, but how are you ignoring my mind right now?"

"By focusing on Carlisle's," he confessed laughingly. "He's reading a Lithuanian medical text for me."

"You asked him to do that?" I giggled a little.

"No, he just knows me all too well," Edward sounded highly entertained.

"And now he's probably grinning over this conversation," I laughed, finally slipping into the flats and exiting the closet to find Edward smiling himself.

"He is," was the amused reply. My good humor was thoroughly disrupted when I noticed the _Twilight_ books sitting on the chair by Edward's closet.

"I hope you don't mind," he frowned slightly, catching the slight downturn of my thoughts. "On Wednesday, you said we would discuss them today, so…"

"I did, didn't I?" Much as I became nervous about the family reading the books, I realized now that my enthusiasm was also caused by the day's events. "When are the others coming back?"

"Alice said they'd be here in an hour," he answered more comfortably. "After you eat breakfast, Carlisle wants to talk for a few minutes about the books."

"Okay," I nodded, wondering what he would wish to talk about, but not asking. I would find out soon enough anyway.

Breakfast was just as rushed as my energy pushed me to be. Within fifteen minutes of sitting down to eat eggs, fruit, and yogurt, I was heading upstairs with Esme to Carlisle's office, where the patriarch and Edward sat talking in low voices. Their conversation ceased when I entered the room, though I could tell it wasn't because they were hiding anything. Just simple courtesy.

"Hello, Mireille," Carlisle greeted me with a smile. "How are you this morning?"

"Energetic for some reason," I confessed lightly, taking the seat parallel to Edward's in front of the desk while Esme moved to perch on the arm of her husband's chair. Carlisle's arm slipped unconsciously about her waist. "Must be because we're planning to discuss the books or something."

"That's good," he chuckled.

"You wanted to talk about them, right?" I prompted patiently.

"Not exactly," he hedged, obviously curious. "…I found some other items of yours."

"What do you mean?" I wondered in surprise. "We searched everywhere, didn't we Edward?"

"Everywhere that was available at the time," he corrected with a wry expression.

"I don't get it," I admitted, frowning very deeply.

"When you searched the house," Carlisle started to explain, "I had left my case of journals and paperwork in my office at the hospital. It was only Friday that I brought it home. And only today that I looked through it."

"What was in it?" was my stunned inquiry.

"The first thing I noticed was this manuscript," he told me, tapping a loosely bound stack of paper on the desk before him. "I only read the title, which I recall you telling me about."

" _Midnight Sun_ ," I labeled it without even looking at it.

"Yes," he nodded. "But there are also these smaller, bound packets. I believe they are those outtakes and extra scenes you mentioned."

Almost dazedly I lifted up each packet and read off the titles. Sure enough, they were the various extras that Stephenie Meyer had posted on her website.

"But why are they printed? I never had a physical copy of any of these. They were all on the computer."

"Maybe in the future you typed them yourself, so you would have a physical copy," Edward mentioned with a shrug.

"I guess that makes sense," I sighed. "I did start to type copies of the books, since I was writing… well…"

I didn't want to admit I had been typing a characters-read-the-book fic. That was irony of the worst kind.

"A characters read the book fic?" Edward quoted, stamping out a grin viciously. "I guess you didn't spare any expense this time, did you?"

"Shut up!" I exclaimed, laughing a bit and trying to shove his immobile body.

"All right," Carlisle laughed, holding his hands up to stop our quibbling.

"Now," he continued after we had calmed. "Mireille, there's more."

"More?" I half yelped. If it wasn't any of Stephenie Meyer's writing… "Oh no! Please, don't tell me my stories are there!"

Carlisle and Edward's grinning faces sent me groaning miserably into my hands, "This is going to be _aw_ ful."

"It will not be," Edward ribbed, poking my shoulder in an effort to have me look at him. It failed, I was proud to say.

"Mireille, we won't read them if you don't want us to," Esme laughed understandingly. "But we are all rather curious how you wrote about us before you actually met us."

"And I think it's ironic," Edward added, "that only significant things have shown up for you. It makes me think these are important, too."

I couldn't speak. My face would probably never return to its normal color if they read my stories.

"It's entirely up to you, my dear," Carlisle offered, chuckling as my face flooded with red. "I just wanted you to know they are here."

Not once would I ever allow myself to read those stories, even for myself. Edward would be able to see it, so there was no way.

"I'm not going to blackmail you or anything," the vampire in question scoffed. "I just find it fascinating, that's all."

"Carlisle," I forced my self to speak at last, "Did you read anything of those?"

"A line or two," he admitted, making me groan again. "But only because I wondered what they were. After I realized, I stopped reading. I am sorry, though."

"Why does this have to happen to me?" I asked myself. "Of all the embarrassing things…"

"It's not like you knew us then," Edward protested. "It's not going to make us angry. As long as you don't have Esme married to… _Emmett_ … Well, that might disgust us or make us laugh, actually, but that's not the point."

Esme blanched at the suggestion of her and Emmett married, and under better circumstances I would have joined Carlisle in muffling laughter. Sighing, I finally said embarrassedly, "After you have read all of the books and extra scenes… I'll think about it, okay? Just don't _expect_ it, please."

"Very well," Carlisle chuckled again. "Aside from that, I wanted to talk to you about your education."

"What about it?" I inquired nervously, still mostly looking at my feet.

"I wonder if you would like to have lessons for the rest of this semester," he suggested. "To catch you up on the things you remember and help you understand things you've never taken."

"That would be nice, probably," I agreed, daring to catch his eye. Kind was his gaze, so I didn't look away.

"Most of the lessons would have to be on the weekend, since I work and the others go to school. But if there is something you could learn from Esme, then that could happen during the week. Now, as far as what your lessons will be, that depends on what you desire help with."

"Everything," I responded flatly. "Maybe even some subjects I was supposed to have learned before this semester, like geometry and world history."

"All right," he nodded, turning slightly businesslike as he wrote down my preferences. "So lessons in geometry, algebra, Spanish, English, history, and chemistry?"

"That sounds about right," I nodded, feeling the blush finally fade from my cheeks.

"When would you get up in the mornings?"

"I don't know. I want to get up early so I get in a routine for school, so…"

"How about six o'clock?" Esme suggested. "It usually takes you a little under an hour-and-a-half to get ready and have breakfast. And school starts at seven-thirty, so that's exactly enough time."

"Works for me."

"Would you like your lessons to cover an average school day?" Carlisle asked. "Or would you like them spread out more, so you can take breaks in-between?"

"Spread out," I immediately answered.

"All right. What I want you to do, then, is work on laying out a plan at some point tomorrow. List everything you'd like to spend time doing throughout the day, your meals, and your lessons. Then try mapping out a schedule you feel comfortable with."

"All right," I agreed easily. It actually sounded fun; like I was putting together a puzzle.

"As for reading the books," the doctor continued, "We'll have to create something of schedule for that, too. We can start today, however, if everyone agrees."

"We do!" Alice cried excitedly as she burst into the room, laying a cheery kiss on the crown of my head, pulling me to my feet, and dragging me out the door as she called behind her, "Bring all the books, the extras, and the manuscript, Carlisle!"

Her father, mother, and brother's laughter followed us to the stairs shortly before the three people themselves did. Quicker than I had expected, the entire family gathered in the living area – even Rosalie. She and Emmett shared a couch, as did Carlisle and Esme. Edward and I took the chairs, and Jasper and Alice sat on the floor in front of the hearth.

As Edward laid all the books and writings in front of us on the huge coffee table, Alice added more quietly, "Mireille has some points to make before we begin, so we need to listen."

In spite of my nervousness, I tried to remember everything I had thought about warning them of, or explaining beforehand.

"Well, the first thing is just… remember this has not even happened yet. I don't feel it would be fair to get really angry or yell at anyone for something they haven't said or done. A little reaction is understandable, since none of us are automatons, but please don't start screaming at someone or… blaming them for things that haven't occurred."

I couldn't help my gaze sliding to Rosalie, who I was sure would be furious when she saw how Edward kept messing up around Bella.

"I'm guessing you mean me, in particular?" she asked dryly, raising an eyebrow at my brief glance.

"Well in _Twilight_ , especially, you kind of flip out on Edward," I tired to carefully word my answer, though it wasn't working out quite how I'd hoped. "I just would prefer if you didn't do that here. Mentally or verbally. There are things you won't like and I know I can't stop you, but… I'm just asking you not to go calling names…"

My words softened to practically nothing at the end. How in the world could I convince Rosalie to not be angry? It seemed an impossible task. Feeling uncomfortable under her steady golden stare, I fidgeted and shrugged, looking down at my hands.

"What else did you want to say?" Carlisle intervened gently.

"Um… well, Esme," I started more nervously than ever, trying still to keep my words kind. "Edward's behavior in the books can be rude and… well, kind of dumb sometimes. No offense, Edward."

"None taken," he smirked while Emmett laughed loudly.

"Anyway, I don't know how big you are on pointing out rudeness and all that, but I think you might want to ease up on it while we read. It's only going to get people down if their every little word is scolded and reproached."

"I try not to be too demanding on that count," Esme actually laughed. "I know that everyone's sense of humor and rudeness can be quite different from mine, so I do try to curtail too much reprimanding. Thank you for reminding me, though, dear."

Breathing a sigh a relief, I moved onto something else. "Okay, another thing is you, Emmett."

"What'd I do?" he instantly asked. Everyone laughed at his quick expectation of having done something wrong.

"Just limit the making-fun, please?" I begged with the best puppy dog pout I could muster.

"Uh…" Emmett tried to reply, scratching his head in some confusion as he tried to get past my pouting features. "Okay…"

"Thank you," I smiled sweetly at him in gratitude, ignoring the restrained laughter from the rest of the family.

"Oh, they learn so fast," Alice sniffled as if she were letting go of her baby for the first time.

"Alice? I'm almost twenty-one years old here."

"Oh, shut up," she giggled, reaching over to push my knee lightly.

"One thing I wanted to say is for you, Edward," I informed him seriously.

"Yes?" he prompted with equal seriousness.

"You have to have _hope_. Got me?"

Tilting his head to examine my earnest face, Edward stretched out his arm across the space between us to take my hand in his. "I'll try."

Smiling at his willingness, I figured it was time to admit to something I had been concealing for a few days. I didn't allow myself to focus on Edward's confused face.

"Jasper?" I addressed the former Major hesitantly after a minute, but found I couldn't push the words out of my mouth when he looked at me expectantly. Instead, I looked to Alice to see if my question would be all right.

She answered my question with glazed eyes. "It's all right, Mireille. You can ask him."

"Ask me what?" Jasper queried patiently, leaning forward in interest.

Taking a deep breath, I asked, "Would Maria have any reason to come after you?"

Taken aback, Jasper's eyes widened slightly. "I don't know. I mean… I realize she lost a lot of territory without my ability under her control, but when we met her again in Calgary, she left fairly peaceably. For her, at least. Why are you concerned about that? Do the books…?"

"No, she never appears in them," I quickly reassured him. "The only time she's brought up is when you finally tell Bella your story."

"Then why?"

"I just… I don't really know how to say it… I've had a strange feeling for a few days."

"What kind of feeling?" he asked me as calmly and as practiced as if he were talking Alice through a vision.

"A feeling that I'm going to meet Maria."

The room erupted in shocked exclamations, even from Edward and Alice, but Jasper stayed remarkably quiet, a pensive and calculating look on his face.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Edward demanded, aghast at my hidden feelings.

"I didn't want anyone to freak out," I rapidly defended myself. "Maybe it's only because of me reading Jasper's story that I started feeling like that. Maria freaks me out as a general rule, so maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe I'm still adjusting to being in a totally different world from what I've known…"

"That night," Jasper spoke calmly, pushing the feeling through the room, "when we first found your certificates and the books, you felt a sudden spike of hate… Was that for Maria?"

I merely nodded my assent.

"And you also feel that you'll meet her somehow?"

"Yes," I added very quietly, blue locking with bright gold.

Jasper was silent for a long moment, until he finally frowned and spoke, "I can't explain why, but I believe Mireille may be right."

"What?" Esme gasped concernedly. "But that would mean…"

"Death," Rosalie bluntly put forth, though her eyes were steely. I shivered unconsciously.

"Or change," Edward suggested more quietly, taking my hand again.

"If Mireille turns out to have a gift that is noticeable in this life, then yes," Jasper agreed with his brother. "Maria has a distinct sense about gifted vampires, although she does not know what the gifts are. She has no actual ability like Eleazar has. Just intuition. Perhaps that is all Mireille has, but I'm afraid of risking that assumption."

"As am I," Carlisle added gravely. "Mireille, do you feel that this is a very imminent danger?"

"No, not really," I shook my head. "More like it will happen eventually."

"At least there's that," Emmett frowned.

Jasper again gazed at my face, but I was unable to read his expression. At last, he spoke. "I don't _ever_ want you to meet that creature, Mireille. I hardly know what I would have to do to prevent it, but I would do most anything to keep someone from being forced into the kind of life I once led. I don't want you to become like me."

"That depends on how you mean," I argued softly, daring to reach for his clenched hand. He stiffened, but Alice gently stopped him from moving. "If you mean living through the hell that you did, then I agree. But if you mean your personality… Well, I hope I can have as much dignity and strength as you've had."

"Don't argue!" I snapped commandingly as he moved to interrupt, startling him. "No one could live through that and then lead this kind of life without strength of character."

Pausing to take in the force behind my words, Jasper finally nodded, "Thank you."

"Welcome," I mumbled, slouching back in my seat and watching Alice wrap her tiny arms around Jasper's chest.

"I don't feel there is much we can do if we do not at least catch a glimpse of our futures," Carlisle said in conclusion. "Let's start reading, shall we?"

"I think alternating chapters of _Twilight_ and _Midnight Sun_ should be read until the end of the manuscript," I suggested.

"A good idea," Carlisle agreed.

"Oh!" I recalled suddenly that certain people should probably not read certain chapters. Like Rosalie reading ' _Port Angeles'_. I winced at the implications of that. "Some of you probably shouldn't read particular chapters of the books, so I need to know the chapter title before you start reading. If I stop someone from reading, please don't be upset."

"After each chapter we'll just hand the book over to you for a decision," Alice agreed, handing the first book over to me. "Why don't you start?"

"Actually," I hesitated, laying the book back down, to everyone's curious stares. "I have one last suggestion to make."

"We're listening," Edward replied for all concerned.

"I think you should read them aloud, but at a vampire pace," I announced. Protests arose, but I waved them away. "I've already read the books. I don't need to go through them again to know what happens and how I feel or what I think about it. But I think for time purposes we could finish most of this very soon and plan as soon as possible for any changes that need to be made. What I do ask, however, is that you stop at the end of the first chapter, at least, and we'll all discuss it. Otherwise, it's more productive for me to wait out each chapter. While you're reading it together, I could even make a list of who is best to read each chapter."

"That does sound like an exceedingly wise plan," Carlisle smiled. "But why don't you take a few minutes to work out the readers beforehand? We have time for that if we're reading at our speed. Does everyone agree?"

Nods around the room convinced me we could begin and I removed the glossy book cover to have only the matte black binding underneath. As I opened the cover of _Twilight_ to write down who would read each chapter, I felt my fingers tingling in anticipation of a very rough journey for me and my new friends.

* * *


	15. Chapter 14: Ideas

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Music In This Chapter:**  
 _Someday_ by Ernie Haase  & Signature Sound  
 _John in the Jordan_ by Ernie Haase  & Signature Sound  
 _Get Away Jordan_ by Ernie Haase  & Signature Sound  
 _Right Place, Right Time_ by Ernie Haase  & Signature Sound

**Notes:**  
I will not be writing out the chapter and having the group comment on it. I wanted to, but it's too drawn out for the purposes of this story.

**Previously** – Alice comforted Mireille and they returned to the dance floor. The Cullens danced more and Mireille noticed certain people at the dance. The students at the dance began to act oddly and Edward acted secretive. Mireille was irritated, stormed off, and Edward followed her. Back at the house, everyone explains the villainy of Vanessa Travis and Greg Overman, and the threatened inclusion of Whitney Duran. Edward and Mireille discussed Vanessa and Greg. Emmett and Alice mocked a Celine Dion song to make Mireille feel better. The next day, Carlisle revealed Mireille's fanfiction had appeared, then asked Mireille to create a daily tutoring schedule. Mireille prepared the Cullens to read the books and discussed a feeling that she would one day meet Maria. The Cullens began the first chapter of _Twilight_ while Mireille began to create a reading order.

> **Chapter 14: Ideas  
>  **

It was surprising how quickly I sorted through who would read what chapters in the first book and the match-up of _Twilight_ and _Midnight Sun_ , since some of Edward's chapters hadn't matched exactly with Bella's. And I hadn't even given Edward any unnecessary hints of what would happen.

"All right," I announced after a little while, "For the most part you'll read in an order, but occasionally I've switched it so certain people are reading particular parts. Carlisle seems to be the neutral reader more often than anyone, so don't be surprised if he reads the most."

A chuckle spread over the eight of us at that indicator.

"I also decided that it's better for each reader to double up _Twilight_ chapters with _Midnight Sun_ chapters. So until _Midnight Sun_ is over, you'll all read a chapter from each book and then you can talk or just move on or whatever you want. Is that all right?"

"It'll be great," Alice confirmed with a single nod, eyes coming back into focus. "Now tell us our general reading order."

"Carlisle reads first, then Esme, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. And any changes I've added in are pretty clear. Carlisle, you should read the _Twilight_ chapter first."

"Wonderful!" Alice piped up excitedly, grabbing the book and tossing it into Carlisle's hands.

"Talk to you in a few," I chuckled, pulling _New Moon_ into my lap so I could prepare a readers list for it, too.

They chuckled with me and then turned their attention to Carlisle. Suddenly all I could hear was a sound similar to a whispering wind and I found myself staring in awe at the rate Carlisle's mouth moved. I may have actually blinked a few times, because Edward grinned at me. Shaking myself, I returned focus to my list. That didn't stop me from hearing sudden bouts of grumbling, snapping, giggling, and laughter, of course. The whole spectrum of emotions seemed to be covered throughout the reading. I had gone about halfway on my list when I noticed Carlisle and Alice trade off the book for the manuscript. Luckily, I figured I'd be finished by the time he was, but I sped up a little anyway to make sure.

When I scribbled the last name, I heard a collective sigh around me. Looking up, I saw Carlisle set the manuscript over on the coffee table with a rather stunned expression, matched by Esme. Edward appeared more than stunned, he seemed absolutely shell-shocked. Rosalie looked concerned, but angry, and Emmett had a certain worried curiosity about him. Alice gave off a more excited than worried air, a certain gleam in her eyes, while Jasper seemed flabbergasted. Despite the different expressions, I could tell there was an overall sense of pride. I was pretty sure I knew why.

"Well?" I prompted, anxious to hear their thoughts. Not that they weren't obvious from the faces everyone made, but I needed words to work through it all.

"You were right," Alice remarked first, looking over at me with a growing smile. "Edward _was_ tough as nails. Not that I doubted you."

"Told you," I smiled back.

"If I didn't already know you have read this and understood it, Mireille, I would be positively terrified by Bella's observations," Carlisle admitted with a raised brow.

"I still am," Jasper muttered awkwardly, fidgeting where he sat and casting a nervous glance at his wife.

"I'm not terrified, I'm disgusted," Rosalie spat, arms crossed in fury. "We can't even _try_ and avoid notice with her."

"She'd never tell anything to anyone," I firmly told the blonde, who looked only slightly less angry for my assurance, though I did get the feeling she believed me.

"I think Bella sounds great." Emmett grinned slightly. "She made some bad jokes there, but sometimes she's pretty funny. Like when she trips over air."

Rosalie glared at her husband, instantly shutting him up and wiping the grin off his face.

"I hope Edward is all right in the next chapter," Esme fretted, laying a soothing hand on her eldest son's arm, and I could tell her hopes also applied to the present. He still hadn't responded to anything we'd said.

"Edward?" I prodded him gently, reaching for his hand. The change in physical temperature might move him where Esme could not.

"I'm listening," he quietly replied, still staring at his hands where we grasped them. "I just… I'm afraid of this. Afraid of reading further… Afraid of k—"

Abruptly he had stopped himself from saying 'killing' and I felt badly for him. This chapter and his struggle was not something he would want to hear, even if he had already known Bella was his singer.

"Edward?" I pushed again, drawing his reluctant eyes up to mine. "You are not going to kill Bella Swan. I know it. There is no doubt."

He could hardly refute the sincerity and determination in my voice. "I'll still be worried about this," he admitted freely, though he squeezed my hand in thanks.

"That's normal," I shrugged. "Honestly, I'm worried about all of this, too. But if you don't read, you'll go at it blind."

Nodding slowly, he squeezed my hand one more time and steeled himself to hear more of the story.

"Okay," I spoke again, looking around at the others, "Do you want to keep stopping after every chapter? Or would you prefer to stop after all the books are finished or what?"

"I think it might be best to just keep reading all the way through," Carlisle suggested thoughtfully. "You've already written out who reads which parts, haven't you?"

"Yeah, it's all here." I gestured to the paper in front of me. "I just finished the list for _New Moon_. And I'll be able to finish the lists for _Eclipse_ and _Breaking Dawn_ while you read the first book."

"Mireille, why don't you read the official guide when you're done with the lists?" Edward suggested. "It will give you something to do."

"That's a good idea," I agreed, surprised. "I will do that."

"Let's get reading, then. Esme, you're next with the first book." Alice clapped happily and Esme cautiously picked up _Twilight_.

After I finished determining the readers for the last couple books, the information I found in the guide kept me so engrossed that I was barely aware of the various reactions the family had as they read. A few exceptionally loud growls here, some snaps and sniffles there, but little else broke through for a while. Granted, when they reached parts like the nomads' entrance (or so I guessed), there was a lot of negative noise. Growling, snarling, and the like did enter my bubble occasionally. Outside of that, my own reactions were strong enough to block them out until I had finished the guide.

I was upset to learn that Edward was more than correct about his father not being home a lot, but at the same time I was a little overemotional about the fact that Carlisle had so easily given Edward what Mr. Masen had not in their relationship. Absently, I wondered how Edward was handling hearing my thoughts on the guide book mixed with reading the other book.

"It's easy, actually," the vampire himself commented, startling me from staring at the open book on my lap to glimpse his furrowed brows. "Sorry… I have been able to mostly focus on the others' thoughts, so I didn't hear much of what you were thinking on the guide."

"Why aren't you reading?"

"We're not starting _Eclipse_ just yet," he explained.

" _Eclipse_!" I started, stunned by how far they had read. "Wow. You're done with the first two books already?"

"Yes, we were reading quite quickly," he nodded. "But we are pausing for the moment."

"Why?" I wondered incredulously, but my own grumbling stomach answered my question. The sound surprised me. "Oh! How long has that been going on?"

"Since the last quarter of _New Moon_ ," Edward chuckled, though not as brightly as usual.

"Where are the others?" I asked, gazing avidly at his face to judge the expression I found there. It was a very mixed up sight. Somehow relieved, yet also nervous, downhearted, and regretful.

"Esme and Carlisle are making you lunch," he answered, gesturing towards the kitchen at the opposite end of the house. "The others went out a little bit ago for a short break. Jasper and Rosalie particularly needed some time to think."

"Was everyone really upset with you about…" I couldn't bring myself to say his 'suicide attempt'.

"Not as upset as I would have thought." He frowned heavily, the trademark brooding look – one that I had originally expected would always be on his face – taking up residence now. "More than anything, everyone was… remarkably sympathetic. Emmett and Alice were angry at first – when we read chapter eighteen – wondering why I would hurt the family like that, but Jasper and Carlisle talked them through what I might be feeling if… something like that happened. After mine and Rosalie's extra scenes were read, they weren't angry anymore."

"Rosalie let you read her part?" I was amazed.

"After hearing mine, she felt it was only right," he murmured, seeming surprised himself. "And she wanted to know what she was thinking at the time, too. Although I grant you, her words were a bit coarser than that."

"Did Jasper feel…" Again, I didn't want to say out loud what was on my mind, but Edward took the lead.

"He wasn't even remotely angry about Alice ending up in Volterra because of me," Edward admitted, although the look on his face suggested he believed differently. "He said it was just a misunderstanding and how could I have known… And he said that Aro was to blame for his greed and violence. Like Maria."

"Then you should listen to him," I determinedly told the bronze-haired young man. "Because he's right."

"I know," he sighed disappointedly. "I just can't believe I actually went to Aro to _ask_ that. Why not just make the scene and keep the family safe from him? I mean, if I wanted to die that was one thing, but to expose everyone's thoughts and gifts and weaknesses like that? It frustrates me to no end!"

"Ease up," I insisted calmly. "It hasn't happened, okay? You can avoid all of that."

"You're right," he agreed, sighing again. "Forgive me. It's a trying experience, seeing things that you might do if someone hadn't been there to warn you how idiotic it would be. Thank you for helping us with this."

"I like you guys, remember?" was my wry response.

He laughed lightly, taking my hand appreciatively. "Well, thank you anyway."

"Anything else you guys felt really strongly about?"

"It took Rosalie slapping Jasper to get him to sit back down after the party incident."

"Huh? How did I miss that?" Now I was the one shell-shocked.

"He zipped outside and she caught him there," Edward smirked, "which was a trick, considering she read that chapter herself… Jasper's face was fantastic. Didn't even see it coming."

Snorting with laughter, I tried to imagine that scene in my head, but failed. "Has he actually let the incident go, though?"

"Not really," he sighed. "It will take time for him to get over his so-called moment of weakness."

"By the way," I mentioned as a sudden idea came to me. "I've read stories where people think Jasper's empathetic ability makes him feel the thirst of everyone around him. What do you think of that idea?"

Edward appeared very startled and extremely curious. "None of us have ever even thought about that kind of idea. And _what_ an idea it is… I'm not sure, though. We'll talk about that when they return."

"Good," I smiled my appreciation, then instantly turned serious. "But I'll be having words with him anyway. Now, what else did you guys have a big reaction to?"

"James and Victoria are going to be dead as soon as possible," he said oh-so-nonchalantly. "But you probably expected that… What?"

A pensive look had overcome my face. I remembered reading a fanfiction story where the Cullens went after James and Victoria immediately after the books. And I also remembered the part where Laurent had been pushed to give information after the Volturi found out about it all from other nomads. I didn't want to risk that.

"I see," Edward frowned again. "That's a good point. We'll discuss it after we're finished. What have you found in there?" He pointed to the guide.

"Did you hear what I read about your father?"

"I did," he nodded a bit uncomfortably. "I wish he had cared more, but I have Carlisle now. He doesn't need any help in that department."

The last line was thrown a bit more loudly towards the kitchen area, and I distantly heard a warm chuckle. Edward shook his head and rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Don't tell me he was questioning himself?" I sighed exasperatedly. Edward just shrugged as if to say ' _what else?_ '

"If you two are going to talk about me behind my back," Carlisle appeared in the living area, a wry expression crossing his face, "you could at least make sure it is actually _behind my back_ and not right where I can hear it."

"The point is for you _to_ hear it," Edward retorted, raising an eyebrow. "Just because I was stupid in the book doesn't make you a substandard father. So stop thinking it. Besides, Esme is getting upset over it."

That seemed to settle it for Carlisle, who sighed briefly in resignation and returned to the kitchen.

"Were there any chapters that maybe someone shouldn't have read?"

"No, you handled it very well," Edward complimented me with a smile. "Particularly the chapter in Port Angeles. I doubt anyone but Carlisle could have safely or comfortably read that one. And well done on making sure Esme didn't have to read any more chapters of _New Moon_ until it was all resolved. Her nerves were like taught wires right up until we all got off the plane."

"I figured that might happen," I nodded. "What about Jacob's extra at the end there?"

"I don't really like the boy much so far, I admit," Edward frowned, "but until I actually encounter such hostility, I don't want to judge him. Not yet... Rosalie hates him, though, so that's normal."

We laughed loudly over that for a minute. As the laughs died out, I allowed my mind to turn to the one subject we hadn't really gotten to.

"And… her?" I hesitantly brought up.

Edward breathed deeply twice, then spoke slowly, "I'm still uncertain of it all. Until she comes here and we meet, until it all works out somehow, I'm not sure I'll ever feel safe in having a relationship with Bella."

"That's reasonable, I guess," I frowned slightly unhappily. "And probably the best I'll get from you for a long time."

He tried not to smile at my assumption. "Probably."

Before I could comment, his siblings materialized at the back of the house, none of them looking exceptionally cheerful. That worried me, but Edward didn't seem fazed, so I tried not to let it worry me as much. In any case, I was distracted by Esme and Carlisle also returning to the living area, the former carrying a tray laden with something that smelled wonderful.

"What masterpiece have you cooked up now?" I sighed pleasantly.

"Carlisle cooked it this time, actually." Esme grinned as she set the tray before me, knowing my amusement over that. "It's vegetable soup and a grilled turkey sandwich. And a cup of yogurt, but that was the easy part."

"Thank you both," I giggled, eyeing Carlisle's bashful features.

"You're welcome," they answered in unison, smiling at each other for the synchronization.

"Hi, Mireille," Alice greeted me calmly, pulling Jasper to retake their seats. He looked a bit morose.

"Hello all," I greeted all four of them at once, gladly digging into my lunch as Edward started to talk of the things we had discussed in the others' absence.

"Mireille made a very interesting suggestion," he said as his last talking point, eyeing his honey-blond brother. "You saw how my ability makes it harder to handle the thirst when I'm reading another vampire's thoughts… Well, what if that applies to Jasper, as well?"

Rosalie actually stopped examining at her nails in distraction and Jasper finally lifted his face to stare at Edward and me.

"You really think that?" the former major asked in a low voice, hardly daring to believe it.

"It might be true," I shrugged. "Hunger – or, in this case, thirst – is a feeling… I guess the question is whether or not you can feel _emotions_ , specifically, or just feelings period. Do you see the difference?"

"Emotions versus physical feelings, you mean?" Alice questioned.

"Uh, kind of… but not precisely that," I replied haltingly, formulating the words in my head. "…I wonder if Jasper's power ventures slightly into the senses or is perhaps tied solely to the emotional realm."

"I don't quite understand what you mean," Carlisle admitted, lips pursed.

"Well, take nausea, for example," I began to explain. "When someone feels nauseous, it may be inherently physical – due to illness, disease, or something that simply tastes bad. However, nausea can also be caused by an emotional response. Like when you hear a news story about someone mutilating another person. It causes a disturbing, uncomfortable feeling in you that often leads to nausea. Are you getting what I mean?"

"I see it now," Jasper was the first to agree, looking nearly as excited as I was beginning to feel. "And you think perhaps it's not thirst itself that affects me, but the typical combination of emotions which surround the thirst?"

"That's it, exactly!" I confirmed, nodding enthusiastically.

"Now it makes more sense," Carlisle nodded as well, a smile blooming on his face. "Mireille, I think you've hit the nail on the head… Figuratively, of course."

Edward snorted very quietly.

"Well, it explains some things that I'd never considered before," Rosalie confessed. "But how could we help him avoid that? We've learned to stop ourselves from attacking when we feel the thirst, but it's impossible to not feel it at all."

"I don't think it's a question of you six not feeling _it_ ," I murmured, coming to an epiphany. "More like Jasper not feeling _you_."

"So you're saying we should leave him on his own?" Esme frowned, clearly not happy with that idea. Alice, however, was already looking ahead, seeing the direction of my thoughts, and I could see her mouth steadily widening into a grin. At my side, Edward started smiling with her.

"I wouldn't say that," I countered thoughtfully, confidence growing thanks to Alice's joy. "Just that maybe he should hunt at different times, so he's strongest when you're weakest. It's all a balancing act, you see?"

"I like this plan more and more," Carlisle smiled at me. "You have an exceptional mind, my dear."

"Are you sure you're not secretly a vampire?" Emmett suspiciously questioned me, eyes narrowed in on my face like he could divine all my secrets with a look. The expression was absolutely comical and I allowed my laughter free reign. Edward and Rosalie groaned in synchronization.

"Thank you," Jasper murmured beneath their groaning, taking my hand to pass along his appreciation.

"You're welcome," I smiled at him. "But you know what this means?"

"What?" he cautiously prompted me. Already, Alice was giggling at my response.

"It means that _you_ , my fine friend, are going to start having some faith in yourself!" I finished the last word loudly, purely for the purpose of emphasis, my finger right in front of Jasper's startled nose. Hearing his wife laugh eased his surprise, though, even bringing a wry smile of out him.

"Yes Ma'am!" he saluted me sharply, making everyone crack up. I didn't know how the empathic vampire wasn't rolling in the floor by then.

"Now that we've settled that, we should probably keep reading," Esme suggested once our laughter ceased.

"All right, Mireille, who's reading what?" Alice asked excitedly. "I know you really had to switch some chapters around in this one."

"Well, we'll start with Edward," I uttered abstractedly, looking at my list. "Then you'll go in order until chapter seven, which Jasper will read. Then Carlisle reads chapter eight and the order picks up again… Um… Esme reads chapter twenty and then Emmett picks up on chapter twenty-one… then it's Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Rosalie, Alice… And the last two chapters will be Carlisle and Esme."

"What about _Breaking Dawn_?" Esme wondered. "Would you tell us that one ahead of time, too? With _New Moon_ , we almost kept to the same order by accident, when it should have changed."

"Okay… First, you need to know that _Breaking Dawn_ is in three parts. Part one and part three are Bella's point of view."

"And part two?" Rosalie warily asked.

"It's Jacob's," I admitted tentatively. A scowl overtook her lovely face, but she didn't argue the point.

"All right, what order do we have to read?" she pushed forward irritably, "I certainly hope I don't have that much of the dog's twisted brain to read about."

"The first seven chapters are part one and they'll be read by Edward, Rosalie, Alice, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper. Part two will be… Alice, then Rosalie, then back to the order… Oh, after that it's all in order."

"Hey, are we reading Bree Tanner's story?" asked Alice curiously.

"Oh, that would be good, too," I agreed sheepishly. "I haven't even read it yet, so I didn't do any chapter list."

"You can read that while we read _Eclipse_ ," Jasper suggested. "It's a much smaller book, so I imagine it will take us about the same time to read them."

"I'm good with that."

"See you on the flip side," Emmett grinned at me while Edward picked up the third book and I lifted the thin novella into my lap.

When I finished the book, I liked Bree even more than I already had in _Eclipse_ , I realized. And after what I had read in her biography, I really felt for her. I wondered if we could set her up somehow and give her a chance to do something with her life. I knew Diego needed to be with her and it was sad to think I probably couldn't help him like I could Bree. If Diego's brother was hooked into the gang, he wouldn't take an easy pass; he would stay and help however he could. Sighing at the conundrum, I hoped Diego and Bree could somehow meet each other some day and then put the thought away for the time being.

The family was right at the end of their book, so I waited silently until they were done to trade Carlisle the novella for the book. The doctor looked sad and stunned in equal measure. Actually, so did everyone else.

Correction. Everyone else except an angry Rosalie looked that way. Edward looked a little more dead that the rest, however. Was he contemplating the benefit of Bella being with Jacob? While there were benefits to that for Bella, what benefits did it give Edward? And he couldn't tell me it wasn't important, because to everyone sitting with him, it was.

"I wasn't expecting that ending," Jasper spoke softly, so as not to break the atmosphere.

"It seemed impossible to imagine it going that way," Alice reluctantly confessed. "I had a better opinion of how it would end up happening."

"The engagement?" I double-checked.

"Yes, the engagement," Alice sighed slightly, leaning into Jasper, who wrapped his arms around her snugly.

"Frankly," Esme added in her thoughts, frowning sadly, "I didn't realize Bella had come to love Jacob, too. It was so subtle until she realized it herself."

"I know," I agreed unhappily. I had never agreed with Bella's actions in Eclipse.

"I can't _believe_ she kissed that dog!" Rosalie was (amazingly) able to say through furiously clenched teeth, "After he had forced her hand before… _And_ she told that animal she loved him!"

"Bella had a choice to make," Alice argued, brows furrowed. "But she didn't realize the other option she had until that moment. So she had to make the best of it."

"So it was fine that she betrayed Edward?" I incredulously interrupted before Rosalie could snap back, my jaw falling slightly open. "Would you have felt right kissing another man when you had already agreed to marry Jasper? Or telling that other man you loved him almost as much as you loved Jasper?"

"It's not the same situation," Alice shook her head, seeming to think me naïve. Jasper looked between us apprehensively, and I wondered what he was thinking.

"Why not?" I demanded loudly, angrily, shocking her into silence. But I couldn't help myself. "Why is it okay for Bella to kiss and profess love to one man when she already _promised_ herself to another one? If she was so damned incapable of deciding, why couldn't she have declined the proposal in that moment – uncommitted herself – and waited until the battle was over to choose?"

"What if Jacob died in that battle?" Alice argued back, frowning severely. "She would never have the chance to choose."

"How does that matter?" I snapped, immovable. "If someone dies, they die. How can you defend a person committing themselves to one person and then slapping that person in the face by splitting the commitment in half!"

Alice looked ready to come back with another rebuttal and my anger swelled again, but a loud, guttural snarl – practically a roar – shut the both of us up so fast I got whiplash. The sound would have frightened me if I wasn't so mad. Alice blinked in utmost disbelief when she saw, as I did, that it was Edward who had snarled so distinctly.

"Will the two of you _stop bickering_!" he half shouted to the room at large, glaring between his sister and I. Alice flinched slightly from the force of his gaze. I just looked down at my lap, embarrassed.

"Thank you, Mireille," he finally said, after he believed us calm enough. "I do appreciate you supporting my side of this issue. For the record, regardless of the fact I am the one who would be hurt by this action, I don't think Bella was right to do what she did in that moment. However, I do understand the issue of her choice, Alice... That's why this time I am going to make sure she has a more even chance of meeting Jacob."

"What?" I yelped, completely thrown. "That's… but… you… Ooogh… Read _Breaking Dawn_."

"What?" he asked me in bewilderment.

"Read Bree Tanner's story and then read the final book. Then you can go on your merry little way, killing the perfectly wonderful future you could have. Okay? Okay."

Standing with a frustrated roll of my eyes, I headed upstairs under the scrutiny of everyone, to hopefully find something to do that wasn't infuriating.

Nothing seemed particularly appealing except music, so in an attempt to cool my agitation, I put in my album _Get Away Jordan_ by Ernie Haase and Signature Sound. There was nothing like Godly music to put me in a nicer mood.

The moment I heard ' _Someday'_ , my mood was uplifted and I started singing along. By the time I got to track four ' _John in the Jordan'_ , I even started _bouncing_ along. Track ten ' _Get Away Jordan'_ , had me up and stepping my way around the floor with no clear pattern. Side-step, grapevine, twirling, box step… you name it I was doing it. Giggles overcame me when I thought about what I was doing while the others were trying to read, but I was having too good a time to really bother.

Disappointment filled me when the disc ended, so I instantly started it over. I danced and sang all over again to the songs, having no less of a good time than the first time. Knowing it might annoy the Cullens if I started it over a third time, when it finished I put in the group's next CD, _Dream On_. The first song ' _Right Place, Right Time'_ , always reminded me of Chicago for some reason and I was unreasonably amused when thinking of Edward being from Chicago.

Swift hands suddenly caught and turned me to the tune of the song, making me gasp in surprise.

"Edward!"

"Having fun?" he grinned, leading me in a swing-waltz to the rhythm of the music. A grin swiftly took over my own face as he happily twirled us about the room. The steps weren't as hard as I thought they might be, especially having learned the waltz.

"I am, actually," I admitted, still grinning. "You seem to be, too."

"I can't say I ever would have thought to listen to a Christian quartet," he confessed bluntly, "but they have a great sound and energy. Wonderful harmony, too."

"I love them," I agreed. "Especially Tim."

"Tim?" he wondered, brow lifted.

"The bass, Tim Duncan," I clarified. "He's amazing."

"Ah," he understood, slowing our jaunty dance to match the changing music as it neared the end. I missed the dancing when the next song came on. It wasn't nearly the same style to dance to. Not as fun.

"Let's start it over," suggested Edward with a smile, moving to repeat the track in a lightning-quick movement. "It was rather enjoyable."

As we began to dance again, I asked, "What did you think of the last book?"

"Obsolete," he shrugged. At the sight of my wide eyes, he backtracked quickly. "Not that it doesn't have a lot of good information. It's just that I know nothing will happen that way, since we'll be changing some events to end better. Plus, we have you to consider. That changes things, too."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, feeling badly for my intrusion on the family's future.

"That isn't a bad thing," he exasperatedly retorted. "You're already helping us make things better. We know certain things to avoid and things to try that we didn't in the books. We can time things better and stop trying to force Bella into choices she doesn't want."

"Good," I replied, feeling more confident in the possibilities. "I wouldn't want to mess it up for you."

"On the contrary, it would be nice for Bella to have a friend in the know, who is still human," he pointed out. "If you become friends, anyway, although I don't see why you couldn't. You're both sensitive and kind. But I admit, as insecure as you can be at times, it's nothing compared to Bella."

"I'll let that slide," I narrowed my eyes at him, but he only chuckled. "Are you still going to give Jacob a more even chance with Bella?"

Edward frowned a little. "I don't know. I'm not actually sure I'm going to _meet_ Bella right away when she gets here – Now let me finish!"

I had opened my mouth to protest, but he was too quick. "I'm not saying I won't, but Bella's scent is dangerous to me and for almost two months I only handled her scent because I snuck into her room at night and listened to her talk in her sleep. Which, by the way, I am not going to do this time around. It's just a little too creepy, even for a crotchety old vampire like me."

"Crotchety old vampire?" I choked on laughter. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"Well, something like that, anyway," Edward grinned, spinning me around more largely than before and bringing me back gracefully. When he saw my face, he asked, "…What?"

"I'm trying to picture you with a white beard," I confessed mischievously. He broke into loud laughter.

"No need to picture it," Edward laughed still, "Alice made me dress as Father Time for Halloween one year. I even had an oversized pocket watch. It was ridiculous."

I couldn't imagine Alice choosing such a… an unfashionable costume. My look turned to disbelief, and he quickly added, "Admittedly, she _was_ rather mad at me at the time."

We laughed together and a thought came to mind that I hadn't asked about yet. "Is she doing anything in particular for Halloween this year?"

"Definitely," Edward nodded. "She says she's already envisioned the costumes for you ladies. Nothing much else, though. Well, except a party. We'll be having one here. Not sure what we'll be doing, since Alice is hiding it so well, but…"

"I wonder what I might be for Halloween," I wondered to myself. "I haven't truly dressed up since my freshman year of high school."

"That's ironic, considering you're a sophomore with us now," he chuckled.

"Now I'm all excited," I sighed, making him chuckle.

All of a sudden, Edward stopped dancing. "Carlisle's coming back. We'll be discussing everything soon."

"You didn't talk about it all yet?" I marveled. "What has everyone been doing?"

"They all went in pairs on separate runs," he calmly replied. "To clear their heads, think out their more intense reactions, that sort of thing. Carlisle said we'd all meet here to start planning."

"Did anyone think it was a bad idea to meet Bella?" The question had been rattling around in my head ever since he'd declared giving Jacob a larger opportunity with Bella.

"Rosalie briefly wondered about it, but not very deeply. It was mostly an instinctive reaction."

"Should we go down?"

"Probably," he nodded, offering me his arm.

"Thanks," I smiled, letting him lead the way back down to the living area.

"I saw _you_ had a great time," Alice teased me from the same seat in front of the fireplace. Everyone was in the same places, actually.

Shrugging as I sat down, I merely said, "Yep."

"Today has been quite a day," Carlisle began the expected conversation, drawing all eyes to him. "Even with what Mireille told us at the restaurant, I did not even remotely expect to read the things that we did. Particularly about Renesmee."

Most everyone's face softened at the mention of the adorable little girl. To my amazement, Rosalie was not one of them. This reaction totally bewildered me and I saw no different in Edward, but when the blonde vampire caught our confused stares, she shook her head against telling the reasons. She must have been blocking Edward because he still looked mightily confused.

"What, in your opinions," Carlisle went on, steepling his fingers thoughtfully and sharing a questioning gaze with each of us in turn, "should be avoided in the future?"

"That incident on the first day," Rosalie spoke first, "When Edward smelled Bella so strongly."

"How can we stop that?" Esme asked curiously.

"Perhaps Edward can ingratiate himself with someone else," her daughter answered in all seriousness.

"Angela," I named rapidly, making the others stare for a moment. "She's the only one who would respect Edward enough not to ask impossible questions. And she won't gossip, either."

"She would be a good choice," Edward nodded pensively. "I just don't know how I'd do that. She knows we don't socialize with anyone."

"Could we slip a false note from Mr. Greene into Mr. Banner's papers?" Jasper wondered, "Perhaps that he should include a partner project of some kind in the junior biology classes? Edward could invite Angela to be his partner."

"Hey, that's interesting," I commented. "It could make Ben jealous, too. Then Edward wouldn't have to match-make at all."

"Now I really like the idea," Alice grinned, bouncing slightly in her seat. "They would be so cute together."

"Well, we can at least keep that idea in mind," Carlisle agreed with an indulgent smile. "What else is on your minds?"

"James," Jasper growled, squeezing Alice's hand protectively in his own.

"Mireille mentioned something about that," Edward intervened before anyone could get too angry.

Jasper gave me his full attention as I spoke, "I read a story once, and in it, you all go after James and Victoria. But because you searched them out, the Volturi found out about you going after them. It brought their attention back here and they kept their eye on you after that."

No one was very happy about that, and Jasper even sighed resignedly. "I don't want James around, but I prefer to face him some time than to invite the Volturi to keep watch."

"I have to agree with you," Edward conferred disgustedly. "We can see how much worse _they_ would be."

A sad sigh left Carlisle. "I wish I had never even known Aro, quite frankly. It frightens me now... that he could come after me out of curiosity and end up desiring some of this family."

"You never kept in touch," Esme comforted him, wrapping her arms about his torso. "Aro probably thinks you're on your own still."

"Esme's right, Carlisle," Edward soothingly added. "I doubt he's very anxious about you. Look how surprised he was when he read my mind in _New Moon_. Obviously he didn't try to keep up with your whereabouts, or he would probably already have known that much."

"Yes, that's true, I suppose," Carlisle hedged, worrying his lip.

"So, we're not going after James?" Emmett asked suddenly, his voice ripe with disappointment, lifting a rich chuckle from his father.

"No, Emmett, I'm sorry," Jasper responded, lips twitching.

"Aw, man! I was all ready to rip his head off, too." Emmett whined childishly. Rosalie smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow! Sorry, Rose."

Refraining from snorting was difficult, but I somehow did it.

"What about the Quileutes?" Esme worried.

"I do not think there is much that can be done on that count," Carlisle sighed deeply, slipping a comforting arm around her back. "We can only do our best with the treaty and Bella."

Alice wrinkled her nose. "I hate not being able to see them."

"Well, in a way you can see them. At least enough to know when we'll encounter them," I suggested with a sympathetic smile, when my own words smacked me in the face like a heavy brick. "Of _course_!"

"What is it?" Carlisle spoke for everyone's concern.

"That's why Alice kept seeing me disappear in the woods all this time!" I excitedly pointed out. "At least one wolf was blocking me out! Remember I was being herded out of the trees?"

"Oh, seriously!" Alice complained, scowling. "They mess up _every_ thing! I might have told everyone about you sooner if I'd known that."

"Maybe it's better that you didn't," Rosalie remarked dryly. "Can you imagine me in the weeks leading up to it? Or Jasper?"

"I didn't think of that," Alice admitted, grimacing.

"Oh well," Emmett cheerily ended the debate. "We've got Mireille now."

"Now I've been reduced to a package," I muttered, though I was flattered. Edward and Jasper laughed at my grumbling.

"But a very beloved package," Alice cooed sweetly, receiving a fierce glare in return and more laughter.

"What are we going to do about the accident?" Esme inquired.

"With Tyler?" I clarified.

"Yes. I don't see how we can stop it."

"Alice and I had an idea regarding that," Edward hesitantly interceded, but allowed Alice to continue.

"I could befriend Bella the first day," she said confidently. "And make sure I'm right next to her when the accident happens. Either I'll pull her out of the way or I'll get her walking in a different direction."

"That sounds reasonable," Jasper acknowledged. "And it avoids any potential notice from bystanders if you're already beside her."

"I feel very positive about it," Carlisle conceded. "Any disagreements? …All right. Other problems?"

"Port Angeles," Rosalie growled. "I want that slime taken care of."

"Definitely," Edward growled also.

"I think Carlisle and Alice can take care of that," Esme quickly cut in, obviously hoping to avoid a murder from her two eldest children.

"Good idea," Alice vouched for her mother, "I'll watch his decisions and get a lock on him. Then Carlisle can go take care of it."

Rosalie settled back in her seat, obviously dissatisfied with so mild a punishment, but willing to take Lonnie being locked away.

"Could we ever do anything about Laurent without hurting Irina?" Jasper queried uncomfortably. "I know they are important to each other, but…"

"It never says that Laurent and Irina are mates," Rosalie pointed out. "It just mentions them having a bit of a flirt."

"Very true," the southern vampire agreed.

"As much as I would like Irina to find someone special," Carlisle spoke up, "I would prefer James and Victoria having one less ally, if it came down to that."

"I do understand that logic," Esme sighed sadly. "Although I wish Laurent would take it more seriously if he ever met Irina."

"There was something in the guide you might want to consider," I pointed out tentatively.

"What was that?" Carlisle asked curiously. Edward already looked unhappy with what I was thinking.

"The guide says that Laurent always liked joining people with power," I explained. "And he has a lifelong ambition of joining the Volturi."

"Well, that settles everything," Emmett concluded matter-of-factly.

"I would have to agree," Carlisle murmured. Jasper nodded also. Esme looked unhappy, but the potential for Laurent to ever trade information for power was too great.

"How are we going to approach Tanya's coven about Mireille?" Edward broached a new topic, this one startling me.

"We have to?" I wondered, drawing seven pairs of disbelieving eyes to me. "I mean, not right away, right?"

"Oh, well no," Esme eased my discomfort. "But eventually we have to. They'll probably ask us to visit some time in the next year."

"Yes, it's about that time," Edward nodded, then turned to me thoughtfully. "Would you like to meet them, Mireille?"

"As long as Kate doesn't think it's funny to try shocking me," I frowned.

"She wouldn't?" Esme gasped, startled by my worry.

"I would never allow that," Carlisle firmly declared. "We would have to tell them Mireille is human and that is off limits."

"Yes, but Edward has a point," said Rosalie, frowning herself. " _How_ are we going to break that news?"

"We will just have to tell them we have a human visitor," Esme decided. "And then explain when we get there."

"That doesn't sound very productive," Edward grimaced. "You know how they all are about the laws. Except Carmen, anyway. You can see in the books how accepting she is."

"Should we explain to Carmen first?" Jasper suggested.

"That might work," Carlisle conceded, deep in thought. "Alice, would you be able to check if she is ever alone for a phone call?"

"It's not very likely," she confessed, brows furrowed, "but I can try."

"That is all we can do for now, I suppose," he concluded. "Are there any last trouble spots to speak of?"

"None that we have any certainty will happen," Alice responded for everyone. I was amazed to realize she was right. Everything that we might have argued about was not even likely to happen anymore. Well, not everything…

"What about the Volturi?" I asked with great trepidation.

"As far as you are concerned?" Edward remarked. "Nothing. If we don't end up revealing ourselves, then I don't see how we can have any problems."

"Then we are finished here," Carlisle ended our discussion after a pause.

No one seemed capable of leaving, though. The books and the future still weighed heavily on everyone's mind, I guessed. Having that thought in mind, then, it was a surprise when Emmett suddenly asked a rather odd, anticlimactic question.

"Checkers, anybody?"

* * *


	16. Chapter 15: Interests

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
The restaurant mentioned in this chapter is based on Waterstreet Cafe+Bar, a real place in Olympia.

**Previously** – Mireille created a reading order. Everyone discussed the first chapters of _Twilight_ and _Midnight Sun_. The Cullens continued reading and Mireille started reading the official guide. Edward and Mireille discussed _New Moon_ and Mireille explained her theory about Jasper's ability. While the Cullens read Eclipse, Mireille read Bree Tanner's story. The Cullens argued about Bella's choices and Edward suggested letting Jacob have a better chance to meet Bella. Mireille stormed off and listened to music to calm down. Once the Cullens finished _Breaking Dawn_ , Edward joined Mireille dancing and decided not to meet Bella right away. The Cullens discussed the books and made several decisions for the future.

> **Chapter 15: Interests**

For a full hour on Monday afternoon, after the Cullen siblings returned from school and Edward had played the piano for Esme and me, I sat in my room with a notebook and a pen in hand, trying very hard to think of what activities I would like to spend time on during the weekends, whenever I wasn't having lessons. It was a rather confusing process and one which Edward had kindly offered to help with. Once I got it all sorted in my own head, that is. I wondered if he was just enjoying watching me get all confused, but I had no real proof for that conjecture.

"Any breakthroughs, yet?" he asked from the computer desk, _Les Misérables_ in hand.

"You'd know as well as I would," I remarked absently, studying the compiled list of interesting activities in bewilderment as I lay on my stomach, bare feet tapping the headboard with a steady rhythm.

"If your mind was at all fluid right now, that would be quite true," Edward retorted amusedly, setting the book down and coming over to look at my slightly loopy cursive handwriting from above and upside-down. "Aren't you going to keep practicing the piano?"

"Shoot!" I mumbled irritably, quickly adding piano to the list. "Don't know why that slipped my mind…"

"Maybe you're going about this backwards," he suggested mildly.

"In what way?" I eyed him coolly.

"Well, you haven't even written in the things you know for sure you'll do," he went on, ignoring my attitude blithely. "Getting ready, meals, exercise, listening to music before bed… Those things you've been doing every night this week, for the most part."

"Oh, I didn't think of it that way," I admitted, frowning vaguely in disappointment. I hated not thinking of common sense things like that. Abandoning my interests list for a moment, I did as he suggested and wrote down the activities I already did most every day.

"Thanks," I smiled up at Edward, who had remained as I wrote out the most basic parts of my schedule.

"You're welcome," he nodded, returning to the desk and his book. Well, actually it was my book. He had borrowed it, since for some reason no one in his family owned a copy. Even Carlisle didn't have one, which was almost unheard of.

I really was grateful for Edward's single suggestion. It did line up some general time frames for when my lessons could be, so that made it a bit easier to flesh out. Granted, I had to decide what times I would like best for certain lessons, but it seemed to just flow instantly now. Edward was already reading over my routine with an appraising eye.

"World History at eight o'clock," he recited my lesson times half to himself, "geometry at ten-thirty, chemistry at noon, Spanish at four, algebra at five-thirty, and English at seven-thirty… I think that will work out nicely. Now we'll have to determine who your tutors will be. And lesson plans… Although I believe Carlisle sorted that all out last night, so I doubt there's much to worry about."

"I was wondering," I mentioned suddenly, remembering my language interests, "Could I learn two languages at the same time? Or is that too much to heap on myself at once?"

"I don't know," he frowned. "You've already taken a lot of Spanish, so that will be much easier for you, but any other language will be all new. You would probably need lessons more often than two per weekend. And with this schedule you've written, I doubt there's much room on the weekends anyway."

"Esme could teach her," Alice popped in to say, her bright aqua top, earrings, and shoes cheering up the dreary, rainy day outside. "Depending on the language, of course."

"That's a good idea," agreed Edward, passing the schedule back to me. "Esme would enjoy teaching, too."

"Shouldn't we ask her first?" I suggested, brow lifted.

"She's listening while she does the laundry, actually," Edward smirked slightly.

"You know, Esme is a lot sneakier than she pretends," I suggested warily, though a smile was working hard to break through. Edward and Alice also withheld their laughter admirably when Esme came into the room with narrowed eyes.

"I suspect someone is teasing me," she commented suspiciously, crossing her arms, but a sweet smile won out quickly. "I'd be happy to teach you another language, dear. Which one were you thinking of?"

"French, maybe."

"That's my favorite language to speak," she smiled widely.

"It's very elegant to listen to," I agreed, smiling as well. "Italian, too, but I don't need to add a third language onto my lessons."

"You might move a great deal faster if you took up Italian, actually," Alice wondered aloud. "It's very reminiscent of Spanish."

"I don't care which I learn," I shrugged. "I love both. Although I did love hearing Carlisle and Giancarlo speak Italian at the restaurant."

"I won't be able to teach you Italian," Esme frowned lightly, more thoughtful than upset. "Surprising though it may seem after all this time, I never learned it. I've always been satisfied with knowing German, French, and Spanish. The rest I leave to Carlisle."

"How many languages does he know?" I asked, vaguely wary of finding out.

"Too many to count," Edward sighed in fond exasperation, "I was actually surprised when he took out that Lithuanian text yesterday."

"After all these years, he still surprises us," Esme laughed warmly, a wistful and romantic expression crossing her features. "You should ask him how many he speaks, Mireille. With us, he is cautious of appearing too showy with all the knowledge he has obtained over the years. But knowing how curious you are, I think he would happily tell you."

"I'll do that at some point," I chuckled, finally adding Italian lessons to my schedule. "Should be pretty fascinating… And properly awe-inducing."

We laughed for a moment before Esme followed Alice out of the room. Edward seemed to contemplate _Les Misérables_ for few minutes, but finally shrugged, bookmarked it, and set it on the desk.

"Would you like to do something?" he inquired, looking quite bored and antsy.

"Was the book not to your taste?" I teased him.

"It's very good so far, actually," he admitted, shaking his head at my tease, "but I need a little change for the time being. Something livelier, perhaps."

"We could play a game, I guess," I pondered curiously and slowly, tapping my jaw in thought. "Although what we could play where you won't see my moves ahead of time is another story altogether…"

"That's true," he frowned, turning equally thoughtful. "I can't really think of anything."

"Well, that stinks," I murmured with a frown. Speaking of smells, though… "Hey, can I ask you an awkward question?"

Since I hadn't completed my thought, Edward was a little confused on what I meant. "An awkward question?" he wondered hesitantly.

"I asked Carlisle on the day after I arrived," I explained a little embarrassedly, "but he couldn't really answer my question. He thought I should probably ask you."

Catching onto my hard-to-withhold memory of that day, Edward began to catch on, looking mildly disgruntled. "Oh, fine. Ask your awkward question."

"What do I smell like?" I questioned him a bit quietly. I could tell he wasn't completely sold on the topic of choice, but he didn't refuse me.

"As Carlisle told you that afternoon," he began to say, "your scent is complex. From what I can tell, there are four different factors."

"Four? Are you sure that's not an exaggeration?"

"My scent is comprised of three," he pointed out simply.

"Oh, I guess you're right… Well, do tell. What are these factors of mine?" I shrugged.

"One thing I can smell right off the bat is peppermint."

"Peppermint?" I started slightly. "Really?"

"It's very powerful, yet refreshing and soothing," he nodded.

"What else?" I asked, fascinated by the smells that I didn't even know existed on me.

"There's something sharp and earthy about your scent, and the smell of a food or drink that is probably richly flavored…" he frowned thoughtfully. "There's an inherent sweetness, and a little tang to it, as well. Perhaps a fruit of some kind…"

"It's not citrus, is it? I'd hate to smell like an old sour-face," I joked, mocking a grimacing, puckered expression.

"No, definitely not citrus," he chuckled, tweaking my nose very gently. "I was thinking more along the lines of berries, actually. Hold on a minute."

Edward was gone in a flash, though he didn't turn up immediately after like he typically did. It took a full two minutes for him to return, this time with a satisfied expression on his face.

"Raspberry," he informed me confidently. "You smell like peppermint and raspberry, first of all. The raspberry was the sweet-yet-tangy combination."

"What about the richly flavored part?"

"Tea," he replied, smiling a bit. "Specifically, black tea."

"I love the smell of black tea," I smiled widely. "That's so cool that I smell like it."

Edward chuckled. "And the sharp, earthy scent I mentioned is the smell of autumn leaves."

"What a weird combination," I couldn't help remarking.

"They smell quite lovely as a cumulative force," he reluctantly admitted. "Not that I like telling you that, but since you already understand so much about us…"

"It's fine, Edward," I chided him kindly. "I like you being open and honest about the vampire things. There's no sense in hiding it all away."

"I suppose," he shrugged uncomfortably, then swiftly changed the subject, "Are you sure you can't think of anything to do?"

"Maybe we could read some of the guide together," I suggested suddenly, feeling my interest peak.

"That wouldn't be very intriguing for you," he countered. "You read all of it yesterday."

"I didn't read _all_ of it… I read _most_ of it. But I didn't read any of your biographies in any more detail. After I read about your father, I didn't want to read any more."

"Would you mind us reading my section, then?" he asked hesitantly. Something in his eyes told me he had a well-guarded reason for this.

Ignoring verbal communication, I offered both my paper and pen, and a single thought… _'Why?'_ My determination to know was plain in my expression. Sighing resignedly, Edward settled beside me on the bed and rapidly penned an explanation.

**_Esme and Alice are interested in reading the guide. But if you read my complete section, I'm sure there will be a part about Charles Evenson. You seem to understand me rather well, so I'm sure you can understand what I'm speaking of. I won't stop Esme from reading it, but if the book will tell her of my actions, I would prefer to explain it myself first._ **

My mind was mostly blank while I read Edward's message, just absorbing it. It was an admirable reasoning, thankfully, and one which I could easily support. He was only looking out for his mom. And Esme certainly deserved to be looked out for.

When I did start thinking more solidly, I admitted in my mind that I had always suspected him of killing Esme's abusive first husband. I was totally on the fence about whether or not it was the best choice to make, however.

' _I don't think you had any right to do it,'_ I confessed mentally. Edward's face turned shameful before I was able to continue. Reluctantly, he still looked at me with heavy-laden eyes, and I knew immediately that he was thinking not only of Charles Evenson, but of all his victims during that time. Realizing the awkward position we were in to have such a discussion, I decided we had to leave for a little. Just to clear the air about what I was thinking and feeling.

Edward looked uncomfortable, but nodded all the same. I headed into my closet to retrieve warm clothing for going outside and nice flats, but Alice breezed in ahead of me and selected an outfit that didn't precisely fit that bill. The black button-up shirt had open shoulders and the brown buckle shoes were high wedges. Nevertheless it was a very nice outfit, Alice had already left the room, and Edward would probably carry me most of the way, so I put it on. At least my coat and scarf would keep me warm. Edward was (to my surprise) dressed equally as snugly for the chilly October weather.

"I thought we could take some time in Olympia or Seattle," he shrugged sheepishly. "Rather than you getting cold and uncomfortable in the forest somewhere."

"You have it?" I implied the guide book, but didn't say it out loud in case Esme overheard.

He gestured casually at a large but cute brown and gray Coach bag I didn't remember buying.

"Alice decided your need was greater than hers, so…"

"Thanks, Alice," I murmured, knowing she could hear me if she was still there.

"She says you're welcome," Edward offered with a half-smile as I picked up my new purse. "Oh, and she transferred the items from your other bag to this one."

"Cool beans," I smiled, nodding for him to lead us down the staircase.

Near the end of the stairs, I asked him, "Are you carrying a fake license, then?"

"Yes, we always have them on hand in case," he responded over his shoulder. "Not that Alice or I necessarily need them, but it never hurts to be cautious. We made one for you, also. It should be in a slightly hidden place in your purse, actually."

"I'll have to make sure I know where it is, then." The casual nature in which I spoke of the illegal stuff really amused me.

"It does become quite normal after a while," Edward chuckled dimly, his mind obviously on the deeper subjects we had been discussing.

We said goodbye to Esme as she worked on cleaning the front windows, and waved up at Alice, who was grinning manically from her and Jasper's room.

After helping me into my side of the car and zipping around to his own before I had even buckled my seatbelt, Edward asked, "Would you prefer taking the highway through Hoquiam or Port Angeles?"

"Which has the better scenery?"

"Going through Port Angeles would keep us near either the ocean or a river for a lot of the drive," he qualified. "It's a bit longer that way, as well."

"Let's go that way, then," I decided, trying my best not to pay attention as we sped off at an ungodly rate. I had always loved driving by the coast, even if it sometimes gave me a creepy feeling because I was so close to the water.

"Really?" Edward was surprised at my thoughts. "For some reason, I would have thought you loved it."

"I like looking at it, but I have issues with large bodies of water," I explained sheepishly.

"Worried about drowning?" he wondered a bit more seriously. I just nodded, ignoring the fact that my ears were burning.

"Well, I won't ever lose control of the car," he settled at last. "If I did by some chance, I wouldn't let you even get wet, let alone drown. So don't worry."

"Thanks," I mumbled embarrassedly. I felt like a paranoid schizophrenic sometimes.

Edward just rolled his eyes at me and kept on speeding his way towards Port Angeles and then further to Olympia.

Music filled the ensuing void of conversation as we drove down Highway 101, although I wasn't exactly fond of some of the heavier music he put in. Still, there were a couple of songs I enjoyed and even when there was silence, it was completely comfortable.

When we exited the highway at a velocity that blurred the speed limit signs, Edward finally spoke again.

"I think we may as well settle in at a restaurant and talk. It's dinner time and probably the most comfortable way to discuss things."

"I am hungry," I admitted, "but I don't have any idea what I want."

"Would you like to stick to something comfortable or try branching out?" he asked.

"I don't mind trying something new," I shrugged easily. "I like experimenting."

"Why don't we check out a high-end place," Edward suggested. "You're more likely to find something different and we're less likely to be interrupted during our talk."

"How would a vampire know what high-end restaurants there are?" I teased.

"Part of our… real estate research, if you will," he grinned slightly, eyes glittering at me with suppressed humor.

"Whatever," I giggled, letting him choose. "Just take me someplace that has a clean, modern atmosphere and medium lighting."

"Ah, it sounds like you might like this place by Capitol Lake Park, then. From what we know, they aren't very busy on Mondays, either," he responded satisfactorily, making the drive through town at only a slightly more normal pace to the restaurant he had described.

Park Tour Café was a clean-looking place even from the outside, with a nice clear view of Capitol Lake and its corresponding park through the building's many windows. The interior, however, was even nicer; Edward had followed my joking requirements to a tee. Right across from the front doors was the register, beyond that a modern dining area with the medium lighting I had wanted. The floors were made of very wide stone slabs, the walls painted a warm cream, and the tables a fresh, light colored wood. Edward held a brief, whispered conversation with the host while I was distracted with the décor, leaving me completely unaware of what he might be saying. Regardless, it didn't take long for us to be escorted by the host himself through the fairly empty restaurant and to a distanced table in a corner, just on the other side of a large fireplace painted the same as the walls.

"Please take your time perusing the cuisine," the accompanying waiter smiled pleasantly while setting menus and silverware wrapped in cloth napkins before us. "I'll be back shortly to see if you're ready to order."

"Thank you," I said, also smiling as he walked away. My smile became suspicious when I turned back to Edward's steady face. "Don't try that look with me, Edward. You paid him off, didn't you?"

His lips twitched upwards, but his face otherwise remained smooth. "I may have suggested a rather generous tip to ensure our privacy."

"You're something else," I sighed, trying not to smile. "Oh well. Let's see what they have."

It didn't take long for me to choose, surprisingly enough. As soon as I saw butternut squash pasta, I was hooked. Edward even had to gesture for the waiter to come and take our order it had happened so fast.

"That was easy," Edward teased, not bothering to withhold a grin. "Are you certain it's really you sitting there?"

"Shut up," I shook my head, finally allowing my smile to come through, though it was small when I considered what we really came there for. And there was no time like the present to start, even if I hated ruining the cheery mood my companion was in. "So… I didn't mean to be accusatory back at the house."

"I didn't think that," he replied seriously, turning quiet in spite of our relative aloneness. "What you said was correct, however."

"I wasn't finished, though," I pointed out.

"Why don't you read that part of my biography first?" Edward offered, pointing at my new purse.

"A good idea," I muttered, pulling out the book and hesitantly turning to the Cullen section to find Edward's part. What I read was not gruesome by any means, but it was quite clear on the fact that Edward had, indeed, tracked down and killed Charles Evenson.

"Nothing like blunt truth," I grumbled down at the pages.

Edward sighed. "Esme isn't going to like this at all."

"Does she have to read the guide?" I asked, biting my lip. Much as I hated to lie, I didn't want any kind of break to occur between mother and son over this issue. Esme was likely to take it very hard, especially since it had happened so long ago without her ever knowing.

"She is very interested," Edward sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The waiter arrived with our meals then, preventing me from responding immediately. Seeing Edward's continued expression of frustration, I put the guide away and settled into my food for a few minutes instead of talking, giving him a moment to calm himself.

"You'll have to tell her," I softly told him after a while, allowing my gaze to be entirely sympathetic.

"I know," he groaned quietly. "Now it's just that Rosalie is going to have a field day."

"Why should she?" I frowned. "She did the same thing. Worse, probably."

"Did she?" was his dark reply, eyes fading towards black.

"Stop being melodramatic," I snipped slightly. "That… man… _if_ you can call him that—"

Edward laughed mockingly in the same dark tone.

"Did you torture him?" I asked plainly instead, genuinely unafraid of the truth.

"Not exactly," he murmured, some shame on his face mixed with lingering defiance.

"So you toyed with him?" I continued with the same frankness. "Mentally, I mean?"

Grudgingly, Edward said, "Yes."

"You scared him? Told him he was a worthless coward who would die alone because he didn't deserve human affections for being such a cruel monster?"

Edward blinked at my unusually rude vocabulary, then slowly agreed, "Essentially."

"Well, then I would be just as bad as you," I confessed simply, cooling my temper from the previous outburst.

"You aren't as distanced from your family's vindictiveness as we thought," he tentatively pointed out, lifting a single brow in astonishment. All the same, a slight grin – albeit a grave one – tried to break free on his face.

"I can't stand monsters that torture people like that," I explained firmly. "And frankly, I don't like the thought of Esme technically still being that man's wife while she was trying to start a life with Carlisle."

"I thought of that," Edward nodded, breathing deeply in an attempt to ease his growing dark mood. "It made me sick whenever I heard her worry if it was sinful to be married to Carlisle while Evenson was still alive. I admit that was not the main factor in my choice, but it was significant enough."

"Like I said," I spoke softly again, "I don't think it was your decision to make in any of the lives you took. But… I can't know that I would be any better in the same situation. And I'm pretty sure you feel remorse about it, which is a good thing. It proves your humanity is still in tact."

Silence descended as Edward grappled with my conclusions, which was lucky when the host returned with an offer of dessert – something I took only to extend our time. Not that we did much more talking after that, but I knew Edward probably wanted more time to think before we returned to the house. The expression on his face had thankfully settled somewhat by the time I cleared the plate of my sponge cake with raspberry sauce.

"What would you like to do now?" he wondered more comfortably, not bothering to hide this normal line of conversation from the waiter who took away our dishes. I wondered what the man was smirking about as he walked off, but Edward's face was completely untroubled, so I shrugged it off.

"Why don't we… drive around?" I suggested helplessly. "If we see something interesting, we can just stop, right?"

"If you like," he nodded, standing to come around and pull my chair back for me. I smiled back at him in gratitude, grabbing my purse as I stood and following him to the register.

"Have a wonderful evening," the host greeted us most graciously as we turned to leave, although I noticed his eyes seemed more focused on the crisp green bills the cashier had taken from Edward. You would think they had never seen that much money before, which I found hard to believe considering the astronomical prices they charged for their food.

"Thank you," I said anyway, letting Edward steer me impatiently out the door. From the look on his face, I guessed he wanted to laugh at my observations.

"You have no idea," he muttered into my ear, laughter clear in his voice. A grin spread across my face in response, but I didn't say anything until we were driving away.

"How close was I?"

Edward finally gave into his laughter as I asked the question. I took that to mean I was right on target and joined him in laughing over it all. Both of us fell silent afterwards, the atmosphere once again comfortable.

Stopped at a red light a few blocks down from the café, I noticed a nearby movie theater's sign with interest – initially anyway.

"They don't have any good movies," I said after a minute, scrunching my nose as I stared at the theater's movie listings. "At least _I_ don't think they do."

After a brief pause, Edward asked curiously, "Would you like to see one?"

"I just said I don't like any of them," I pointed out, rolling my eyes good-naturedly.

"California generally has a better selection," he countered easily. "A benefit of being the birthplace of Hollywood, I suppose."

"You would drive all the way down to California just to take me to a movie?" I wondered incredulously, turning to look at him in surprise as he took off from the green light.

"Why not?" he remarked, eyes on the road. "The way I drive, I could get us there pretty quickly."

"But there's school tomorrow," I said, unsure of precisely why I was being so obstinate about this.

"I don't exactly need to sleep," he dryly commented, chuckling when he saw my embarrassed face. "And you don't need to be up early, so whatever time we get back, you can just sleep in."

"Yeah, I could, but…" I hesitated still, biting my lip. My mind wandered to Bella and the seemingly date-like circumstances we were in.

Edward snorted sarcastically. "What? You think I should hold off movie nights until Bella gets here a year or so from now? Not likely, Mireille… Come on. Let's just enjoy it, all right?"

"You're unbelievably anxious about Bella, aren't you?" I inquired concernedly, just then noticing the anxiety in his eyes. "I don't even think you were this nervous in _Midnight Sun_."

"The major difference there is that I now have to do things just right," he told me agitatedly, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand. "In the books, I didn't know what the hell I was doing and so I played it by how it felt to me. Now, I have to get it exactly correct or I risk ruining everything the future holds for us all."

"Whoa, cool it there, Dr. Fate!" I half-laughed, stunned by the utter terror and desolation in Edward's golden eyes. "It's _not_ that serious, I promise you! You already know what has to happen. Now you just do it when the time comes. That's all there is to it. As to the other issues, like James or Victoria or whatever, we just have to deal with it as it comes. That's all we can do. It's how life operates, okay?"

"Forgive me," he sighed, already calming slightly. "My anxiety has been skyrocketing since we finished the books yesterday. When I danced with you, I was honestly helping myself as much as you. Stress started bleeding into my system the moment I heard about the way Bella's scent affected me, but everything feels ten times as overwhelming right now. It's all been poured on at once."

"Maybe I should have enforced a reading schedule," I frowned. I didn't like the way he slouched. "But I was afraid it might leave everyone – particularly you – far too much thinking time and make you doubt your chances."

"Admittedly, that was a high probability," he confessed shamefully.

"It was more a choice of evils, I guess," I grumbled, to which Edward's lips twitched.

"So…" he started, plainly changing topics, "will you, Miss Whitlock, kindly join me in an excursion to the cinema?"

Giggling over the formal speech and manner he had adopted, I simply nodded and laughed brightly – albeit with a startled tinge – when Edward turned abruptly toward the nearest entrance for Highway 5.

Edward drove an absolutely terrifying yet thrilling 185 miles per hour the entire way to California, without exception. I didn't even know the Volvo _could_ move that fast. Equally nerve-wracked and excited because of how fast we were going, I practically started gasping for breath and gripped the door handle until my knuckles were white. It was a roller coaster ride in a way; every curve, no matter how beautifully executed, sent my stomach into knots. The only reason Edward never slowed down was my unspoken adrenaline kick out of the whole experience.

When we finally arrived, I was horrified and awed at the same time to learn he had made the nearly 700 mile trip from Olympia to Sacramento in approximately four hours. We made it into a practically empty midnight showing of the only movie on their list that I wanted to see.

"I still can't believe I'm watching this," Edward mumbled to himself, rubbing his temples as if a migraine was coming on. His energy for movie-going had dampened considerably when he realized what film I was set on watching.

"Oh, come on, Edward," I nudged him lightly in the shoulder, surprised when he let himself move naturally with the gesture. "I love _Underworld_. It's really exciting."

"Mythological monsters really are an obsession of yours, aren't they?" he muttered sarcastically, shaking his head.

I glared slightly at him over my lifted box of Raisinets as the show began. He chuckled at my annoyance, but groaned when he actually listened to Kate Beckinsale's narration about vampire-lycan history. I could see this little introduction was not endearing him to the film any more than before, but something about his long-suffering face made me snort with laughter. It was Edward's turn to glare, and in his case it was unfortunately more effective. I tried _very_ had not to laugh at him as the movie progressed… and failed spectacularly.

"I can't wait to see the next one!" was my excitable comment as we exited the theater two hours later and walked out to the Volvo. I was pleased that I hadn't needed to wear my coat and accessories at all. The weather was beautifully mild and comfortable. "And you _can't_ say you're not interested, Edward, so don't try it."

"I won't even try to lie," he sighed amusedly, "It was better than I expected."

"See? Don't judge a book by its cover," I beamed at him.

"When _does_ the next one come out?" he asked quietly, opening the passenger door for me.

"2006 – in January," I sighed a little disappointedly, taking care to keep my voice down. "But it will certainly be worth the wait, trust me."

"Well, it looks like you and I have an appointment in a couple of years," he chuckled. "Don't you forget it."

"I won't," I laughed at his 'threat' and buckled myself in while he walked around to the driver's side.

I chattered part of the way back to Forks, somehow not paying attention to the same outrageous speed Edward was taking advantage of on the return trip. In spite of my obvious excitement over the movie, about a third of the way back I must have fallen asleep in the passenger seat because Edward was suddenly lifting me out of the car, startling me awake enough to realize what was going on. The air was frigid compared to the warmth we had enjoyed in California.

As I blearily lifted my head from his shoulder, I caught the time on the digital clock as reading six-forty. Considering it had been midnight when we went in to watch _Underworld_ , I knew it was very, very early the next day.

"It's almost seven in the morning," I muttered distantly – almost incomprehensibly – already closer to a dead sleep than wakefulness. "I must be insane."

"Perhaps you are," Edward agreed lightly, laughter underlying his speech. "Although with as little sleep as you have right now, I can't judge just yet."

Had I been any more awake, I would have glared at him for his comment. As it was, I just went about laying my head back down on Edward's shoulder with a slight thump and remained silent even when we entered the front door. Someone had opened it for Edward, I guessed, since neither of his arms ever left their hold on my back and legs. Or would I even feel it if they did…?

"You're quite amusing when you're tired," Edward half-laughed at me, joined by a chuckling voice I recognized as belonging to Carlisle.

"You two have had quite an evening on the town, so Alice tells us," the doctor commented teasingly.

"Well, you know how Alice likes to take leaps and bounds ahead of the simple facts," Edward partly joked, but I sensed a bit of genuine meaning behind the words, even while still half asleep.

"I resent that, Edward Cullen," Alice snipped playfully from somewhere else in the vicinity. "Just because I know things above the norm…"

"Oh, shut it, Pixie," Emmett called out to the psychic vampire, and it sounded like he threw a magazine at her, which obviously missed. "You cheat and that's all there is to it. What happened to the freak twins protecting each other's backs?"

"Took the words out of my mouth," I mumbled sarcastically, wishing I didn't have to sleep and miss all of the good family times like this.

"I think the sandman is calling her name," Jasper remarked dryly from across the room somewhere.

"Yes, he certainly is," Edward sighed humorously, starting to walk again. I tried to remember the precise moment he had stopped in the first place, but decided I was too out of it to know and promptly forgot about the whole thing.

A few minutes later I was startled out of yet another doze when Edward laid me down on the bed and two smaller hands fluttered over me, helping me into a pair of pajamas. A split second after it started, it was finished, and I was comfortably wrapped up in the covers.

"I've turned off your alarm for the day," Esme quietly informed me. "You just sleep, all right?"

I was already on my way to dreamland, but somehow I found myself responding, "Mm-hm."

"Good night, sweetie," she whispered, kissing my forehead. My strange, half-cooked brain came up with the amusing and brilliant recognition that it was no longer night, but morning, yet I was too sleepy to actually say it.

"Where'd Edward go?" I wondered suddenly, eyes barely splitting open to see a blur of caramel-colored hair near the bed.

"He's getting ready for school, dear," Esme's gentle voice again washed over me, adding significantly to the comfort I already felt as she sweetly patted down my hair.

"Oh," I murmured with a vague frown, letting my eyes slide shut again. I was irritated with myself for not telling him what a fun evening out it had been. Even after the dark subject matter we had discussed (and watched, admittedly), I had thoroughly enjoyed myself. I wished I had told him thank you.

"You're welcome," came a velvet whisper right beside my ear.

"Rest well, my dear," Carlisle's voice, soft and kind, also drifted over me from very nearby.

By the time the word dear had passed his lips, I was too far gone to ask why he suddenly decided to kiss my forehead.

I woke at twelve-thirty in the afternoon the next day, refreshed and still pleased by my time well-spent with Edward. I pretty much just threw on an outfit, not altogether certain that it matched especially well; at least the shoes matched the shirt. Alice could kill me later if it suited her.

Esme had lunch all ready when I headed downstairs and I dug in with gusto. I would hate having to eat cafeteria food when I started at the high school; Esme's culinary skills were going to make me spoiled. That much I was sure of.

"What are you going to do today?" she asked, sitting down with me at the island counter after she put away the food.

"I don't know," I shrugged thoughtfully, pausing to chew a forkful of my antipasto. "If I exercise and practice the piano, together those will take up an hour-and-a-half."

"The others will be home not long after you finish," she smiled. "I have no doubt someone will have an activity for you by then."

"That's true," I laughed. "Somebody always has _something_ for me to do."

Esme did not sit nearby when I practiced the piano, a feat which must have taken extraordinary effort because Esme just loved to hear it, whether it was good or bad. I knew she was listening from somewhere in the house, though. The thought made me a little nervous, but once I got into the swing of playing, I didn't think much on it anymore.

Sure enough, when the others got home, they had an activity for me. It just wasn't one I was all too keen to participate in.

* * *


	17. Chapter 16: Insistent

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
I will be mentioning the fanfiction stories Mireille wrote in this chapter. For these, I am just using some of my own _Twilight_ stories. It's the simplest and most comfortable way to do it. So yeah, this is all just one big shameless plug I guess. :P

**Previously** – Mireille created a tutoring schedule and discussed languages with Edward, Alice, and Esme. Edward described Mireille's scent. Mireille and Edward went to Olympia and discussed Charles Evenson. Edward admitted he's anxious about Bella. Edward drove to Sacramento and watched _Underworld_ with Mireille. Mireille whiled the day away with Esme until the others returned home from school.

> **Chapter 16: Insistent**

"Guys, come on," I sighed for the fourth time in a row from my seat on the sofa nearest the window wall, staring down five enthusiastic vampires who were fighting tooth and nail to read my fanfiction stories.

Emmett, Alice, Edward, Jasper, and Esme were quite insistent about it. Rosalie tried to remain uninterested over on the other sofa, but the intrigue was just as keen in her eyes.

I had spent the last several attempts at rejection by alternately tugging on my hot pink and gray striped top and dark gray running pants or curling my toes inside the hot pink flats on my feet.

Unfortunately, I had a peculiar feeling this was inevitable. Sort of like how I had predicted one day meeting Maria, I predicted they would end up reading my stories one way or another. The thought incited a groan from me and a slight grin from Edward.

"Does that mean yes?" Alice bounced on her toes, sensing the tide was changing in her favor.

"Prepare my early grave," I grumbled into my hands, which I had brought up to my face in resignation, and steeled myself to block Edward so he wouldn't see the story plots before he even read them. They laughed, even Esme, over my response, but someone whooshed away – presumably to get my stories – and then rushed back. The only reason I knew this was because of the air that fanned me in the wake of their movement. I bet myself that it was Edward.

"It was," he confirmed amusedly. "Now please stop covering your face and talk with us."

"About what?" was my incredulous reply, albeit muffled by my hands. "You can read, can't you?"

"Yes, but you have to tell us about your inspiration," Alice cut in cheerily. "Why you wrote what you did… how you came about it… that kind of thing."

"I still say you're trying to torture me," I muttered, but reluctantly moved my hands away from my face. Every pair of golden eyes was bright and twinkling, eager to read my demise at the hands of my own stories.

"You're as bad as me," Edward reproached lightly. "If what they say about my melodrama is true, anyway."

We all just stared at him for a moment.

"Okay, okay," Edward muttered, holding up his hands in surrender. "You _are_ as bad as me."

Esme shook her head in amusement and sat down in one of the chairs. Taking the cue from their mother, the rest fitted themselves in. Edward took the other chair, Emmett joined Rosalie on her sofa, and Jasper and Alice joined me, one on either side.

"What about Carlisle?" Jasper asked.

"Oh, he can read them later," Esme waved it off. "He won't mind us going ahead while we have free time."

"Okay, then where do we start?" Emmett turned to me, rubbing his hands together gleefully. Rosalie rolled her eyes at him.

"I don't know," I sighed, glancing at the pieces spread on the coffee table before me. "Maybe the first piece I wrote?"

"Which is…?" Edward prompted me.

" _Reminders_ ," I reluctantly answered, picking up the story in question as if it were a deadly snake. "I based it on a song called ' _Undiscovered'_. It's about the time after you leave in _New Moon_."

"That's depressing," Emmett frowned a little.

"It's Bella's point of view," I sighed. "And it's a song fic."

"Song fic?" Alice questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, it contains lyrics from a song," I explained with pink cheeks. "Here, just read it, okay? I explain all of this in the author's note at the beginning."

I didn't pay attention to them as they read through the story at a human pace, too embarrassed to have it read out loud in the first place. Their voices stopped suddenly a few minutes later, creating a heavy silence in the room that I was afraid to break. I forced myself to look up only when Esme finally addressed me. Her eyes were suspiciously glassy as she asked, "You wrote this, dear?"

"Er… yes, I did."

"But it was… it was beautiful!" she exclaimed gently. I blinked.

"It was very striking," Edward added quietly, followed by nods from the others.

"I felt like I was reading from Bella's real thoughts," Alice finished.

"Thank you," I murmured, humbled by their reactions.

"Well, what's next?" Emmett excitedly asked me to liven up the room, and I had to laugh.

"Well, about half of these are a single 'chapter,' so to speak." I thoughtfully looked over them again. "But the other half of them are chaptered stories and kind of long."

"Let's go through the single ones first," Esme decided. "By the looks of these, we'll be finished right about when Carlisle comes home and then read the longer ones with him. You'll have to have dinner anyway, Mireille, so that will work well, I think."

I nodded, then tried to determine which one to go with next, but kept coming against a wall. I just couldn't decide.

"Do you have a least favorite one?" Edward suggested.

"Not really," I shook my head. "Although I do have one or two that I know are completely out of character and therefore kind of embarrassing."

"Which ones?" Rosalie wondered quietly, surprising me with her continued interest. Well, she didn't look _interested_ , yet she also didn't look _dis_ interested either; somehow that put me more at ease.

"Well, there's one I wrote where Edward is extremely cold and angry towards Carlisle about his vote in _New Moon_ ," I admitted, biting my lip. "And in the story it lasts for about ten weeks."

Edward smiled briefly. "That does sound slightly out of character, frankly, but I don't mind. It's just a story."

"If you're sure," I acquiesced with relief. "It's called _Discreet Disagreement_. And I really don't remember why I wrote it in the first place."

Nodding his understanding, he took the piece from my hand and started to read. It was odd having him read his own point of view; it made it far too realistic. Like he was actually living through it.

"I agree with you on that," Edward muttered, setting the piece down gingerly.

"Well?" I wondered with a strange nervousness. "Terribly out of character, right?"

"I don't know," he responded uncomfortably, and my heart sank slightly. "I wouldn't do it _now_ , but… in the twenties I might have—"

Esme's sharp inhale stopped him from finishing the thought. Edward's eyes were apologetic as he took her hand comfortingly.

"Moving right along, then," Emmett muttered to himself, picking up another story. "Here, what's this one?"

" _Magnitude_ ," I read off the title thoughtfully, biting my lip. "I told Carlisle about this one a little bit already."

Alice started. "When?"

"After we toured the house, we ended up talking about fanfiction," was my equally startled answer. "Why?"

"I just didn't even see it," she frowned.

"Well it was kind of last minute," I shrugged.

"Anyway," Emmett butted in, rolling his eyes. "What's it about?"

"It's an alternate course that might have taken place in _Breaking Dawn_ ," I responded with an eye roll of my own. "The wolves attack in an attempt to get rid of the baby before they know what Renesmee is. Then all of you guys fight them and Jasper ends up badly damaged."

"How is that possible?" Alice groused, giving me a scowl. Jasper seemed mightily amused by her expression. "He's the best fighter in the family."

"But he could overextend himself," I countered easily. "If he tried to take as much of the fighting away from all of you as possible, he might be taken advantage of. Remember his injury in _Eclipse_?"

"That's true," Alice glared at her unapologetic husband. "I can see where that would make sense."

"What happens then?" Esme wondered concernedly, in spite of the fact that it was not real.

"Carlisle protects him from Sam and it's in Carlisle's point of view… You may as well read the rest."

They did just that, with Jasper reading the piece, and I felt embarrassed as they reached my sappy attempts at bonding Carlisle and Jasper as father and son.

After a tense silence, it was Jasper's deep voice that sounded from my right side, his hand on mine to instill a sense of calm. "Please don't be embarrassed. I… I admire what you wrote, actually. It's… quite true to life in many ways."

Hardly daring to look up at him, I chanced a brief glimpse and quickly darted back down to my lap. What I had seen was somewhat heartening. Jasper appeared sad, yet… something in his face had taken on an air of hopefulness.

"I have a question," I was brave enough to comment after another minute. "Is any of the vampire-specific stuff correct in this story?"

"A little," said Edward, humming with thought. "Healing with venom, for instance. It's not necessary to heal our wounds, but it does speed up the process significantly. And the paralysis you described, that is also quite true. If there is enough injury done, a vampire will be mostly incapable of moving – due to pain and the removal of certain important joints, ligaments, and etcetera – until the more serious wounds are mended."

"And the bonding experience…" Jasper reluctantly tacked on. "It's not exactly so… poignant… as you described, but it is something that exists in many covens. The more such experiences one has, the closer one is considered to be with their coven leader. Or should I say the more advantageous to the leader one is considered to be."

"Wow," I sat back, surprised. "I thought I was just playing around with things that don't even exist."

"Including us," Emmett said more joyfully than anyone seemed to feel, bringing a slight smile out of me.

"We should move on," Esme murmured concernedly, looking over at Jasper with a bit of pity in her gaze.

"Here," Alice quietly offered me another story while slipping her free hand around to Jasper, who took it gently into his own.

"This one is _Lasting Illusion_ ," I explained. "It takes place after _Breaking Dawn_ is over. It's in Alice's point of view."

Alice was the one who took it, prompted by it being her viewpoint no doubt, and I tuned out her words to allow Jasper's calm to continue spreading through me.

Upon completing the story, another silence encompassed us all. Sensing the change when Jasper stopped offering me a store of calm, I opened my eyes and checked everyone's faces. There was a darkness there that I didn't like, but also a determination that I couldn't understand.

"That was… quite well done, Mireille," Edward uttered low, expression disturbed. "Intimidating, but accurate."

"Frighteningly so," Rosalie imparted her opinion on my writing for the first time, voice quiet and her eyes keen on my face, which grew warm.

"I can actually see myself going through this," Alice whispered in slight sadness.

"I'm sorry there are so many depressing elements to my writing," I whispered back.

"Why?" Emmett cut in, looking more serious than usual. "It happens. This kind of stuff happens in real books and real life all the time, right?"

"Kind of," I agreed hesitantly.

"The issue isn't how dark the stories are," Esme spoke up, her eyes tight. "It's how well you write us in them. I truly am astounded by how closely you portray some of our deeper reactions. These are very beautiful, Mireille."

"Thank you, Esme," I said humbly.

"You're welcome, dear," she smiled a little, gesturing wordlessly for my next story.

"Um… this next one was supposed to be the preface for a multi-chaptered story, but I never got around to finishing it. Work and school took away my free time."

"What's it called? What's the plot?" Emmett asked in quick succession. I could tell he was positively itching to read.

" _Something Like Hope_ ," was my uncomfortable reply. "It's really short. Micro, actually. And it's about Esme's faith."

"Well, then we'll just nip it in the bud," Emmett proclaimed before Esme could comment, taking the single page out of my hands and reading it himself.

The excitable big vampire didn't sound half as excited when he finished reading.

"You sure know how to give people a downer," he remarked in spite of his earlier comments on my writing.

"I think it was absolutely wonderful," Esme sniffled, passing her son a reproachful look. "That is so close to how I have felt about Edward's future before. You make it so real."

"Thanks," I mumbled, cheeks pink again. Edward was staring at me with something akin to awe, and I wished he would look away before my face burned up entirely.

After a minute of awkward silence, Jasper commented dryly, "But it just doesn't sound right in your voice, Emmett."

"What do you mean?" the vampire in question argued, scowling at his blond brother. "Esme liked it, didn't she?"

"Shush, both of you," Esme interrupted before they could get into it, but a more genuine smile was on her face. "Go on to the next one, Mireille."

"There are actually two related stories here. _Emotionless_ and _Little Gem_."

"Sounds cool," Emmett grinned. "What are they about?"

"They're in Esme and Carlisle's points of view, respectively. I based them on Renesmee's first spoken words."

" _Momma, where is Grandpa_ _?_ " Alice clarified.

"Yeah, that's it," I confirmed. "Considering Renesmee probably knew that Charlie lived in town and couldn't always come around, I figured she was talking about Carlisle."

"And this is an explanation of where he was?" Esme deduced, to which I simply nodded. "Well, I think I'll read the one in my point of view. Edward, why don't you read Carlisle's?"

He nodded and handed her _Emotionless_ , which was nearest him. Once again, I tuned out the reading. I already knew what it said anyway, considering I had written it. Alice had to nudge me by the time Edward had finished reading _Little Gem_ so I could return to the conversation _._

"The emotion is so wonderfully done," Esme couldn't help saying, shaking her head. "It really does sound like us."

"You write Carlisle better than you write the rest of us," Edward commented oddly. His face bore an expression I couldn't decipher.

"Is that a bad thing?" I tentatively asked.

"Not at all," Jasper spoke first, also spying Edward's strange look. "I think he just means it's odd that you never even met Carlisle and yet you knew him so well."

"I guess so." I shrugged uncomfortably.

"What is _To Hear The Angels_ about?" Alice questioned, obviously changing the subject on purpose.

"It's a few Christmases or so after _Breaking Dawn_ ," I explained with more ease. "Essentially, it's Bella spending some time with Carlisle and bonding. They talk about his angry fit from _Little Gem_ at one point, so it's kind of a third tale in that story arc."

"And what about _A Wreath of Thistles_?" Jasper asked.

"What?" I started. "I never published that one!"

Even if I had… well, I doubted Rosalie would wish it to be read.

"What do you mean?" Edward murmured confusedly, leaning over to pick the story out of Jasper's hands and read at least a little of it, disregarding my protest. His confusion evaporated instantly. "Oh… I see."

"Yeah," I muttered awkwardly. "I didn't think that would go over very well."

"Why don't we ask her opinion?" he suggested grimly.

"Are you sure?" I suddenly felt panic creeping. "I… She won't like it."

"Who won't like it?" Alice questioned impatiently. Everyone was staring between Edward and me, Rosalie more suspiciously than the others. Why did she have to be so keen?

"Rosalie, I think you might want to read this," Edward said before I could argue, slipping the story into his sister's hands.

Blank though her face was, I watched her lips tighten the further down the page she read. My nerves started to fray as I waited for the explosion, but Jasper calmed me down a little before I lost it. When Rosalie finally spoke, I was shocked to hear her actually reading the story to everyone, rather than chewing me out. My surprise lasted until the blonde stopped reading and lifted her eyes to mine. I saw no anger, no suspicion, no unhappiness that I had written what I did. As a matter of fact, there wasn't much of anything in her eyes, except shrewd perception. What she perceived, I could not fathom, but no one else dared speak about it.

After the silence grew stale, Esme pulled me up and into the kitchen as she prepared a somewhat late dinner and sat down with me at the island. The front door opening drew my attention in the middle of eating.

"Hello, everyone," Carlisle called out for my benefit, voice quite calm and content. Not a moment later, the content turned to wariness. "Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong," Edward replied. "Just deep in concentration, is all. We read some of Mireille's stories after we got home."

"I see," Carlisle tentatively responded. "Was it so uncomfortable of an experience that you all sit here silent and still, not even looking at each other?"

"As I said, it's just… thought-inducing," Edward responded with a sigh. "Take a few moments to read this stack here and you'll see what I mean."

Curious as I was, I was still eating and couldn't head back to the living area to see what was happening. Esme didn't like the idea either, insisting with a gentle hand on my back that I stay and finish my meal. Appetite slightly less important now, I hurried through the rest of it so I could get back into the main room. Esme sighed in a mixture of exasperation and knowing humor, but didn't stop me.

By the time I finished and helped Esme clean up as much as she would allow me to, the both of us were too late to catch Carlisle still reading. The expression on his face as he sat in the chair beside Edward's was so pensive I worried he had taken my stories the wrong way somehow. Edward subtly shook his head at me, smirking slightly. I took that to mean I was overreacting and flushed pink when I took a seat beside Alice, who had moved over to sit beside Jasper and left the end of the sofa free. Esme took a seat on the arm of Carlisle's chair, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with a warm smile, easing my discomfort even more than Edward had.

"You are rather a talented writer, Mireille," the doctor finally spoke, transferring his smile onto me. "I quite enjoyed your stories. Although I wonder where on earth you get your insight from."

"I don't really get it from anywhere in particular," I murmured embarrassedly. "When I write… it's the things that I can't seem to put into words. It all comes out on the paper, like the pen or the keyboard is an extension of my vocal chords. Instead of making conversation… I write stories."

"You seem to be doing very well vocally, too," Carlisle smiled more warmly. "That description was quite eloquent, you know."

"Thank you," I mumbled even quieter than before.

"Now," he continued, taking some of the pressure off of me, "I believe we have some longer stories to read?"

"Er… yeah. They're all part of the same series," I answered nervously. "They're out of character for Edward, in particular. And I think I've brought up every bad thing that ever happened to all of you. It's really over-dramatized and I made Rosalie into a real… well, far more vindictive and evil than I think she really is. It's just that I needed the plot to have a sort-of villain and she was the only one who made sense at the time and—"

"Stop dithering," Rosalie, of all people, cut in sharply. "I don't even care."

"Okay," was my meek reply, and I quickly started to describe the story. "The series is called _Damages_. That part is in Bella's point of view. There are also some side stories from all of your viewpoints. It looks like a chronological reading order is with them, so you know what gets read next."

"What is it about?" Rosalie prompted, apparently appointing herself my coach until she was certain I would stick to the plain facts.

"Between _New Moon_ and _Eclipse_ ," I explained, "it's about the healing Bella goes through with the family."

"How long is it?" the blonde asked.

"There are eight main stories and eight companion pieces."

"Then I guess we should start reading," Rosalie went on to announce. "Perhaps at our speed, since there are so many?"

I just nodded my agreement.

"Let's take turns like we did with the books," Alice suggested, turning to smile at me in a friendly way. "I think I'll start. See you in a little bit, Mir."

Nodding again, I settled more comfortably into my place on the sofa, wondering how they would take this particular story and its many ramifications, when something very significant popped into my mind.

"Stop!" I shouted suddenly, making even Alice jump. An irritated glance from Rosalie, I was easily able to overlook in my panic. "Edward, it talks about what we talked about yesterday!"

Edward's eyes were already wide thanks to reading my thoughts. It would have been comical if the situation wasn't so serious. He had planned to tell Esme of his first victim in 1927, but he hadn't planned it to be quite _that_ soon.

After a very awkward minute of everyone staring curiously and sometimes suspiciously at the two of us, Edward slouched in on himself. His deflation roused my sympathy greater than my worry. Jasper looked sympathetic as well, and he didn't even know what was going on.

"Carlisle, Esme," Edward said at last, voice defeated. "I need a moment alone with you."

Frowning concernedly, Carlisle and Esme shared a single look and then nodded at their first son. Alice took the lead in heading out of the house, her face carefully blank. Jasper reluctantly followed, leaving Emmett and Rosalie to be forced out by a stern glance from their parents. I stood without thinking as they disappeared, in spite of knowing that Edward, Carlisle, and Esme could much more easily leave for privacy than I could. I started to walk out, but the strangely frightened expression that crossed Edward's face gave me pause.

"Mireille," Carlisle called my name thoughtfully. It sounded as thought he had just come up with an important idea.

Wordlessly, I returned to stand in front of the sofa Rosalie and Emmett occupied a moment before. Carlisle looked at me, then gave me the merest glance towards his son, and abruptly I understood what he was asking.

"Would you mind if I stayed, Edward?" I asked him gently.

Such a gust of relief seemed to have taken hold of the vampire in question that I knew Carlisle had the right idea. Edward needed someone in his corner right now.

"No, I wouldn't mind that at all," he practically sighed the words, gesturing for us to share the sofa behind me. We sat down at the same moment as a hesitant Carlisle and Esme did on the other sofa. Edward was trembling slightly, a fact I noted with pity.

"What is it you wish to talk about, son?" Carlisle patiently took up the conversation, taking Esme's hand reassuringly into both of his.

"I have something I need to explain," Edward confessed, fidgeting. "I don't think you'll take it very well. Especially you, Esme."

' _Call her Mom next time_ ,' I corrected him in my mind. I figured softening Esme in that regard couldn't hurt. If anything, it would remind her all the more strongly that no matter what he had done, Edward was still Edward. He was still her son.

He chanced a glance at me then, vaguely exasperated by my odd interruption, however subtle it had been. I felt better when I saw that exasperation, though; it meant he was more himself.

Sighing resignedly, Edward continued, "I think you already suspected something about this, Carlisle, but I know Es—Mom didn't."

The effect of the word mom was obvious on Esme. Her eyes grew sweeter, warmer, towards Edward than they already were. Inwardly I sighed with relief.

"Mom… please try to understand me," Edward pleaded first, fully embracing the endearment now that he knew it might help somehow. "I thought it was the right thing at the time. That it would help you in some way."

"What are you talking about, Edward?" Esme asked worriedly, brows furrowed. Carlisle squeezed her hands in reassurance, but his own face was grave. He had to have figured it out.

"When I left in 1926," Edward began again, seeming to remind himself to be factual, rather than emotional. "I didn't just head out to the nearest criminal mind I found… I… I went to someone very specific."

Esme started, eyes wide as she gazed upon her eldest son. "Edward… but who would you have…"

But Esme gasped suddenly, her face horrified, as the truth settled in. At her side, Carlisle took a deep breath that was both a sigh of relief and a preparation for the storm to come.

A flinch from Edward told me that the storm had most certainly begun. Nervously, I laid my hand over his, hoping it might help even a tiny bit.

"No… Oh, Edward, no!" Esme murmured, eyes glassy and wet-looking. "Why did you do it? Why?"

"I hated him," Edward admitted tightly, his own eyes appearing wet. "For what he did to you, for living to hurt others like he hurt you, for being in the way when you wondered about marrying Carlisle… I couldn't bear the thought of him surviving another day when you were so worried about whether or not it was wrong to marry the man you loved while that animal was still alive. But mostly I just couldn't stand to see him live after how he hurt you. After watching those terrible memories live on, even in your immortal life, I wanted to eliminate the source. I don't know if I honestly believed that would somehow heal your pain, but… I think I feebly hoped it would."

Esme was literally crying tearlessly into her free hand now and Carlisle freed one of his hands to wrap the whole arm around her shoulders.

"Don't hate me, Esme. I just wanted you to be free of him," Edward whispered painfully, face contorted into an expression of grief as he lowered his head to avoid his mother's eyes. "Please forgive me."

Esme took a long while to compose herself, Carlisle holding her close and murmuring comforting words in her ear, and Edward's posture growing steadily more defeated every moment that passed by. At last, when her empty crying steadied out completely and her mind was likely more rational, Esme took in a long and heavy breath, then let it out very slowly and turned her gaze back on Edward's bowed head.

"Edward," she said softly, sadly. "Oh, sweetheart, I could never, ever hate you. I don't know how you could even think that. It's not that I approve of what you did… I wish you hadn't been forced to live through my memories like that. I wish you had never partaken of even the smallest bit of that vile man or any of the others. You are too good to have any part of him or them in you. You're my son and I love you. And as much as I forgive you, I wish even more that you'd forgive yourself."

Shuddering slightly at something only he could see, Edward finally lifted his head. One brief look at Esme's outstretched arms and he flew into her mothering hug, slipping onto his knees beside her. Carlisle pulled back enough to kiss Esme's forehead and squeeze Edward's shoulder before rising and gesturing for me to come with him.

As silently as I knew how, I followed him up to his office and walked in to take a seat in front of his desk. Closing the door behind him and turning to face me, Carlisle said in a low and grateful voice, "Thank you for being so supportive of Edward. I would have done the same, only I knew Esme needed support as much as he did."

"I'm glad I could help," I uttered as lowly as he had. "I know he was very worried about this coming up."

"Is that why the two of you left yesterday?" he shrewdly observed.

"Yes," I admitted. "I mentioned reading the guide and it all kind of led to that."

"I'm glad he was at least somewhat prepared to speak of it," Carlisle sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. "Otherwise it would have been twice as difficult for him tonight."

"You already knew." It was not a question.

"Edward never said it in so many words," the doctor replied honestly. "But knowing him as well as I did, and do, I always expected that was one of his… stops."

"I'm happy he's cleared the air with Esme now," I commented. "Will he tell the others? Well, aside from Alice anyway."

Carlisle chuckled at the mention of Alice, who was undoubtedly watching the whole scene. "I think he may allow it to come out as we read your story. How soon will it crop up?

"It's first mentioned in part one, but not confirmed until part two," I answered.

He simply nodded, moving to sit in the chair opposite mine. "Mireille, now that we have a moment, I would like to talk to you."

Nervously I shifted in my seat.

"Oh, it's nothing that serious," he chuckled, taking in my discomfort. "I merely wondered if you wanted to begin your lessons this weekend or next."

"I don't know," I started to say, but before I could actually answer, a phone ringing startled us both. Shaking his head, Carlisle hurried to pick up the cell phone on his desk. "Yes, Alice?"

The knowing amusement in his voice had me giggling.

"All right, thank you," he ended the call a minute later, humor risen to new heights. Turning, he caught my eye and grinned slightly. "We have been ordered by the commander to leave your lessons until next weekend."

Laughter escaped me at that. "I guess I don't have to answer you. But why do I have to wait?"

"I believe she mentioned something about this weekend being reserved for costumes," he added, tacking on a good-natured sigh. "Education is always so undervalued."

Giggling again at his dry sense of humor, I pulled my legs up onto the chair to get more comfortable.

"I never did get to see your artwork," Carlisle brought up out of the blue.

My ears felt a little warm. "I didn't think about it."

"Might I see them sometime?" he asked, face suffused with genuine interest.

"I… sure," I agreed more from the sudden pressure than anything else, although I guessed I wouldn't mind him looking at my art. Edward had liked the works, so I imagined Carlisle might like them, too.

A knock on Carlisle's office door brought our faces around to watch as Edward peeked around the door.

"We're finished talking," he explained, looking much improved from what I remembered downstairs. "And the others will be back in a few minutes, so we'll be able to start reading soon."

"All right," Carlisle agreed, standing from his seat. Standing as well, I tried to follow him out the door, but Edward stopped me with a gentle hand on my elbow.

"We'll be waiting for you," murmured Carlisle, disappearing from sight.

Giving Edward a look of curiosity, I let him lead me over to the sofa in front of the room's West-facing windows.

"I wanted to thank you," he told me quietly, "for helping me with this. I don't know if I would have ever talked to Esme about it otherwise. And you really kept me from becoming too depressed about it."

"I just knew it must be a hard subject for you," I half-shrugged awkwardly. One thing I was not good at was emotional discussions where it concerned myself.

"Well I'm glad you understood," he pressed forward anyway, reaching over to give my hand a comforting squeeze. "You understand things that I didn't think anyone would."

"Sometimes people are so understated that you'd never know if you didn't ask," I said cautiously.

"Like you," he pointed out with a wry smile. "Thank you again."

I didn't really know how to react to the first part of that statement, so I settled for, "You're welcome."

Nodding decisively, Edward rose and easily tugged me along after him. When we reached the living area, everyone was sitting again, although the seats had changed around from earlier. Rosalie and Emmett had taken the chairs this time while Alice and Jasper had now split, Alice to sit with Esme on opposite ends of one sofa and Jasper to do the same with Carlisle on the other To my surprise, Edward led me to the seat between his father and brother while he took the one between his mother and sister. It was sort of strange, but I just went with it; they must have had a very good reason for it after all.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It's about nine-o'clock," Esme replied.

"Do you think you'll have enough time to read them all?" I wondered.

"If we are reading at our speed, we should be able to finish these tonight," was Carlisle's reasonable answer.

Nodding my understanding, I sat back as Alice picked up the story that she had dropped and started to read in that same voice of whispering wind.

An indefinite amount of time later, I was nudged from an unexpected doze to find an enthusiastic Alice crouched in front of me. Belatedly I realized I had nodded off on Carlisle's shoulder. Someone had put a blanket there to protect me from the coldness.

"Are you ready to kill me yet?" I wondered blearily. Alice trilled a laugh, along with almost everyone else. Carlisle's laughter shook me slightly where I still leaned against him.

"Hardly," Esme laughed at my assumption. "We just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed it all."

"You're finished?" I asked in surprise, waking up a little more.

"Yep!" Alice proudly announced. "It took four hours to get through them all. You fell asleep somewhere in the middle of part five."

"Great." I cleared my throat slightly. "How far off was I?"

"Oh, astronomically in a couple of cases," Alice waved me off impatiently. "But it was still really, really good. And the way you created a relative theme for the chapter titles in each story was neat."

"I liked the part with the intruder best," Jasper admitted from my left. "The strategy you used was fascinating to work through."

" _Intangible Sentiment_ was my favorite part," was Alice's confession. "The way you portrayed Edward and Carlisle's points of view was absolutely amazing."

"Yeah, and your idea of how each of us has different ways of blocking this cheater," Emmett grinned and pointed at Edward, who rolled his eyes.

"I particularly enjoyed _Damages I_ ," Esme smiled. "I just love reading about Carlisle. Especially as well as you write his personality and reactions."

Her husband smiled as well, though he appeared a bit bashful as he added, "I think part eight was my favorite. With all of us coming together, whole and healed."

"Emmett's parts in the stories were my favorite," Rosalie said softly, some sentimentality clear in her voice.

"You really showed his big heart," Esme agreed, smiling warmly at her burly son, who actually looked rather bashful himself now.

" _Bonds Not Of Blood_ was the best one for me," Edward rounded out the list of favorites. "You highlighted the best things that each of us can do."

"We all contribute very unique things within our family," Esme smiled over everyone.

"It looks like we have another talented contributor now," Alice remarked happily, then gasped. "Which reminds me! Esme, we have to start on costumes!"

"Oh, yes," the mother in question smiled wider. "Have you finished the sketches yet?"

"Yes, I have!" the pixielike woman answered excitedly. "Now we have to do fabric choices. Mireille, you should work on that with Esme tomorrow, so we can get cracking on the actual construction."

"Will do," I faked a salute, enjoying the others' laughter and ignoring the tiniest vampire's glare completely.

"Why couldn't she have been a total wallflower?" Alice grumbled to herself, inciting even more laughter from her highly-entertained family.

* * *


	18. Chapter 17: Impossible - Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
We had to see the other side of the coin sometime, so here it is! Edward weighs in on the newest family member. This chapter got so long that I split it into two parts. Chapter 18 will tie it all up.

Technically, this really should have been posted after Chapter 14, but I messed up my labeling. So to keep Chapters 15 & 16 together (they do hook right up, if you read the end of 15 and the start of 16), I waited until now to post this.

**Previously** – The Cullens fought to read Mireille's _Twilight_ fanfiction and she finally gave in. The Cullens read Mireille's one-shots first. Mireille proved surprisingly insightful about the Cullens. Edward and Jasper explained certain vampire 'data' Mireille was correct about. Carlisle came home and read the one-shots also. Edward told Esme of Charles Evenson and Edward thanked Mireille for supporting him. The Cullens read through Mireille's multi-chapter story and discussed their favorite parts.

> **Chapter 17: Impossible - Part I**

By the greatest instance of happenstance, I had been sitting up in my room listening to music on the fateful Monday evening that changed my existence so thoroughly.

Nothing much bothered me at the time, seeing as we had just moved to Forks in August and had plenty to watch out for and adjust to. Boredom and dilapidation would set in by the wet spring, but it was a phase I'd grown accustomed to in the long years we had been moving place to place as a family.

On the front porch, Rosalie thought of her beauty – typical – as she stared rather vacantly at Emmett and Jasper wrestling in the front yard. She didn't really enjoy watching these testosterone matches, but it made Emmett happy to have an audience – particularly an audience that was exceptionally beautiful and completely in love with him, win or lose.

As for Emmett, he was losing as usual. Quite badly, too, if Jasper's mental commentary was any indication. My battle-hardened brother felt surprisingly well-humored by Emmett's continued attempts to defeat him in any kind of combat sequence. In any case, he knew I would be amused by a show of Emmett's growing list of weak spots for the next time our burly brother tried wrestling me.

Not that it would be any time soon. A decade prior, he had heatedly invited me to a wrestling match after my sarcasm cut a little closer to the truth than he was expecting.

He lost.

Spectacularly, at that.

And even this many years later, he was unwilling to fight me again. He called me a cheater, said I didn't fight fair, but I couldn't help the way my mind worked. There were a great many times when I wished he would understand my inability to turn it off. Only Carlisle understood really, a fact for which I was immensely grateful every time I thought of it.

In the work room on the other end of the third floor, Esme hummed something gentle and low as I switched out my compilation disc of Mozart for Rossini. It took a moment to realize she imitated the foundational theme of the song I had written for her and Carlisle years ago. Frowning at the sad tinge to my mother's voice, I was glad Carlisle had been able to arrange going in early that morning so as to get out earlier in the evening. It was rare and considering Esme's melancholy mood, that particular night was a good time for it.

Carlisle's position at the hospital was still relatively new and some of the veteran staff continued to give him that age-old treatment as the new man on the force. Long hours and paperwork. _Lots_ of paperwork. The amusing part of it all was the ease with which Carlisle did paperwork. A cathartic process for him in some ways, it enabled his mind to wander as he completed routine tasks he could have done in his sleep. If he could actually sleep, that is. Dr. Snow  & Dr. Gerandy were slowly working to change Carlisle's workload to genuinely good cases, but the administration dragged its feet to make sure the new recruit wasn't a fluke. Regardless, all of the paperwork kept my father at the hospital and away from home and Esme longer than ever before.

' _You look pensive_ _,'_ Alice thought to me, appearing in the doorway of my room with a tilted head and curious eyes. Wordlessly, I nodded in the direction of Esme's work room. Recognition flitted through my sister's gaze.

' _She misses him_ _,'_ Alice thought unhappily.

"Yes," I nodded, then frowned. "So do I, come to that."

' _He's your best friend_ _,'_ she pointed out.

"I know," I sighed quietly. It was true. Much I as loved Alice and got on with her, Carlisle had always been my closest friend.

' _Why don't you—_ _'_ Alice began again, but stopped abruptly as a full-action vision caught her off guard.

A girl not much larger than Alice ran through the woods as fast as her legs could carry her, fear on her face and panic in her every movement. Something must have scared her beyond belief. What really stunned me, however, was the fact the girl suddenly _appeared_ out of thin air. One moment the forest stood empty and the next minute… she was just there, already moving as though she had always been in that location. It was like a magic trick… a puff of smoke and voile! Girl suddenly appears unscathed.

To add to my shock, I then saw Carlisle helping the disheveled girl out of an uninhabited part of the forest along the highway just outside of the real city section of Forks, easing her shock from whatever had frightened her out of the woods in the first place, and then staring in surprise himself as she told him something with wide, unseeing eyes that had been temporarily blinded by the headlights.

"What's going on?" I demanded of Alice, confused and surprised.

' _Be quiet!_ _'_ she shouted in her mind, obviously worried of anyone else overhearing us. Just like that, I realized Alice had been hiding things. Her mood swings that scared Jasper so much over the last month had not been meaningless. I glared slightly at my tiny sister, expecting an explanation for her strange behavior.

' _Outside, before Jasper realizes_ _,'_ she sighed in her mind, tugging me by the hand out into the trees across the river behind our house. No one even noticed we had left. Esme was far too embroiled in her longing to see Carlisle and the others remained focused on the long-winded wrestling match on the opposite side of the estate.

When we stopped, Alice quickly began to explain, "I started seeing her about a month ago. I didn't say anything because she kept disappearing at strange intervals. There was no rhyme or reason to it. I was afraid we might expect her and then possibly never meet her."

"We shouldn't be _expecting_ humans like that, Alice," I countered incredulously. "It's dangerous!"

"She needs us, Edward," she fought back. "She's going to become our friend. I saw it!"

_That_ gave me pause. "You saw more of her?"

"Yes. I've seen her staying with us at least as far as Halloween." As she spoke, she showed me a vision she had already had of the strange girl laughing with Emmett and Alice over something we couldn't hear. All around the three of them were Halloween decorations yet to be hung. "She'll probably be with us longer, though."

"But how? We couldn't possibly put on that good of a show in close quarters."

"We wouldn't have to," was her simple reply.

Fearfully, I clarified, "You mean… she _knows_?"

"Yes," she answered calmly, keeping it brief.

"Alice, we can't do this!" I argued. "The Volturi—"

"—won't find out," she interrupted confidently. "We can trust her, Edward. And she trusts us."

"You can't know that from those brief visions," I debated with a heavy frown. "Did you see something else?"

"I can't show you everything," Alice admitted honestly. "It seems like whenever I plan to tell someone or show you, the visions become less focused. But I _have_ seen more. Enough to tell me she is as trustworthy as anyone in this family."

An idea already began forming in my head, however. "If Carlisle is going to find her, it won't be for another hour, when he's coming home…"

"What does that have to do with…?" But Alice didn't need to finish her question. A vision already overtook her of me running to the spot she had seen the girl exit the tree line, then waiting up in the nearby trees until Carlisle came around the curve. "Oh… You're going to be there, too."

"I'm going to listen to her thoughts," I firmly told her, setting my goal in stone. "I'll determine for myself if she's trustworthy."

Another vision came over Alice, this one in full motion the same as the first. Carlisle stood beside the Mercedes with the girl sitting on the hood, her eyes closed and obviously trying to calm herself. The vision took an unexpected turn when I appeared several feet away, clearly saying something with an amused expression before the vision ended.

"See?" Alice told me, trying not to be too smug. "You'll trust her right away."

"I'm still going," I stubbornly concluded, ignoring the grin my sister stifled. "It's the only safe thing to do. What about the others?"

"I'll explain after we take care of our new friend," she shrugged unconcernedly. "I'm sure she'll need some new clothes after running through the forest. It's almost always wet here, so her jeans probably are as well."

It seemed impossible that we could allow a human into our midst and never face consequences for it. I was not going to believe it until I heard her mind myself, so without another word I led the way back to the house and pulled on my coat to keep up the charade as I made my way to the spot where my life would change permanently.

The girl's mind suddenly came into my range as I leaped from tree to tree, and I realized something had just been chasing her. Something quite large, unless her mind exaggerated the sound out of fear. Frowning, I wondered what in the world would have been chasing her and then suddenly disappeared when she had screamed – all moments before I came into range of her thoughts.

My ruminations were interrupted by a flash of headlights, indicating Carlisle had arrived. I listened as the girl nearly cried out her relief, but held it in and moved even faster, if it were possible, to come upon this newfound salvation.

When she felt gratitude for the potential of a human encounter, I nearly snorted out loud. Of course if anyone was human enough to fit that bill, it was Carlisle, but the irony was not lost on me.

I continued to watch as Carlisle helped her to calm down, his gentle tones easing her as surely as any of the words he actually said. She didn't know who he was, which made me wonder if Alice really knew what she had seen…

The girl described her encounter with the large animal and Carlisle tried to think of anything that fit her description. Coming up blank, he moved on unconvincingly. Just when I started to think Alice had been thoroughly mistaken about the girl's knowledge of us, Carlisle mentioned where he worked.

At first the girl was merely shocked at the fact she had suddenly reappeared across the country, which I couldn't fault her for. She thought she must be dreaming, which in some ways I wished was the truth. Her following thoughts – that she could not possibly be starring in the plot of her favorite book series – struck me as distinctly more uncomfortable.

So she _did_ know about us… Just not in the way I was expecting. I had imagined all sorts of strange scenarios for how she found out about vampires and yet lived through the experience, but I never imagined it would be through a series of books about Forks. Not even that, but books about Forks that were written in a place where we did not even _exist_. This girl came from a completely different reality.

Had I not been so utterly terrified in the first place by what she knew, the girl's accompanying mental list of all the things and people in my world that 'should not exist' except in a fiction novel, would have sent my mind skyrocketing in horror.

It all seemed to be such a hopeless situation, made worse by how well this girl knew us. She imagined the possibility of Alice and I seeing her entrance to our world and then her own death by the hands of Jasper and Rosalie for knowing too much, for being a liability. I found myself feeling badly for her; she did not deserve to be relegated to a mere liability. Yet I had no idea how I could stop that from occurring. My family's safety was as stake.

Then this small girl thought the one thing I had been half-hoping to hear, even though I hadn't been able to admit it.

She would _never_ betray our secret; she recoiled from the idea as though it were a deadly snake ready to strike. Without even accepting the fact that she truly _was_ in our world and we _did_ exist, this girl loved us already. She adored our family for reasons I had yet to learn, would help us stay in Forks and remain under the radar. Once she knew the truth, at least. For the moment, she figured it was a dream she could wake up from.

I couldn't hold back any more. For her loyalty to a family she had never even met, this girl deserved the truth and deserved my support. I could do that much for her.

Mireille.

That was her name, as I found out. A rather unusual and lovely name, I decided. Fitting for the unique girl that had landed in our midst without fear of our vampire natures. She knew it all and still she didn't fear us. I had even grinned at her, exposed a great deal of my teeth so as to test her reaction. Not even a slight recognition of the natural fears we presented! She even got me to laugh, so soon after having met me. I couldn't help admiring the courage and fortitude she possessed, even if she didn't believe it herself.

Most of that night passed in almost a blur. My God, the things this girl _knew_! It was astounding. And the way she understood all of us on an individual level was equally astonishing to behold. Most amazing of all, however, was her matter-of-fact acceptance of this understanding. It just came to her naturally and she took it in stride.

One fact that annoyed me and fascinated me in equal measure was her willingness to argue right back to me. She did not suffer fools from what I could see, yet she disliked being unkind and so forced herself to be patient as much as possible. I wondered if she even realized this about herself, but quickly determined she did not. Mireille was a very self-conscious girl, lacking confidence in her abilities and looks to an extent, although not too badly. She was willing to stand up in front of others and be completely herself if the occasion arose, a far cry from this girl Bella she had described to us at Casa Fiorente. Bella sounded like a nice girl, but her self-consciousness seemed to take on a life all its own, as though she wasn't capable of forcing it into submission when it was necessary. With Mireille, I could tell she would push back her insecurities if they were corrupting her life too much.

It was a moment of silent triumph when I realized that – in Mireille – I had found a kindred spirit in the arena of music. Her interests were so vast they probably rivaled my own, if she ever lived as long as I had. Listening to the Squirrel Nut Zippers all night had to be the first time I had lived so spontaneously in a long, long while. Even Alice had never gotten me to behave so impulsively, which was saying something. Our night of song, so to speak, gave me another amusing insight into our new friend.

Mireille was a stubborn soul. Even when she started nodding off where she sat, she fought the urge to sleep. Chuckling as she finally dozed off, I rapidly picked her up and carried her back to Alice and Jasper's room before she found some other way to fight her body's natural rest.

Come the morning, I learned a great deal more about Mireille than she had ever wanted to tell. As much as she told Carlisle and Esme about her parents and her life, I saw three times as much in her mind.

Todd Holden was a temperamental, selfish, lazy, and insensitive man, with an inability to see beyond his own greedy wants. As Mireille glossed over the last encounters with him out loud, she inwardly remembered his temper and impatience when his young daughter did not understand a concept from her homework, his obsession with building up a furniture collection for a career he would never really have, the one time he had contacted another woman and nearly broken his marriage, the yelling matches he started even when he was in the wrong, the times he had done something Mireille considered cruel just to get back at someone… His faults seemed endless.

Amy Holden seemed better at the outset, but the invasiveness of her personality was as bad as her husband's coarse idiocy. Perhaps worse. It was different in that it crept up on a person over time, slowly overtaking them in a negative way. Her personality was a subtle poison. She was just as selfish and temperamental as Todd, but she was far more careful in how she portrayed herself to others. Out in the world, people saw the sociable and powerful leader who took care of everyone and ran the show. At home, the mother and wife let it be known that she was upset and bitter over her distressed youth with a drunken, abusive, adulterous father and a greedy, cold-hearted mother who called favorites among her children right in the open and ignored the unworthy ones.

Amy needed social acceptance like she needed air to breath. The slightest hint of judgment from anyone and she was hurt and outraged because of it. She exaggerated the merest glance into a glare and the slightest whisper into a shouting match. She engaged in critical ridicule of people around her and became angry when her daughter gently tried to dissuade such behavior.

Where Todd yelled out in denial and pride, Amy flouted even the tiniest flaws as if they were mountainous sins. She dug deep under the skin for words that would hurt others as she had been hurt. It was this specific propensity for vengeance that made Mireille fear her mother's anger. Amy had never actually engaged in physical abuse of her daughter, but Mireille did remember at least one occasion when her mother had slapped her out of anger without even realizing it.

Even after all of Amy's cruel words and lack of understanding, though, Mireille had loved her mother and wanted her to feel happier in her own skin someday. She had entertained a bond with Amy that she could never have with her father. In spite of all Amy's flaws, she was the one person who had been there almost all of Mireille's life. When she died, Mireille felt as though she had lost her best friend; although what best friend would say or do the things to Mireille that her mother had, I could hardly imagine.

All of these instances were mere flashes in Mireille's mind as she talked of her life before meeting us, but I watched it all with pity and fury coiling in my stomach, instinctively grasping her slender hands in comfort. Watching this girl with us in the present, and the strength and compassion she was undoubtedly imbued with, I could not fathom where she had learned it from. Certainly not from her parents.

I was only too pleased to go hunting with Esme once Mireille's story was finished, although I still felt instinctively as though Mireille needed to be comforted somehow. Nevertheless, Carlisle could do that admirably and I needed to run and release my anger if possible. Esme could tell something disturbed me, so it came as no surprise that she stopped me from returning once we were done with our hunt.

"What is it, Edward?" she wondered concernedly. "You've been very upset the entire time."

"I can't tell you everything," I conceded, sighing. Her hand on my arm was soothing, calming my discontent somewhat. "Suffice it to say, Mireille's memories of her parents are far from my favorite things to dwell on."

"Were they that terrible?" Esme's voice trembled slightly, hesitantly wondering if her first marriage was in any way similar.

"Nothing like that," I reassured her kindly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders supportively. "Not happy by any means, but not _that_ kind of horror."

"I'm glad of that, at least," she exhaled in relief. I almost responded further, when someone came into range of my ability.

"Alice is coming," I suddenly informed Esme as the thoughts came in clearly, stunned that my sister was arriving before school even ended. Something must have happened.

"There's not an emergency, per se," she called out before either of us could say anything, frowning slightly. "But Lauren saw Carlisle and Mireille in Seattle. She's already spreading rumors around. And if we don't want Rosalie chewing Mireille out to the point of tears, we'd better think up a cover story fast…"

It still surprised me that Mireille was the one to think up the majority of her cover story. Her mind was quick and imaginative, as well as practical and rational. She just continued to surprise us. Even Rosalie felt a flicker of admiration after Mireille stood up to her. She was irritated that someone came up with a better comeback, but ultimately liked the gutsy reply. It reminded her of herself, which was always a plus in Rosalie's mind.

I had to suppress a bout of agitation after Mireille and Jasper joked about taking the Whitlock name. Not because of the exchange, but because of Mireille's complete disregard for herself. She assumed (wrongly, in my opinion) that she was so dispensable as to be shoved aside after we treated her like a human guinea pig for Jasper's resistance. I felt glad she thought my irritated expression was due to Rosalie, since I was uncertain as yet on how to change Mireille's viewpoint about her future.

Mireille' academic achievements and her multifaceted interests kept us fascinated later, thankfully limiting my irritation. Among our family, only Carlisle and I had such a large variety of hobbies to speak of. I was amazed by how little Mireille took stock of her own skills.

Alice's lack of memories sprung up, of course, and detracted from our pleasant perusals. Mireille was so thoughtful about it all, not wanting to hurt Alice by showing her the limited information she had on the Brandons' abandonment of their daughter.

That matter was taken out of her hands when Alice saw the books had arrived. Having seen a fully grown young woman just appear out of thin air had taken away the shock of watching something as small as a book come into being out of the blue, so I wasn't all that surprised by the vision. I was, however, startled by the extreme response Mireille had. Her terror that she was going to ruin our lives by staying was absolutely heartbreaking. Alice's vision of Mireille's panicked gestures pushed Alice to reveal things to me that she had thought it necessary to repress the day before, allowing her visions of Mireille to play out in an uninterrupted flow.

First was the very same run through the forest which had brought her to us, and the interaction with Carlisle and I. The next, a vision I had not yet been party to, showed Mireille and I waltzing around the cleared dining room with ease and Mireille grinning widely. Then the two of us were in line at a movie theater, the clock displaying a quarter to twelve and a pensive expression on Mireille's face. This was followed by the vision of Alice, Emmett, and Mireille laughing around Halloween. After that, I saw Mireille standing out in the snowy front yard in full winter gear, the rest of us nearby in simple shirts and jeans. Mireille, Alice, and I looked mischievous, and I wondered what we were planning to do.

The last vision, and the most startling, was actually in motion. Mireille walked through the halls at Forks High School and tried to fend off a knot of overanxious teenage boys who looked besotted with the new girl in class. Jasper, of all people, came up out of nowhere and sent them off with a glare that even _I_ found frightening. Mireille sighed with relief and leaned into his side, to which he responded by draping a protective arm around her shoulders as I had done for Alice on numerous occasions in the past.

"See?" Alice murmured softly. _'She needs us, Edward. Hell, I think we might need her even more than she needs us. Just look at how Jasper acted with her in the last one! So comfortable and protective. He reminded me of you when you defended me against boys at school before_ _.'_

I was no longer surprised that Alice echoed my own thoughts. She had been doing it for as long as I could remember. And I agreed with her. We seemed to need Mireille and vice-versa. It took no thought at all to go up to the girl in question and ease her fears, Alice close on my heels.

I could not have been more pleased to find out that Alice's mother had loved her so much. To imagine her without a single relation who might have cared for her was painful, although her experiences were bad enough as it was. The despicable vampire named James already took first position on mine and Jasper's hit list. We hated him already and were prepared to destroy him if we ever met him. Contrary to our lingering unhappiness over her past, Alice bounced back to life with twice as much enthusiasm when she was able to take Mireille shopping.

While Esme, Alice, and Mireille were out raising the balance on their credit cards, the rest of us separated for the time being to think over the issues we encountered. I ended up in my room, mind wandering over many things, but ultimately landing on the topic of Mireille's place in our family.

Clearly she would become a baby sister to Jasper. That much was obvious. But what about the rest of the family? Alice and Esme were both hell-bent on making her feel loved and accepted, but I wasn't sure what path their relationships with her would take. Mother? Sister? Friend? All three?

Rosalie wasn't likely to create much of a relationship past cordiality. Emmett probably would be a good friend to her, but if Jasper took up the role of a big brother, there wasn't much likelihood of that role being doubled. Carlisle… it was very hard to say.

Alice and Rosalie were Carlisle's daughters and he loved them, but neither of them were particularly close with him. They loved him too – although Rosalie would never admit that so honestly – and Alice had already shown her affection for him earlier that night while hugging him. Still, neither of them had much in common with our father and didn't go out of their way to spend time with him.

Mireille, on the other hand, adored talking with Carlisle and loved his kind, gentle nature. She looked up to him more than anyone else in the world. Carlisle admired her strength and determination, her faith, her compassion, her modesty, and her humor, among other things. He seemed to see himself in her, a fact I agreed with whole-heartedly. A father-daughter relationship seemed entirely plausible, then. And in some ways, I welcomed it. Carlisle was so gentle of a person that he needed someone to dote on and show affection to. Except in regards to Esme, he had little opportunity for that.

As for me, I had very few ideas how our relationship would progress. I couldn't see myself as her doting older sibling exactly. Aside from my obvious bond with Alice, and Jasper's impending closeness to Mireille, it just didn't feel like the right thing for the two of us. Outside of simple friendship, however, I didn't see many other options. Unless she would become _my_ doting older sibling. That was one relationship I didn't have and one which Mireille seemed quite capable of fulfilling. All the same, something about it felt off.

Putting that to the side for the moment, I moved onto the next topic of interest. If Mireille was going to be a part of our family, even for a brief time, we had to take steps to ensure that it happened. After her reaction to finding the books, Alice and I both knew it would take true, convincing inclusion to stop Mireille from feeling like an intruder. This shopping trip with Esme and Alice, as well as Esme's words about her early days with Carlisle and me in Ashland, was a step in the right direction, but it would take more than that. I tried to think of something, and finally decided I needed to talk with Carlisle and the others.

My father was in his office, looking through Mireille's files again. He had not seen much of the academic memorabilia we found, so took the time now to know our new houseguest better.

"She really is something, isn't she?" I smiled slightly at his fascinated expression as he looked up at me.

"So talented," he remarked quietly, glancing back at the certificate in his hand. "And she doesn't even seem to realize it."

"She's been browbeaten by her overbearing mother and self-interested father too long," I frowned. "They really kept her back in many ways. Even when she excelled the most, she never felt as if it was enough. And she never felt as if she could do more, even after she _did_ do more. It always surprises her when she excels at anything."

"I was afraid of that," Carlisle sighed. "Her humility is admirable, but it can be taken too far under some circumstances."

"She always keeps trying, though," I pointed out.

"I know," he smiled. "I admire her perseverance in spite of her insecurities."

"We might be able to help her with those insecurities," I suggested thoughtfully. "I don't know how much, but even a little would be beneficial."

"Yes, I agree on that," he nodded. "When she's asleep, we'll all brainstorm the topic."

"I have one suggestion to help with it," I hesitantly added.

"What is it, son?" Carlisle's expression was shrewd, knowing.

"I'd like to make her feel like she belongs," I answered. "I'm not sure how to do that."

"Esme and Alice are helping as we speak," he remarked, although his tone suggested he knew that was not enough.

"Something more than that," I confirmed. "Something… meaningful."

"I have an idea," came Jasper's voice from behind us. I hadn't realized he was coming in. It must have been a last minute idea.

"What have you come up with?" Carlisle offered interestedly, echoed by my curious expression. Jasper was not being very forthcoming in his mind.

"She needs to feel like she has a place here," Jasper responded a bit nervously, stepping fully into the room. "Not like she's borrowing because there's nowhere else to go. You remember how I felt out of place for a while, years back? Esme thought I should have my own room. A study or some such. And it did make me feel like I had my own place in the family, rather than riding on the hem of Alice's skirts. It seems a little silly, I suppose, but …"

I didn't think that sounded silly at all, but I knew better than to argue the point.

Carlisle frowned in concentration, leaning back into his seat with his hands clasped atop the desk. "I see your point, Jasper. But where? We don't have any spare rooms."

"Esme would have an idea," I mentioned with some enthusiasm.

"I'll call her, then," Carlisle perked up, pulling out his cell phone and dialing Esme's number.

"Carlisle?" her voice came muffled through the speaker.

"Hello darling," he smiled at hearing her voice, putting a smirk on both mine and Jasper's face, to which Carlisle rolled his eyes. "Dear, Edward and Jasper have brought up a very intriguing idea as to how we might make Mireille feel more welcome."

"Oh really?" she excitedly replied, and I knew she was beaming even through the phone. "I have a minute right now. Tell me all about it."

"Jasper suggested we should create a space that Mireille can call her own. Like you did for him years ago. Edward thought you would have the best idea of where that might be possible."

"That's a wonderful idea!" she gasped. "And I have the perfect place! Oh, I'll have to have Alice distract Mireille so I can do some extra shopping, though. I want it to be a lovely surprise for her…"

"What place are you talking about, Esme?" Carlisle questioned, bringing her back to us with a chuckle.

"Sorry, dear," she laughed lightly in return. "Before I say, is Edward there with you?"

"Yes, he's right here."

I took the phone a little hesitantly, unsure what she wanted that Carlisle could not tell her. "Yes, Esme?"

"Edward, there is only one place I can think of for Mireille to have a space of her own," she tentatively informed me, and I already knew what she was asking. "If I did some remodeling, I could add another section to your room and…. I know it's intruding on your space, sweetheart, but it's the only viable option. Every other place is somehow occupied in a way I can't change."

"Go ahead and do it, Mom," I comforted her, smiling slightly at her rambling. The name was what really calmed her, and Carlisle smiled gratefully at me for the endearment.

"Thank you, dear," she said excitedly. "I'll go find everything I need right now and have it held. I just need one of you to come and pick it up. I could never fit it all in the car without Mireille seeing something."

"We'll retrieve it all," I promised.

"All right, I'll call back when I have everything squared away."

In the interim waiting for my mother's call, while looking at the calendar in Carlisle's office, I suddenly realized something else I could do to help Mireille feel welcomed. When my phone rang in my room, I knew it was Alice.

"What did you decide now?" Carlisle teased me. "To buy her a New York penthouse?"

Rolling my eyes, I did not hold back from saying, "At least I'm not going to buy her a whole damn island."

Carlisle laughed brightly as I rushed up to get the phone, ruining the effect of my sarcasm completely.

"You're sweet," was Alice's initial greeting, a sentimental grin obvious in her voice. "Mireille will be so overwhelmed when you ask her."

"I just thought she might feel more a part of us if she joined in those kinds of activities," I demurred a bit bashfully. "I'm the only one without a date, so obviously I would have to be the one to ask her."

"It's still very good of you," she countered. "When are you going to ask her?"

"Tomorrow some time, I guess. The dance is on Saturday, so I figure the sooner the better."

"Now I can buy her a designer gown!" Alice sighed contentedly. "I'm so happy!"

Grunting loudly, I couldn't help remarking, "I knew there was something in it for you somehow."

"Oh, shut up," she casually commented, hanging up the phone immediately over my chortling.

If I had ever doubted Esme's ability to put together a thing of beauty on such short notice, I was certainly proved wrong that night. While Mireille slept on obliviously, the seven of us were put to work in every manner of design available. From upholstery to woodwork to reconstructing a wall, we did a little of everything in order to make the new space come together.

Alice's vision of Mireille being sick startled us both into exclaiming the impending scene out loud. Carlisle shook his head at our anxiety and went for his bag, then the bed where Mireille rested in the original section of my room. It was strange caring for a sick human when we never got sick ourselves, but we were all worried about her and didn't want to leave the room until Carlisle assured us she would be all right.

Even after she was proclaimed to be fine, Carlisle could not seem to leave her side. It made him very happy when she became restless without his gentle patting of her hair. He liked caring for her in such a way, not having been in a position to do it so personally since I had been in the hospital in 1918. He never allowed himself to get that close to anyone else, knowing the risk of exposure he might face. Esme left her husband to his patient, smiling mistily at the sight, and gave his tasks to the rest of us to complete.


	19. Chapter 18: Impossible - Part II

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
Here is the rest of Edward's point of view. On a side note, there was nothing significant about New York in the previous chapter. I was just making a joke about the gentlemen spending exorbitant amounts of money on the ladies. Since New York penthouses are probably some of the most expensive real estate out there, I figured it was a reasonable method of exaggeration.

**Previously** – From Edward's point of view… Edward realized Alice was hiding something and she revealed the arrival of a stranger. Edward waited at the place where Carlisle would meet this stranger. Edward realized Mireille Holden knew everything and decided to support her. Edward realized Mireille was a kindred spirit in music, stubborn, and willing to argue with him. Edward explained to Esme about Mireille's troubling history. Alice showed Edward the visions of Mireille that she had withheld. The Cullens decided how to make Mireille feel at home. Edward decided to ask Mireille to Homecoming and the Cullens redesigned Edward's room. The Cullens worried over Mireille's bout of sickness and Carlisle sat with her the rest of the night.

> **Chapter 18: Impossible - Part II**

Everything we had done to redesign my room was worth it when Mireille finally noticed it the next morning, awed at the new space. Her guilty thoughts of how it could mess up our future drove me up the wall, but I couldn't stay that way for long and instead charged her with the task of choosing shoes for her dress. It took only a moment to go and tell Esme to whip up something Italian for Mireille's lunch. What took longer was when I heard Mireille wishing for a necklace to match her gown. I frowned slightly, wondering why Alice had neglected that particular detail. It was quite unlike her.

A text message from my psychic sister made everything quite clear, however.

_Your mother would have liked Mireille._

Brow lifted in surprise, I took the hint for what it was and went up into the attic to retrieve the jewelry I had put up there after Esme remodeled my room. My human mother had two different sets of baubles. One was highly significant for various reasons such as her wedding, my christening, and other events. The other was a group of jewelry worn at insignificant times, made for daily wear.

I searched through the latter and found exactly what Alice must have been talking about. Pearls. Not just any pearls, either. _Plum_ pearls. They would match Mireille's dress exactly.

I took a moment to argue with myself over letting her borrow my mother's jewelry, but I determined her happiness within our family was worth it. After all she had been through – not only here, but in her own life – I thought it a worthy cause. It was only borrowing, anyway. I wasn't giving them to her permanently.

Now I only needed flowers. Well, I didn't _need_ them, precisely, but I had been raised to give flowers with any kind of invitation to a young lady. My roots had stuck with me, even this long after not using them. I decided to just gather a few wildflowers, when Alice sent another text, this time only two words.

_My vanity._

Strewn across the enormous vanity in my sister's closet was a selection of tiny bouquets. Most of them were white: rose, gardenia, camellia, peony, carnation, daisy. The other three were all purple: sweet pea, aster, and hydrangea. The deep rich plum of the hydrangea left me in no doubt as to which I would be using.

I should have known Mireille wouldn't just accept all of it calmly, but her reaction was more amusing than exasperating and her memories of the two high school boys she'd had to ask herself were just uncomfortable.

The boy Mireille had asked to her sophomore Homecoming – Andrew – had turned her down with the remark that he wasn't going. Yet Mireille had been absolutely positive she saw him at the dance anyway.

The other boy – David – whom she had asked to Prom, originally asked Nichole, a casual friend of Mireille's. The only reason Mireille actually ended up going with David was because Nichole didn't want to go with him and set the pair up like a bad business merger. When they finally got to the dance, David's behavior seemed a bit too creepy-crawly for my taste, let alone his date's. Needless to say, Mireille's vague dance endeavors were less than successful and not very pleasant to remember. I hoped I proved to be more fulfilling of a candidate.

In the wake of Carlisle taking Mireille to register at the high school, I found myself at a loss. Esme had taken to sketching out a greenhouse. After learning that Alice had bought all those tiny bouquets that were now mostly useless, Esme felt as though we should have flowers on hand so we didn't have to go to the florist for every little flower arrangement. Her pastime left me wondering what to do myself. I didn't feel like listening to music or reading. My fingers felt restless, which usually meant I needed to do something along the lines of activity.

Passing the piano, I stopped for a long moment at the sight of Mireille's musical books. Out of sheer nosy curiosity, I flipped through them. One piece gave me pause. It was Vivaldi's ' _Spring'_ and it was covered with pencil markings.

Could Mireille really play that well? Granted, I had said as much about her fourth-level piano class the night before, but I hadn't known her course was quite this advanced. Knowing Vivaldi was also one of Mireille's two favorite composers, the idea sprung to mind that perhaps playing was my activity of choice. I had not done so in ages. Even at our previous home, I hadn't touched the piano for months on end. Esme was distraught by the change, and I thought now would be a good time to fix that.

If everything I played until Carlisle and Mireille's return was Vivaldi, well, I couldn't exactly help that. Mireille inspired me quite vividly to play a composer I had not turned to since 1921.

The moment my fingers brushed the keys, I felt at home.

Esme inhaled sharply from the third floor when she heard the tinkling of ivory, immediately dropping her sketches to listen rapturously. At once, I felt badly for not playing in so long. My mother loved listening to it and I had denied her that joy. My father's reaction out in the car only added to the guilt and hearing him explain to Mireille why I had stopped did not make it any better.

I was amused and flattered by Mireille's guess that the music might be my own work. In reality, I had done little in the way of composing. Bits and pieces over the years when I had needed a sound that no composer had written, but very few completed songs.

More amusement in the form of Mireille's funny little confessions kept me in good humor as I played ' _Summer'_. So good, in fact, that I found myself jokingly playing the Circus song when Mireille mentioned it. Her laughter was delightful, as were the ensuing attempts to trump each other's sarcasm. Not many people kept me on my toes this way; usually because my humor was too dark or too sarcastic for them to enjoy the verbal sparring. Rosalie was the only person to really come close, but our relationship was often too angry to entertain our humorous sides with one another. Carlisle and Esme even snuck into the living room to watch my repartee with Mireille, their own amusement flying high.

Then I had to ruin it. It was easy to see Mireille was upset by my teasing prod, but I had no idea she would feel as badly as she did. After a minute of staring after her with my parents, the memories starting coming in loud and clear and I now understood why she was so disturbed.

It did not surprise me that Todd Holden was a hypochondriac. Considering he and his wife's ability to exaggerate a breath into an insult, it made sense that he would also exaggerate his health concerns. As if his many other faults were not a terrible enough influence on Mireille, Todd then had to add a fear of health onto it all. Sighing heavily, I quieted my parents' concerns and rose from the piano bench to attend to the little meeting Mireille was already expecting from me.

Beethoven.

Why, oh why, did I agree to play Beethoven? Worse… why did I intentionally play ' _Moonlight Sonata'_ , of all pieces? I knew it would bring up my aloneness only too keenly. Yet I knew Mireille loved the beautiful yet melancholy tune best of all Beethoven's music. She even understood my troubles with the piece, much to my surprise, although she clearly felt guilty for thinking on it where I could hear her. The atmosphere grew to such improbable levels of disquiet that Rosalie's abrupt entrance was almost welcome.

Almost.

Before Alice came in with her plans to test Mireille's fashion sense, I forced myself to thank the girl in question for her thoughtfulness. It was the least I could do before I headed out with Jasper a few minutes later.

Hunting with Jasper was always a quiet experience, even with an impending spar to anticipate. He was a methodical, strategic hunter, unless in cases of extreme thirst bordering on starvation. The raw energy he had after times of intense thirst made him near impossible to defeat. Thankfully he was not starving that day, or else I knew with certainty I would have lost the first sparring match with complete lack of finesse. I barely won as it was, thanks to my distraction over the melancholic moment with Mireille back at the house. Mere minutes after engaging for a second spar, Jasper sighed exasperatedly at my distraction and held up his hands to end the match. Straightening up awkwardly, I acknowledged him with a hesitant nod.

"What happened with Mireille?" he asked plainly, crossing his arms in front of himself. Typically he was subtler about his interrogations, but in instances where he became annoyed or frustrated, he turned blunt.

"Nothing actually happened with _her_ ," I hedged. Jasper stared me dead in the eyes as exasperated disbelief played over his expression. His thoughts echoed the sentiment perfectly.

Deciding to get it over with, I exhaled impatiently, "I played ' _Moonlight Sonata'_ for her."

Pursing his lips, Jasper nodded thoughtfully. "Must have been a depressing situation."

"Not necessarily," I countered, noting the increased drawl he had with resignation. If he had settled into his Texan accent so easily, he was quite comfortable to wait out my tentativeness. "Just… melancholy."

That word was unfortunately beginning to be my catchphrase.

"And she picked up on it?" he assumed correctly.

"Yes, she… picked up on a lot I didn't expect her to," I admitted honestly, fidgeting somewhat where I stood.

"That sounds like something she does quite naturally," Jasper remarked. "She's a very perceptive girl. Not someone to hide things from."

"I know," I agreed with a dry chuckle. "I have to keep reminding myself of how much she knows about vampires. My natural instinct is to restrain the things that come naturally to us."

"That was my instinct as well, when Alice first called about her," he confessed wryly.

"Not going to happen, is it?" I asked knowingly.

He withheld a smirk remarkably well as he replied, "Not at all."

Upon returning home, we separated at his and Alice's room, where the manic pixie was waving him in rapidly. As the door closed behind them, I could hear her tiny fingers starting on the buttons of Jasper's shirt. Clearly he had not begun the job fast enough for her. I snickered quietly, ignoring his warning growl and Alice's giggling, and hurried to change into my white and black ensemble, which Alice had already shown me before ushering her husband into their room.

Coming out of my newly-shared room in a simple white button-down, I noticed Esme down the hall in a teal gown, straightening the collar of Carlisle's matching dress shirt unnecessarily – much to his entertainment.

"Son," he nodded amusedly. From the look on his face, I prepared myself for the same treatment from my mother with great resignation.

"Oh, Edward," Esme turned suddenly, smiling. Her smile flipped 180 degrees when she glimpsed my collar. Sure enough, she rushed over to begin straightening it. She didn't even consciously think about it.

Carlisle and I shared a long look of repressed humor as she fussed over me, until finally we both burst into laughter. Esme started briefly, cast a glance at each of our faces and our collars, then shook her head in some embarrassment. "I knew you were too quiet a moment ago, Carlisle."

"I am sorry, dear," he chuckled still, walking forward to clasp her to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and, without warning, suddenly reached up to flick his collar crooked. Even as he laughed, Carlisle's thoughts became so sweet I had the urge to turn away. He loved when she did tiny domestic things like straightening his collar or his tie. He just found her so adorable in those moments that he had to laugh at her.

Taking the opportunity which their distraction in each other presented, I started down the stairs to the second floor and met with an amused and exasperated Jasper, freshly dressed in a vivid red shirt. Everyone was ready before Mireille had finished dressing, all of us heading downstairs to wait until Alice brought our dance student down.

I truly wished Rosalie and Emmett had not decided to stay, once I realized how Mireille felt about it. Her nerves were strung like a tight rope. One joke from Emmett and she was likely to run away with her face burning.

By the time she had come down with Alice, and Emmett did indeed make his joke, I realized that I should have known Mireille wouldn't run away. She wasn't a coward. All the same, Esme's kindness helped immensely to cool the poor girl's nerves, even if she didn't realize the change. Her humor over Esme and me dancing together was proof enough of that.

The expression on Mireille's face when Carlisle tugged her close would have had me rolling in the floor any other time. As it was, knowing Mireille felt so nervous and unsettled, I forced myself to hold it in. Jasper faced the same difficulty, as did Emmett, but they were lucky enough to not have Mireille glance over at them. She knew exactly what was going on with me.

So did Carlisle, actually, and it amused me greatly that Mireille thought him oblivious to it; he just knew how to hide it very well. Esme _was_ oblivious, but only because she was watching her husband teach our young friend to dance. After Jasper and Rosalie's remarks, however, Esme clued into the peanut gallery just as Carlisle had already done.

It amazed me the way Mireille pushed herself to move forward in spite of our laughter at her expense. I might have said it was her stubborn pride, but at the same time I admired her ability to push onward. And push onward she did, right into a first-class waltz with Carlisle, regardless of the lack of music. Mireille was so doubtful of her skills that she couldn't see the beauty of her dancing. It was like I had described to my father the previous evening; she was shocked when she did so well.

I was sidetracked when the waltz music began by Esme's smiling face, tuning in more clearly to her thoughts to catch the full gist of what was going through her mind.

' _Jasper doesn't usually joke like that,'_ she pondered pleasantly. _'It makes me glad to see that. Mireille is so good with them all.'_

This was a point I had to agree with, however silently I did so. Mireille was beginning to seem like an extension of our family that had just gotten mislaid somewhere along the way and had now found its path back.

I needed no further evidence of Mireille's ability to fit into our family than her guilt-trip over Carlisle and Esme not being able to dance with each other. It wasn't exactly my intention to become so irascible with her, but honestly it was a bit ridiculous. Granted, I probably took it a little too far. Yet Mireille didn't seem to mind as we danced later on. Oh, it took a little coercing to make her more comfortable with me. However, I took it as great progress when she finally closed her eyes and let me lead her around the floor.

Progress did not seem so great when Mireille worried over the books and telling us about our future. I just couldn't seem to gather enough willpower to encourage her occasional hints. Something about it terrified me. The thought of a future already sitting there, just waiting for me to take the steps that were already laid out… It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Did I really have no choice in how my future would take place?

The interviewing I started thankfully took my mind off of such things, and Mireille's answers were certainly interesting enough to keep up the avoidance I so coveted. Even better was the need to search for her possessions throughout the house.

Despite the way Todd and Amy had squandered money on their images rather than on personal effects, I was still surprised by how little there was for Mireille to find. Mostly things she must have gotten for Christmas or birthdays, or so it seemed to me. She loved the things she had found very much, though, and that was important.

Returning to the high school on Friday was the grimmest, most inhumane form of torture known to mankind – particularly so after having spent such a fascinating selection of days with our house guest.

Mike Newton hated the fact that I was considered better looking than him. Lauren Mallory thought I may as well belong to her, nevermind the string of boys she had been pulling along for the past couple of months. And worst of all… every time Jessica Stanley saw me in algebra, her eyes turned glassy and her lips formed a very unattractive and unnatural pout for the rest of the class period. Added into all the other ridiculous things running through the mind of every teenager in the building, I was ready to slam someone into a wall and get the hell out of there before fourth period even began.

Alice kept comforting me in her mind whenever she got a vision of me leaving. Her reassurances just barely kept me in my seat until the lunch bell rang. Rushing out at the most human speed I could muster before Jessica tried to talk me into 'tutoring' her, I made it to our usual table just in time to avoid a similar confrontation with Lauren. It didn't help my temper any that most everyone wondered over Mireille; who she really was and where she actually came from. The harsh gossip in some of the older minds drove me to clenching my fists atop the lunch table.

"Ease up," Jasper muttered to me, frowning slightly over my growing anger. "We still have two more hours and you're already furious."

"They're driving me insane," I growled under my breath.

"You've had Mireille's thoughts stuck in your head for several days," Alice commented beneath her breath. "Surely that has to help."

"Mireille is… different," I argued. I couldn't explain it, even to myself, but our human 'relative' had a very unusual way of thinking. She actually drew my interest, rather than repelling me as most people did.

"Whatever," Rosalie snapped quietly. "Just don't mess this up. I don't want to move again."

With much difficulty, I refrained from mentioning the fact that Emmett had forced us to pack up and move at least eight times over the years. Mostly I refrained because I didn't want to insult Emmett. Annoying though he could be at times, he was my brother and I didn't want to be harsh with him. Thinking this way helped to calm me and Alice seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as the future remained clear of any fighting – or leaving.

The day of the Homecoming dance dawned like a stale soap opera rerun. At six o'clock in the morning, Alice and Rosalie argued – actually _argued_ – over the clutch purses Alice bought for them to use. Rosalie wanted the leather one, but Alice insisted the glitter would look better. I tried not to sigh irritably as the squabbling washed over me in three main variants: my ears, Alice's mind, and Rosalie's mind. Everyone else tried so desperately to tune out the debate that I didn't have to watch it from any other venue, a fact which pleased me immensely. Eventually, I watched from Alice's thoughts as Rosalie gave in to the glitter clutch.

The second fight occurred not three hours later, and I was glad Mireille sat downstairs eating breakfast at the time so she didn't have to hear the agitation on the second floor. This time, Alice tried convincing Rosalie that Emmett should wear a white shirt with his suit. Rosalie wanted him to wear all black, so as to match her ensemble. This time, Rosalie won.

Their quibbling and melodrama only added to the frustrations I had been dealing with since returning to classes the previous day. Neither Mireille nor Esme complained, even mentally, about the musical choices I made while playing the piano for them afterward, but I could see in their faces they knew I was in a foul mood and playing according to it. When Mireille finally remarked in her mind about it, I knew I had been at it too long.

My irritations lasted, however, until Jasper forcibly marched me outside a few hours later and gave me a glare of epic proportions. I knew why, of course. Mireille's mind had been growing increasingly more depressed every minute.

"If you mess this up," he warned me, "Mireille is going to feel the complete opposite of welcome, regardless all of our previous gestures. Don't interrupt!"

I snapped my jaw back in place, knowing better than to cut in after that kind of sharp snap from my empathetic brother.

"She's already listless and unenthusiastic about tonight, as well as turning Esme that direction," he continued mercilessly. "So get in the mood. Now."

Regarding his fierce expression and clenched fists for all of ten seconds, I decided it was a very good option to take advantage of. Nodding cautiously, I went ahead of him into the house and rushed into my Homecoming attire, then picked up the pearls I had offered up for the evening and headed down to Alice's wardrobe.

My sister stepped out of the room with a large bolt of silk under her arm and gave me a nod towards the door she had just exited. _'_ _Surprise her_ _.'_

Taking in a breath to stop my negativity from popping back into existence, I headed inside at my fastest as Mireille offered a distant thank you – probably to Alice. Barely glancing at her actual appearance, I dropped the pearls around her throat. She turned rapidly to check in the mirror who had startled her, and the face reflected back at me was so very different from what I knew, I could not find words for it.

When she said the pearls were lovely, I thought she had it a little backwards. She was by no means a plain girl in the first place, but the cosmetics Alice applied had enhanced Mireille's gentle features in the nicest of ways. The only reason I did not immediately say how lovely she looked was because I still hadn't completely taken in the rest of her ensemble. Emmett annoyed me for pointing out my breech of manners, but I secretly thanked Jasper for stopping me from a rude reply. The night would have been unbearable for Mireille if Emmett kept trying to prank me for my rudeness.

As it stood, Mireille's night was awful enough.

There were many times when I had heard Lauren Mallory or Vanessa Travis thinking horrible, vitriolic things about other girls. Many times I felt badly for the girl or girls in question. This, however, was beyond the norm.

I had purposely evaded Mireille's mind to give her privacy while she used the restroom, instead focusing specifically on Alice, who was simply absorbed in the music and her contentment at dancing with Jasper. Only when the vision came of the three girls entering the bathroom did I widen my focus.

Alice hissed angrily under her breath as she saw Mireille's eventual tears, but it was Jasper's ability that really started to make me angry. Mireille was in shock at first, but blooming out of her disbelief were hurt and self-consciousness in equal measure. Even more terrible was the way Mireille tried to rationalize the remarks of her future classmates, despite how much they stung her. Most infuriating of all… Vanessa and Lauren _knew_ she had heard them.

Now that I was listening to everything, I gathered the entire order of events from Vanessa and Lauren's shallow minds with distaste. However unwittingly, Vanessa had subconsciously recognized the lack of fear she felt towards Mireille when she brushed accidentally past her at the punch table shortly after our arrival. Never before had I realized how much the senior girl hated my family simply for being better looking. Her vanity and cruelty truly knew no bounds. She had watched Mireille go into the bathroom and then convinced her two companions to go in with her for a little 'fun' with the newest Cullen snob.

Whitney did not want to join in, that much was clear – something I found only a tiny bit fortunate. She had only started talking about Mireille because Vanessa threatened to send Greg after Whitney's younger brother for a little rough-housing. As to how Vanessa and Greg got away with their bullying, seeing as they had clearly been doing it for a long time, I could only hazard a guess everyone was too afraid to say anything about it. I was upset with myself for not noticing this strain of their personalities before that moment.

Understanding Whitney's reasoning, even if very difficult in the face of Mireille's pain, was not impossible. She did not enjoy taking part in this, but for the longest time she had been Vanessa's scapegoat in order to spare both her brother and a friend of hers that had thankfully moved away. Lauren, on the other hand, was all up for hazing the new girl. She was not physically vicious like Vanessa could be, but her verbal acid was enough to make me ill.

Jasper and I almost mindlessly followed Alice toward the restrooms as the three exited. We stopped at the punch table while the girls slowly passed, and Alice finally headed inside to see to Mireille. It was challenging to focus on the poor girl's mind, but I needed to know how she was doing. When Alice started to touch up the makeup, I knew Mireille was at least a little better. They emerged not long after, looking none the worse for wear, although our enhanced sight allowed me to catch a glimpse of the slightly red rim of Mireille's eyes.

No matter which way we turned that night, we were apparently bound to run into trouble. I could hardly believe it when Alice had a second vision while dancing with me later on in the evening – two figures suddenly attacking Mireille in the parking lot. Mireille's curled body shook with fear and pain as the two reigned hits and kicks on her body. Her beautiful dress destroyed, luxuriant hair ratted and tangled, lovely face smeared with makeup because of her tears and blood because of her attackers.

A third figure stood off to the side tentatively, afraid to get involved, but after a seeming encounter with one of the other two, the person reluctantly kicked Mireille's shin. It wasn't until they turned around at some unheard sound and then ran off towards the main road that I recognized Greg and Vanessa as the main culprits and Whitney as the threatened third.

The worst part of it all was that none of us arrived until it was too late to stop them. Alice and I both appeared at the scene with sheer grief on our features, clearly holding our breath, and could only sit with Mireille as she lay on the pavement shaking and crying. The fresh blood was too much for us to handle, even to explain what happened to the dance chaperones; we continually shook our heads as though in shock. Carlisle was the next person to arrive on the scene, with a furious Charlie Swan right behind him. As Charlie investigated the area, the blaring ambulance arrived in the lot and Carlisle took Mireille into his arms and carried her up inside. Just before the vision ended, Alice and I gravely headed to the cars to join the three remaining horror-struck members of our group.

My rage at this atrocity was so all-consuming that Jasper had to stop dancing with Rosalie and grip my arm with all of his strength to apply calm. It was lucky Mireille had been dancing with Emmett several feet away, oblivious to this extreme reaction.

"Calm down," Jasper murmured harshly to me, trying his best to also cool his wife's choking upset. "People are staring at us."

Indeed, the couple nearest us glanced our way in surprise, frightened at my black gaze and beginning to creep away from us. Thanks to hearing Jasper's hissing comments, Emmett kept Mireille occupied until we sorted ourselves out. Alice calmed before I did, and her rational, logical frame of mind helped me to stop reacting so intensely, as did Rosalie's deep concern. When my blonde sister became so concerned, I knew I needed to calm myself.

"What is it?" Rosalie murmured more reasonably than Jasper had, pulling me into a dance instead and leaving Alice and Jasper to discuss what she had seen in voices too low for anyone but themselves to hear.

Strangely enough, Vanessa's big mouth preceded her as she happened to dance nearby with Greg, obviously not realizing her whispers would be heard by anyone with enhanced senses.

"I'll wait outside by that really dark part of the lot," she told her boyfriend conspiratorially, going over her plan with him. "You befriend her, flirt with her, whatever… and get her to go outside alone. We'll show her who's on top here. I'm sick of being overshadowed by those freak Cullens. If we show everyone how easily they can be taken down a notch…"

I couldn't listen to anymore of her twisted thoughts – far more reminiscent of a B-rated movie villain than a high school teenager – and forced myself to drown out Vanessa's words and thoughts with those of Mireille, who still pleasantly danced with Emmett. She knew something was off and had already asked me several times before Emmett cut in on us, but she was trying to ignore it for the moment while she enjoyed the present dance.

Regardless what I ignored Vanessa saying, Rosalie's enraged face and thoughts said it all anyway. Had she not wanted to remain in Forks for a decent enough span of years, my sister would have gladly taken out the two monstrous seniors before they ever got near anyone.

' _We need to leave_ _,'_ Alice told me in her mind. _'_ _One more dance_ _.'_

Nodding in her direction, I led Rose over to Emmett and Mireille, and switched partners. The last dance was filled with Mireille's increasingly clever attempts to make me reveal what happened, as well as many students' attempts to ignore what they suspected Vanessa was up to. No one wanted to be her next target if they stood up to her. Besides that, enough people in the senior class disliked the arrogant Cullens that they half-believed we deserved a little roughing up.

Not that any of those people actually realized how far Vanessa would go. When she noticed my brothers and sisters heading to the exit, the vile girl became irritated and decided to go outside and wait anyway. She figured Mireille would be easy to separate from her date, especially seeing that she appeared quite annoyed with me at the time.

Needless to say, I became incredibly frustrated and angry by the time Mireille got out her last attempt at an inquiry as I was asking for our coats, and I ended up snapping at her. For a human, her glare was remarkably potent, freezing me in place for all of thirty seconds while she stomped off to the front doors and threw her coat on. Panic set in next when I recalled what she could be walking into and I ripped my coat from the volunteer attendant's hands, rushing after Mireille and quickly ensuring she was safely ensconced in the car with us.

After revealing the horrible plans of Vanessa and Greg at the family meeting and the precautions we were going to take, I felt twice as terrible for Mireille. She still couldn't understand why someone hated her from merely seeing her for a couple of hours at a dance. I wished I could give her some explanation that was not so cruel as Vanessa's vanity and ego, but there was no other one available. She did perk up with our musical evening, and I really felt she could move past the ugliness of Vanessa's scheme and live her life as well as she could.

How little I expected to occur the next day. Yet so much did. Mireille was right to be worried about reading the books. It was like seeing into an alternate world where I was meant to have a perfect little ending if I only stepped on the right squares. But it felt so planned, so… I couldn't think of the right word to describe how helpless I felt when learning of my supposed future.

Bella Swan. A girl who apparently revolutionized the life I had led for so many years. A girl who bridged the gap between the Cullens and the Quileutes. The girl who was clumsy and stubborn and opposed to marriage and strangely protected from mental gifts…

The girl who was my mate? My wife?

Somehow it didn't feel completely kosher to me. Was I expecting too much? I didn't think so. Perhaps I was expecting too little… That sounded more reasonable.

Because honestly, Bella Swan as I had thought of her in _Midnight Sun_ and as I had seen her in the rest of the books seemed altogether too perfect for me. Every single quota was met in excess. I couldn't read her mind, which led to a whole host of reasons Alice had labeled Bella as my 'perfect match.' And then there was the way Bella had ingratiated us and the wolves into one big happy family. Granted, that reason was Renesmee – the daughter more beautiful than Bella thought I was, and the imprint of Jacob Black.

I felt sick at the thought of the latter. Even when Jacob had forced Bella into a kiss and acted like it was nothing, even when he had manipulated her affections into a second one, and even when he betrayed a promise he had made her to stay out of the fight, I didn't feel nearly as ill about it as when I thought of him taking over my own child. My innocent little daughter. It wasn't the imprinting itself that bothered me, although it wasn't a comfortable subject to think about.

It was the fact that Jacob had done several things that usurped the power of Renesmee's own parents. He had tried to control when Bella could see Renesmee and forced the issue of Charlie learning our secret just so we would stay nearby. And at Christmastime in _Breaking Dawn_ , Bella had stated right out loud that Jacob was very good at blocking me. That was frightening in and of itself, if Jacob would end up close to my daughter. I didn't need to see romantic thoughts if they were true ones, but if he ever hurt her somehow or was planning to, how would I know? Alice would not be able to see either of them and Bella plainly trusted Jacob in spite of it all.

As much as I didn't like the idea of Jacob Black manipulating Bella, she was a grown woman at the time. It was her choice to keep going back to the Quileute boy even after being manipulated and as she had proven in the book, she was going to return to him regardless of how I ever felt about it.

Renesmee, however, was a child and no matter how shockingly intelligent she was, she could not understand adult matters like this enough to settle it herself. That's what Bella and I were supposed to be there for, to protect and nurture our child until she was old enough to do it herself. And apparently Jacob might very well do his level best to change that. Was I truly supposed to sacrifice my precious daughter in order to gain the happiness I might find in Bella? That wasn't something I was prepared to do.

If giving up that dream – for that's what everyone seemed to think Bella was to me – meant protecting my innocent unborn child from possible manipulation, then I would do it.

But I had to shake myself out of that train of thought for the moment. Jacob was only a child himself at present and had not done a single thing wrong. Perhaps he would never do the things he had done in the books. Perhaps he would become a better person than we were expecting. And I had to at least _try_ my chances with Bella. Mireille was evidently very sure I would have a happy ending if we did things the proper way. As a matter of fact, she believed that my entire family would find a happy ending.

For a long while after Mireille had fallen asleep that night, I listened to 'Moonlight Sonata' with a strange sense of foreboding. I wondered if Mireille ever thought about her own future. I wondered anxiously what would happen to her after Bella burst into our family's lives like the savior she was purported to be. And I wondered with creeping dread if Mireille would ever find her own happy ending.

* * *


	20. Intermission: Top Ten

This was a poll I offered over on FFnet for the story, but it's long over.  
I just wanted to show all the work Emmett and Mireille put into this project. ;)

**Intermission: Top Ten**

* * *

The next chapter of _For A Reason: Inauguration_ will include some  
festive Halloween fun, but first the Cullens need a little assistance.

Emmett and Mireille have been working extremely hard on a secret project...  
Making funny names and sayings for an entire cemetery of headstones!

Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie all voted on their top ten favorites.  
Now, the Cullens need your help to choose the three funniest sayings of the bunch.  
Choose carefully, because the three sayings with the most votes will appear in _Chapter 19: Inventive_!

* * *

**Emmett & Mireille's Top Ten Sayings**

* * *

**(#1)**  
Here lies  
_S. Kelly Ton_  
Bone-weary  
since 1940

**(#2)**  
_Barry N. Graves_  
Dug too deep  
and fell asleep

**(#3)**  
Here lies  
_Caesar Blood_  
He died a dud  
and a stick in the mud

**(#4)**  
_Etta Wake_  
she met a vampire  
found a stake  
and made a bonfire

**(#5)**  
Here lies  
_Hal O. Weane_  
Scared to death  
in 1917

**(#6)**  
_E. Ree Knight_  
was a foolish woman  
She kissed a zombie  
and forgot she was human

**(#7)**  
_Doug M. Bones_  
Married thrice  
and killed them twice

**(#8)**  
Here lies  
_Ben A. Wolfe_  
Forgot his clothes  
and went to play golf

**(#9)**  
_Frank N. Stein_  
Mean and green  
since 1913

**(#10)**  
Here lies  
_Cree P. Mann_  
Met a goblin  
and lost his hand

* * *

The poll is over with, but go ahead and tell me your top three favorite sayings!

* * *


	21. Chapter 19: Inventive

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prefaces/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Music In This Chapter** : _  
Monster Mash_ by Bobby Boris Picket  
 _Purple People Eater_ by Sheb Wooley  
 _I Put A Spell On You_ by Screamin' Jay Hawkins  
 _Skeletons In My Closet_ by Alice Cooper  
 _Monster's Holiday_ by Buck Owens

**Notes:**  
I'm glad you all enjoyed the voting! Top three votes: (#1) _S. Kelly Ton_ , (#4) _Etta Wake_ , (#7) _Doug M. Bones_! They appear in the chapter. :) Here's a 'key' here for the Headstones:  
 _(#1) S. Kelly Ton_ = "A skeleton" (Hence 'here lies a skeleton – bone-weary since 1940'.)  
 _(#2) Barry N. Graves_ = "Bury in graves" (Basically, Barry dug a grave and buried himself in it.)  
 _(#3) Caesar Blood_ = "Seize her blood" (Caesar was a vampire who died a 'stick' in the mud – or a stake, technically.)  
 _(#4) Etta Wake_ = "At a wake" (Etta was 'at a wake' when she met a vampire and then killed him.)  
 _(#5) Hal O. Weane_ = "Halloween" (What else could kill Halloween, except fear itself?)  
 _(#6) E. Ree Knight_ = "Eerie night" (It was an eerie night when "E" met a zombie and became one herself)  
 _(#7) Doug M. Bones_ = "Dug them bones" (Doug… well, _dug_ up them bones of his twice-murdered wives.)  
 _(#8) Ben A. Wolfe_ = "Been a wolf" (Ben transformed; clothes shredded. Went golfing next morn, so rushed he forgot he was naked.)  
 _(#9) Frank N. Stein_ = "Frankenstein" (I'm sure you all got this one. XD)  
 _(#10) Cree P. Mann_ = "Creepy man" (This creepy guy met a goblin that bit off his hand.)

**Previously** – From Edward's point of view… Edward let Mireille borrow his mother's jewelry for Homecoming and asked her to the dance. Edward began playing the piano after months away. Edward realized Mireille's parents made her worry about health concerns and apologized for teasing Mireille. Edward played Beethoven and thanked Mireille for understanding him. Jasper and Edward discussed Mireille's perceptiveness. Carlisle, Edward, and Esme shared a sweet moment and the Cullens taught Mireille to dance. Edward and Mireille danced, interviewed each other, and searched out her possessions. Edward was frustrated by returning to school and admitted Mireille's mind was better to listen to. Jasper convinced Edward to stop sulking. The Cullen 'kids' heard/saw Mireille's bullies and Edward realized Whitney was coerced. Alice saw a vision of Mireille being attacked and the Cullens left the dance. The Cullens read the books and Edward had many doubts about the future, especially Mireille's.

> **Chapter 19: Inventive**

"I guess Jasper is going to go old school and wear a Confederate uniform?"

It was the eleventh time I had asked Alice about someone's Halloween costume in the past few hours. I didn't even want to think about the amount of times I'd asked her over the past week-and-a-half. By this point, I would have thought the woman would just ignore me if she planned not to answer, but the pixie couldn't seem to resist replying.

"I'm not telling you, Mireille, so shut up about it."

She was getting snippier every time, I noticed. And using my full name rather than the nickname Emmett gave me the night of the Homecoming dance.

Honestly, I was less interested in knowing the costumes than I was in her answers. She was incredibly amusing when she got sarcastic rather than sweet. Jasper had been keeping mum on my amusement, although his wife certainly had to know about it by now; she knew _him_ too well.

"Fine," I shrugged nonchalantly.

Stopping suddenly at the door to her separate wardrobe, Alice stared at me through suspiciously narrowed eyes. We remained locked, gaze for gaze, until my traitorous lip twitched. Alice's twitched a second after, and we found ourselves bursting into laughter.

"I was sure you knew," I gasped through a laugh, "but you were so good at acting irritated."

"At first I thought you were serious about continuing to ask," she withheld laughter, opening the door of her wardrobe and ushering me in ahead of her. "But on Tuesday I figured it out."

"Aw, you've known for three days already?" I whined, huffing afterward.

"But it was fun, wasn't it?" Alice giggled, turning on the lights and rushing over to set up the room divider she had borrowed from Esme. I still wasn't entirely comfortable undressing in front of Alice, friend or not, especially after my discomfort at homecoming. Eventually I figured I would get used to it, like I had in gym class back in my high school days. And, incidentally, like I would have to do in gym class starting in January.

"Yeah, it was," I sighed amusedly, waiting for her to open the required doors on her clothing hoard. "So was decorating with you and Emmett. He was a literal laugh-a-minute earlier. I couldn't even hang a paper pumpkin without him spinning some yarn about its secret origins or something."

"He's been in rare form today," Jasper's amused voice floated in from the hallway as he passed by.

"That's certainly true," Alice hummed amusedly. "Edward was ready to strangle him every time, but then you'd laugh and he had to grit his teeth."

I joined in her laughter, having seen Edward's pinched features nearly every time Emmett commented on something.

"Hey, you didn't tell me how you knew I was kidding you," I asked suddenly, curiosity taking over.

"Oh, I saw Jasper's jaw tightening like it does when he wants to laugh, but knows he shouldn't. If not for him, I wouldn't have known until today probably."

"Was I really that convincing?"

"Definitely," she admitted with a sigh, "Edward _has_ been grinning for unknown reasons, but it wouldn't have clued me in. He seems to do that a lot lately anyway."

"Neat," I grinned myself, ignoring her mock glare. Turning away after a second, she reached into the middle closet section and pulled out a tan garment bag with a flourish.

"Now, Mireille. This… is… your…" Alice began slowly and dramatically, unzipping the bag as she spoke, only to suddenly whisk it off at top speed, "…costume!"

It took all of a second to recognize the bohemian, multicolored style of clothing, the attached pack of cards, and the round shape hanging off of one hip in a small, velvet drawstring bag.

"Why aren't _you_ the fortune teller?" I asked incredulously.

"Because you're the one who brought us the biggest news about our future," she responded easily, handing over the re-zipped garment bag. "I think you deserve the title more than I do right now. Besides, the long length and curl to your hair fits the gypsy-in-a-bandana image better than mine would."

"Then what are you dressing up as?" I wondered curiously.

"I'm going back to my roots," the tiny vampire grinned, unzipping another bag and pulling out a knee-length burgundy dress with black tights hooked onto the hanger, a little matching burgundy hat with a small brim, and several strings of pearls in different lengths.

"A flapper?" I laughed a bit. "It does fit you, I guess."

"It's the earliest memory of fashion I have," she shrugged, still grinning. "And of course my hair looks better with it."

I snorted with her over this tiny rationalization, finally giving in and dragging my costume back behind the room divider.

"What are the others wearing?" I questioned Alice one last time as I changed.

"Oh, knock it off, Mir!" she retorted from the other side of the divider, and I could hear her zipping her dress up already. Chuckling, I finished pulling on the layers of my own costume, the gold bangles and necklace, and the knee-high laced boots, but started to have trouble with the bandana.

"Here," Alice appeared next to me, taking the fabric into her hands and swiftly fixing up my hair.

"Thanks," I said, readjusting the necklace so that it hung straight and then glancing at Alice's costume. "You look nice."

Indeed she did, the burgundy looking every bit as striking on her as bright red once had and the flapper style fitting her better than any modern one could – right down to the low, black t-strap heels on her feet.

"Thank you," she responded brightly, pulling me out from behind the divider and leading me over to the vanity. Ah, of course. Makeup time.

"It won't take anywhere near as long as Homecoming," Alice assured me, a grin crossing her face.

"I'm not _that_ bad, Alice," I reproached her amusedly.

"No, you're not," she laughed. "I think I'm just being paranoid in preparation for Bella."

"That's a good idea, actually," I laughed, too, closing my eyes to let Alice do her stuff.

"Edward isn't the only one with his work cut out," she agreed, moving at high speed to apply my makeup. "I'm trying to learn not to be so pushy about fashion and all that, but really it's very annoying. Bella could be just as comfortable in a designer outfit as she could in her old worn clothes."

"That's not the point and you know it," I scolded her lightly.

"Oh well," she sighed, brushing something on my cheek bones. "I hope I can convince Bella to compromise on her clothing status a little. It wouldn't kill her to be stylish and comfortable at the same time. Or to accept friendly gifts. Or cell phones…"

"One thing at a time, there, Alice," I laughed again. "Slowly with Bella when the time comes."

"Okay, okay," the small woman grumbled good-naturedly, swiping my lips once. "There! You're all done."

"That _was_ faster than Homecoming," I admitted, opening my eyes to find only minor enhancements to my face. A little blush, mascara, and lip color was all she had used.

Together we headed out of the room and to the stairs, Alice humming something that sounded an awful lot like ' _Monster Mash'_.

"That's because it is," Edward remarked wryly from behind us, and I turned to find him completely normal looking in a black t-shirt and jeans.

"You're not even dressed," Alice complained to her brother with frustration. "And what an awful shirt!"

I didn't think it was awful at all, considering it boasted the Squirrel Nut Zippers' cover art for their _Hot_ album. The previous weekend, Esme had bought one each for Edward and me while shopping in Olympia – much to Alice's dismay.

"You look very lovely, too," Edward chuckled at his sister, jangling his car keys at her. She snatched at them rapidly, but not quickly enough to catch her brother's darting hand.

"Don't worry, Edward," I jokingly assuaged him. " _I_ like your t-shirt."

He snorted humorously at that, moving past us to go downstairs.

"Where are you going?" I asked him curiously.

Pausing on the top step, he replied, "I'm going to pick up a few things for your 'ghoulish' dinner, as Esme so laughingly put it."

"That still doesn't explain why you're not dressed properly!" Alice literally stamped her foot on the floor like a little girl.

Edward's musical laughter floated back to us as he jogged down the stairs and responded simply, "Esme doesn't want me in costume."

"Oh, fine," Alice sighed finally, gesturing for us to continue on our journey. As we stepped off the stairs, I just saw a flash of Edward's back when he jumped lightly off the porch and headed to the garage.

Sitting on the sofa facing the fireplace, I took a moment to appreciate the decorations Alice, Emmett, and I had put up that afternoon after the Cullen kids got back from school. I was glad we had kept it simple and clean for the most part, although we were still quite inventive about it all.

Paper lanterns in the shape of carved pumpkins hung across the very tops of the walls and windows, adding low mood lighting once it actually got dark enough out. A few puppet skeletons hung from the railing of the staircase and ghost glass clings took up a lot of the front windows. Alice and I had made a large fake cauldron to set on top of the coffee table, complete with a witch's hat and a three-dimensional black paper cat on either side of the thing, acid green fabric to imitate a potion stuffed inside it, and fire-colored fabric underneath.

The piano had only a collection of various orange flowers in a black vase, something Esme had enforced because she didn't want it damaged with two people in the house using the instrument daily.

Our only house-wide décor was a mixture of orange, black, green, and purple taper candles in mismatched candle holders placed on every available surface in the kitchen, dining area, living area, conservatory, and foyer.

The dining table had the most elaborate design in the center, as it was a diorama that took up half the length and width of the table. Emmett and I had decided it would be something like Halloween Town in _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ and started to work on it a week prior. A section on the table end near the living area was dedicated to a cemetery with little monsters peeking around the headstones occasionally. The central part was a collection of Addams-family-inspired houses and the last part was a creepy forest with little cobwebs all across the trees and at least ten ghosts hanging from the branches.

That had been the bulk of work Emmett and I did for the decorations, really. At one time we had gotten into a silly competition of who could make the goofiest headstone 'engravings' for the cemetery. A quarter of the way through, we were having so much fun that we just decided to work together on them. The rest of the family was going to vote on them during our party, ranking the top three engravings.

"Hey, Mir!" Emmett boomed at me from the staircase as he came down, grinning like a fool in his brown, white, and red Hercules costume. It was a very good one – Alice had made it herself – and thankfully not a remake of the Disney version. It was also the only costume I had known about before that moment. Alice hadn't been able to stop Emmett wearing it while we were decorating. His enthusiasm just wouldn't be dampened, although after Rosalie got annoyed about the plastic sword tip tearing her blouse, Emmett had changed into something else quite rapidly.

The big vampire's curly black hair stuck up slightly over the top of the band around his forehead, and the muscles on his arms and legs looked all the more imposing where they were exposed by the costume and his gladiator-inspired sandals.

"A fitting costume for you," I remarked with a smile, not having commented on it earlier in the day. "Blessed with Herculean strength and all that."

"Yep! That's why Rose suggested it." Emmett grinned even wider, eyes sparkling as he took a sideways seat beside me on the sofa.

"And what's Rose w—" I winced suddenly as I realized my misstep in naming, as did Alice. We froze unconsciously, catching each other's gaze nervously. I hoped Rosalie wasn't ready to lambaste me now.

Emmett looked at us in confusion, obviously not seeing anything wrong with the repetition of the name he used all the time. He prompted me curiously, "What's Rose what?"

"Er— I was going to ask what _Rosalie_ ," I corrected myself subtly, "is dressing up as."

"I don't know," the big guy frowned a little. "She wouldn't tell me. Alice wouldn't either."

"Oh," was all I could say, scrounging around for a topic that did not involve Rosalie. Glancing around surreptitiously, I found a very convenient one. "Where's Jasper? I thought he came downstairs."

"His vest caught on something when he and Emmett were hassling each other a minute ago," Alice responded, glaring at an unrepentant Emmett while she stood at the long computer desk. "Anyway, it had a tear, so Esme is sewing it for him."

"He's wearing a vest?" I caught on interestedly.

Alice paused with her hand hovering above the music collection Edward had laid out earlier that day, then uttered irritably, "Damn it."

"Oh well." I laughed with Emmett at her reaction. "There are plenty of costumes with a vest, so I doubt I'll guess what he's wearing."

"Hm, there's that," she hummed to herself, finally choosing a disc. "…Old school is best, I suppose."

"That would depend on the school," I countered lightly. She waved me off absently as – what else? – ' _Monster Mash'_ started up.

"We don't even have any monsters," Emmett complained.

Alice just rolled her eyes and pointed suddenly to the custom paper banner of Frankensteins, Draculas, Mummies, and Witches that hung against the entire window wall on the back of the house.

"One of us should have _dressed up_ as Frankenstein this year!" Emmett argued.

"You've been saying that for the past forty-six years, Emmett, and I still say it would get boring if someone _always_ dressed up as Frankenstein." Alice tried and failed to look stern, ending up more exasperated than anything.

"I don't think it would," Emmett pouted, making me giggle.

He couldn't stop himself from grinning now that he had made someone laugh.

"Why don't you make a cardboard Frankenstein to stand up in a corner?" I suggested, biting my lip to hold in further giggling.

"That isn't Halloween-like enough!" he argued.

"Emmett," I stated as though I was talking to a very slow kindergartener, "You have seven vampires in this house and at least one shape-shifting werewolf over in La Push. That isn't Halloween-like enough for you?"

He paused to think for a minute, then burst into laughter, exclaiming, "Maybe you're right!"

"Hopefully," Alice muttered, shaking her head in distaste.

Emmett didn't seem to hear her as his eyes suddenly caught sight of something behind us. His eyes went slightly blank, like he was looking at something beyond description. Guessing pretty easily what it was, I looked around to find Rosalie outfitted as the Queen of Hearts in a full-skirted black, red, and white gown with puffed shoulders, a big white collar, and a black satin choker. Her hair was pulled up into a very regal updo with curling pieces of golden hair falling around her face and a gold crown on top. If anyone looked like a queen, it was Rosalie. And a queen of hearts… well that was a given. Men regularly fell over her whether she dressed as royalty or not.

"You look gorgeous, babe," Emmett commented with a wide grin, to which his wife smiled confidently.

"I love your hair," I added with a smile. "Very elegant."

"Thank you," was her smug comment, but I didn't let the arrogance bother me anymore. A couple of weeks with her, and that at-first annoying self-assuredness became commonplace.

Edward returned shortly after ' _Purple People Eater'_ began to play, dropping something in the kitchen before going upstairs to change. While he was gone, Jasper came downstairs in a costume that forced me to hold in a fit of the giggles.

"What's so funny?" Jasper questioned me with a mild grin. "Haven't you ever seen a Southern gentleman before?"

With that he tipped his hat at me and then Alice, who shook her head fondly.

"Yes, but… A riverboat gambler?" I finally couldn't gold back my giggling anymore as I took in the complete outfit. A wide-brimmed black hat topped off a burgundy suit jacket with black lapels, a silky paisley vest in taupe, brown, and ivory, and neatly pressed black slacks. The pin on his tie was a little horseshoe and on his feet were black leather cowboy boots. He even had a cigar and a deck of cards in hand.

"I didn't want him to go for a strictly Civil War outfit this time," Alice sighed, a funny little combination of resignation and happiness. No doubt resignation that she had to forgo Jasper's heritage, but happiness that he looked wonderful all the same.

"Oh well," Jasper shrugged. "At least it's not a superhero."

"Why?" I wondered strangely.

"You've never seen Emmett go on a superhero kick before," he sighed tiredly, "so you wouldn't know, but he gets… tricky… when superheroes are concerned."

"I do not!" Emmett scowled, but Rosalie gave an expression that stifled his indignant behavior instantly. I decided I didn't want to know.

"A wise choice, as always," Edward said from the stairs as he whirled down them in a very simple vintage baseball uniform and cap, both of which boasted the letter 'C' on them. I figured the back had the name 'Cullen' plastered across it, at which Edward purposely turned and showed me that exact thing before joining us in the living room.

"I like your costume!" I exclaimed in surprise. "It really suits you."

"Thanks," he chuckled, moving to change the current song ' _I Put A Spell On You'_ before Alice could get to it. Instead Edward put on ' _Skeletons In The Closet'_ by Alice Cooper, a song I had introduced to him in the week leading up to Halloween. Surprisingly, he loved it as much as I did.

"Now we're just waiting on Carlisle and Esme," Alice remarked, wrinkling her nose at her bronze-haired brother for his song choice, but not changing it.

When the couple did come down, I couldn't have been any more enchantingly surprised by their costumes. Edward snickered at my train of thought, of course, but I was too pleased to bother about him.

"You look so _perfect_ ," I gushed in a rather whiny voice, but I couldn't help it.

I was staring headlong at Snow White and The Prince. The outfits were almost exactly like the Disney movie, save the fact that Carlisle wore slim gray pants instead of tights – something I was certain he appreciated greatly – and Esme's hair was pulled back into a very loose bun with a red headband sans bow. In this case, I didn't mind the costumes being duplicates of Disney. Carlisle and Esme looked too wonderful to quibble over trivial matters like that.

"Thank you," Esme laughed lightly with Carlisle, both of them looking as though they would blush if they were human.

"All right, enough lollygagging," Emmett called out loudly, drawing an exasperated exhale from Edward. "We have a cemetery to vote on!"

"Oh, that's right!" Alice excitedly agreed, clapping her hands with enthusiasm. Her pearls bounced as she did. "Come on, everyone!"

"Actually, it's about dinner time," I commented, glancing at the clock. "Why don't I eat while you guys look over the display and vote?"

I had already looked over the diorama dozens of times, so I wasn't worried about missing anything. The anticipation would be exciting.

"Oh, I'll help you, dear," Esme offered immediately, smiling. "I have a few surprises, actually."

"Aw, you didn't have to do that." I half laughed.

"I wanted to," she smiled warmly at me, leading us into the kitchen.

On the island counter was a very nice assortment of Halloween-themed foods. My personal favorites were the mini mummy pizzas, orange pumpkin-shaped jigglers, and cupcakes with frosted pumpkins on top.

"Thank you, Esme," I told her enthusiastically. "I love it. And of course it all looks wonderful… Smells that way, too."

"You're very welcome," she laughed. "I thought it might be fun to get creative. Like you and Emmett on those headstones, I imagine."

"I hope everyone thinks that when they read them," I grimaced slightly, putting a selection of various foods on my plate to try, particularly the mummy pizzas. "Some of them were just plain stupid."

"I doubt that," she scolded lightly. "Don't shortchange yourself so much. Even on something so small."

"Okay, okay," I mumbled, shrinking back in mock fear and making her laugh.

"Come in here with us, you two," Alice called out. "Esme has to vote, you know."

Esme rolled her eyes slightly, but shook her head in fond exasperation. "Coming, dear."

Eventually sitting with Emmett on two dining chairs he had acquisitioned against the glass wall, I took time to both savor the creative foods Esme had made and watch the rest of the family flutter around our Halloween pet project. Carlisle and Edward would sometimes find a particular headstone or decal and gesture for the other to join him, both of them ending up in mutual fits of amusement over whatever they had seen. Jasper and Alice stayed beside each other the entire time, the latter sometimes giggling while her husband shook his head sarcastically at the ridiculous things they were seeing.

Esme laughed at most of the sayings she read, trying to get Rosalie to do more than just smirk, but it was impossible. Rosalie hadn't been all too keen on the headstone voting, and I could guess why. Still, she seemed willing enough to overlook the seeming coarseness of the event and dredge through it for Emmett's sake.

I wasn't even half finished eating by the time they were all done voting, but I gladly set aside my plate to hear the verdict.

"All right," Carlisle took up the role of presenter, smiling still over the last thing he and Esme had looked at. "We enjoyed so many of these sayings that we had great difficulty in choosing only three, so at first we narrowed it down to the following ten… S. Kelly Ton, Barry N. Graves, Caesar Blood, Etta Wake, Hal O. Weane, E. Ree Knight, Doug M. Bones, Ben A. Wolfe, Frank N. Stein, and Cree P. Mann."

"Brilliant!" Emmett grinned widely, holding up his hand for me to high five. Laughing, I gently smacked his granite palm so as to keep my own fleshy appendage in tact.

"Looks like we're better together!" I added with a smile.

"Hell yeah!" he crowed, laughing with me. Rosalie rolled her eyes and sat down, annoyance plain on her face. I could feel her steady scowl burning the side of my face, but I ignored it as best I could. Edward caught my gaze and turned narrowed eyes at the blonde. She just scowled at him, too. Maybe I should have been more careful with my word choice…

"Did you do any of these ten individually?" Jasper wondered amusedly, eyebrow lifted.

"Emmett did Frank N. Stein," I answered for both of us, wary of Rosalie's current attitude, "and I made up Doug M. Bones and E. Ree Knight."

"So you both put together the other seven?" Alice chirped happily.

"Yeah," Emmett concluded. "I guess we had so much fun working together that it made them funnier."

From across the table, Esme smiled pleasantly. Her face seemed to glow with motherly warmth. "I'm glad you're getting along so well."

"Emmett's kind of easy to get along with," I replied, pausing a moment for effect. "…Except when he's not."

The big vampire started to nod, but stopped suddenly, his smile frozen in confusion. "Hey, that's not cool!"

Laughter rippled across the group, and I bit my lip to avoid hurting Emmett's feelings with further laughing. He was already wrinkling his nose at me. "See if I work with _you_ again."

My desire to laugh only increased as the burly Hercules folded his arms and pouted. "Ah, come on, Emmett. You'd say the same to me if the opportunity presented itself!"

Grumbling incoherently for a few minutes, acting as though he had not heard me, Emmett finally turned to eye me shrewdly. Given half-a-second, the big guy burst into laughter and relief spread through my body. Emmett wasn't the kind of person I wanted to start pranking me. Of course, I could probably get Edward to back me up in such an instance, but it wasn't top on my list of things to do.

A scoff from the vampire in question brought a smile to my face.

"I _suppose_ I would have to help you out in that instance," Edward smirked, turning my smile into a scowl.

"Okay, stop it with the cryptic speech, will you?" Emmett remarked in annoyance. "So, tell us what the top three are!"

"Forgive me," Carlisle chuckled, turning back to us formally. "In first place… _Doug M. Bones. Married thrice and killed them twice_."

"Aw, that's all yours," Emmett pouted at me. He really did look like a little boy when he smiled like that.

"In second place…" Carlisle continued, shaking his head amusedly at the burly vampire. " _Etta Wake she met a vampire, found a stake, and built a bonfire_. Chosen for its… er… _personal_ connotations."

Emmett and I laughed loudly, inordinately pleased that our efforts to relate the saying so closely to vampire lore had been recognized.

"And in third place… _Here lies S. Kelly Ton. Bone-weary since 1940_."

"Whoo! Another joint effort!" Emmett called out happily, figuratively raising his hands to the roof and sending me into a fit of laughter.

"Let's get a picture of you both with your town!" Alice grinned, whipping out her camera with a flourish. Emmett half dragged me over to the enormous dining table, pulling us both to sit on the floor in front of it while his sister snapped pictures from a million different angles.

"Alice," I finally spoke up warningly as the little woman moved for 'just one more' picture. I was pretty sure that counted as number eleven. "I am _so_ not going to be happy if my jaw hurts from smiling by the time this is over."

Pouting ineffectively against my glare, she finally sighed and put the camera down grouchily. Relieved, I stood from the floor to pick up my unfinished plate of food and settled down at the uncovered end of the table to eat the rest. To my eternal gratitude, Emmett had gone to sit with his wife, his blatant attentions driving away her irritation from before. It was nice to _not_ have Rosalie's eyes boring into my skull, I had to admit.

"I did warn you earlier this week," Edward suddenly murmured in my ear, tone infused with high humor, and I turned to find he had dragged a chair up beside me – watching me mess with my food. I had to smile, even as I tried in vain to recall when he had warned me that week.

But as ' _Monster's Holiday'_ played in the background, I suddenly recalled the warning with great clarity.

_"_ _Don't incense Rosalie by getting too friendly with Emmett. Taking Emmett's attention away from_ _**her** _ _and onto_ _**your** _ _project with her husband would not be wise. She may not dislike you as much as she would Bella, but that doesn't mean you're her favorite person, either_ _."_

Well, if the little jokes I worked on with Emmett were going to send the blonde vampire into fits of jealousy, then that was just too bad. Nothing was going on for her to be worried about – clearly – and Rosalie could do with not being the center of attention for a while, I figured. So I had ignored Edward's friendly advice. I wasn't going to cater to Rosalie's whims at the expense of my friendships with others in the family.

"Suit yourself." The bronze-haired vampire flashed a grin. "For the record, I enjoy this attitude of yours. Quite amusing, I must say."

"Go find a coffin to snooze in," I grumbled, purposely ignoring him and focusing on the rest of my food. Edward laughed genuinely, leaning back in the chair he'd finagled.

"Sorry, I'm claustrophobic," he retorted after a minute. I just snorted in response.

"Mireille," Carlisle called to me. Glancing over, I found him at the staircase landing, holding a slip of paper, which he walked over to give me. "I almost forgot. This is the final list for your lessons, including who will be teaching you which subjects."

"Great!" I exclaimed, eagerly looking it over, a pumpkin jiggler forgotten in my hand.

According to the list of subjects, Jasper would be tutoring me in three of them: World History, Chemistry, and Spanish. I guessed those were his strong suits – not that the first or the last one surprised me. Esme would refresh me in Geometry, Edward would do Algebra, and English would either be Carlisle or Edward. The latter depended greatly upon Carlisle's weekend hours at the hospital. The last lesson was Italian with Carlisle – set for the weekdays, after the doctor returned from work.

"So Italian won't start until Monday, but tomorrow I begin all the rest?"

"Precisely," he nodded. "Now, Edward will be taking up English tomorrow, because I will be at work until eight o'clock. I expressly rearranged my hours tomorrow so I could be there for World History and Geometry in the morning. Just to help you settle into everything, all right?"

"Okay," I nodded my understanding, relieved to have Carlisle at my side as I started working towards my reentry into high school. Shrewdly perceptive, the doctor picked up on my relief, smiling warmly at me and squeezing my shoulder comfortingly as he walked away.

The following day began with a large amount of fuss on Alice's part. She wanted my outfit and hairstyle to be just right that morning. By and large sitting comfortably for a couple of hours, and allowing the tiny woman to try various hair products and styles was very easy. I relished the opportunity to have my hair all fixed up without any work on my part. The fuzzy, static-plated mane my hair typically became under my own fingers was a pain to handle at the best of times.

The only trouble I had with it was that Alice took so much of my morning prep time that I ate breakfast half-an-hour late and thus had no time for my morning piano practice.

"You'll have plenty of days for that," she waved me off before snapping a picture of me at the dining table on my first day of lessons – hopefully not with a forkful of food lifted to my mouth.

After that Alice disappeared, but I had the feeling she would pop up later, totally unexpected. Sometimes I wondered if I wasn't just a guinea pig in disguise. Or Alice's long-lost infant or something. The way she took pictures of me felt like a never-ending baby book and my annoyance could not be dampened as I moodily finished eating.

Edward snorted across the room, barely capable of reigning himself in at the stern faces of Carlisle and Esme, who sat with me. Carlisle had a book in hand, most likely to keep pressure off of me and ensure I ate at a reasonable speed. Esme was not doing anything, but her presence was a comfortable one. She often just sat with me when I ate, occasionally asking me questions about trivial things and answering my questions in return. This morning we asked no questions, because frankly I was too focused on my upcoming lessons.

Eventually I polished off breakfast with a satisfied sigh and followed Carlisle up to the second floor. We separated at the upper landing – he to his office to collect my 'lesson plans' and me to Jasper's study. The first time I had glanced inside this particular room, I had immediately noticed the general British Colonial theme. I had also noticed a brown wicker set of table and chairs in front of the wall of windows on the left wall; and bookcases lining the wall opposite the door, with a space in the middle for a large picture. Walking straight across to the picture, I could see now it was a landscape – with blue skies, grassy plains, a two-track dirt road, and a single tree off to the side.

"It's called _The Long Way Home_ ," Jasper's deep voice sounded off beside me. Turning towards him with a slight hint of embarrassment for my nosy investigation, I was rewarded with a wry smile. "There's nothing wrong with curiosity. Although I _was_ under the impression you'd already been in here?"

"I waited outside while Edward found my things," I shrugged, wondering why Jasper had suddenly dropped his natural accent around me. The stance he affected was quite stiff and formal as well, but I didn't say anything. "It didn't feel right to come in when you weren't here."

"Thank you for that courtesy," he smiled a little wider, suddenly jerking his chin back at the painting. "I thought this was fitting for me."

"Why?" I asked with a reflexive tilt of my head as I looked up at the former solider. His darkened eyes reached mine, contrasting greatly with the rich, pure gold of the other Cullens' gazes. The sight was an abrupt reminder that Jasper was now on a slightly different hunting schedule than the rest of the family. I almost smiled at the knowledge that he was trying out my suggestion from two weeks prior.

"Alice is my home," Jasper responded quietly and honestly, returning his gaze to the painting with distant eyes. "It was a long road to find her."

The explanation was exquisite in its plainness, its simplicity. There were no Shakespearean phrases he needed to use to describe what Alice was to him. Not that I was against such things, as I was quite a romantic at heart, but genuine simplicity fit Jasper more smoothly than elaborate prose ever could; his plain phrasing bespoke a simple soldier doing his duty to his country, even decades after the fact.

"That was very beautiful, you know," I remarked softly, a slight smile tweaking my lips. Jasper didn't respond verbally, but sent me his gratitude directly, the feeling warming me inside-out.

"Shall we begin?" Carlisle spoke quietly from behind us, and Jasper nodded once, finally turning away from his painting. As I turned around with him – passing a large table compass as I did so – my eyes paused upon the three wonderful old maps hanging behind Jasper's monstrously long desk, which stood opposite the windows. The first map was of Texas in the 1860s, the middle one of the entire world even further back than that, and the last one of the whole United States in 1864. The end of the last map's frame drew my eyes further to the right – to the corner next to the door – and after a cursory glance at a Civil War painting, the sight I saw beneath it astounded me into laughing.

"You have a jukebox!" I couldn't help grinning up at Jasper.

"Old habits," he grinned back more subdued, but clearly pleased with his decoration.

"I love this house," I sighed amusedly, setting rather slowly to task with my chuckling companions as I took in the rest of the room, including an old standing globe and the corner on the other side of the door, which housed a media center and another guitar on its stand, this one striped in design.

As Carlisle took the lead in my lesson, somewhere inside I half expected some of the same boring, monotone lectures I had endured at my old high school. Yet I had to hand it to Carlisle; as even and uninflected as his voice was when presenting objective information, it didn't induce even the slightest soporific stupor as he lectured. Rather, the smooth tenor kept me riveted to the storybook tales laid out before me. Because it was surely not merely historical facts he spoke of, but a fantastical place of literature that my former history teachers had never been able to capture like he did.

When Carlisle talked of the ancient worlds, you could imagine yourself sitting there with the Egyptians along the Nile, at Caesar's right hand in Rome, or warring alongside the Trojans. The gentle vampire carried his students along on a journey they had never taken before, nor ever expected to encounter. I felt like my mouth must have been left gaping open as Carlisle ended his introduction to what I would be reviewing before I began high school again in January.

"Mireille?" the doctor wondered, quite obviously repressing a smile.

"I think you just carried me off over the rainbow somewhere," I confessed in slight awe. "If you ever feel like becoming my personal storyteller, just let me know, okay?"

Carlisle laughed richly, accompanied by Jasper's snickering, but I wasn't offended. Sheepishly, I sort of grinned and shrugged it off.

"Well, I don't know that I can pull you over the rainbow," Jasper recovered quickly, standing from the chair across from me and moving to take Carlisle's place leaning against the desk while the aforementioned vampire took the now-empty chair. "But I hope I can at least keep you awake more than Mr. Hughes."

"Mr. Hughes?" I wondered confusedly.

"Most of the regular history classes are under his direction," Jasper explained patiently. "He also teaches economics. Rosalie has him this year and she's going crazy. According to her, you'd think there was never a worse monotone in the history of the world."

"You don't have him for history?" I asked, again bewildered.

"I'm in Mr. Abbott's class," he answered with a shrug and a vague smile. "Advanced U.S. History. That's actually what you might be in."

Upon hearing this, I perked up considerably. It would be fascinating to share a history class with Jasper, especially when the Civil War came up. "Do you think the school will go for my transcript and the courses we chose?"

"I don't see why not," Carlisle responded easily. "They're perfectly legitimate probabilities for someone of your intellect and supposed age, as I'm sure will become obvious during class."

"I hope so," I agreed hesitantly.

"I know so," he countered with a smile that made me feel infinitely better.

After reviewing world history with Jasper, I chose a bit of light reading on the same subject, did my daily exercise, and then moved on to geometry with Esme. I found myself grinding my teeth almost audibly as the old, familiar discomfort and confusion started setting in. Only the first lesson and already I was getting frustrated. It really made me question my ability to succeed in an advanced algebra class.

"Try not to think so _hard_ on it," Esme comforted me as she pulled me downstairs for lunch, having ended the grueling review without her husband. Carlisle had left the session twenty minutes prior, as it was running over – thanks to my sluggish comprehension – and he had to get to work. "You'll get through it with far less annoyance if you're not bullying your mind into the study."

"I just always feel like I'm missing something in math classes," I sighed, letting the frustration go for the time being, relishing the idea of something as uncomplicated as eating lunch. "Like that one crucial step just isn't there."

"It will come to you," Esme promised kindly, insisting upon me sitting while she worked up a lunch made of Halloween leftovers. I wasn't complaining, especially about the addition of those pumpkin-shaped jigglers. Jell-O just made everything better, which I decided must be true, as the next two review lessons went exceptionally well.

Chemistry, which was mostly going to be theoretical until I attended my actual classes, was amazingly interesting for once. Of course, Jasper's discussion techniques were half of that reason and the other half was Edward's impromptu sit-in on the lesson. The three of us had a remarkably good time together. For another three hours afterward, Edward played a horde of music for his mother and I. He was full of all kinds of inspiration that day, and rarely stayed on one composer for long; such was his excitement for some unknown reason. I liked his high spirits, however. From the books, one wouldn't have been able to tell that side of him was ever there in such strength.

Spanish was my next lesson, and for some reason, Jasper just sounded so funny speaking the language that I started giggling. Alice was extremely confused by the vision of me laughing at her husband and came to see what was going. The combination of hers and Jasper's raised brows prompted me to speak through my laughter.

"He sounds like some… latin lover," I gasped out. "Deep voice, flawless accent, rolling the _R_ …"

Alice's lips went thin and tight for a long moment, worrying me that I had gone too far in my assessment, but Jasper's exasperated and indulgent expression eased my mind. Half a minute more, and Alice laughed with me, leaning into the Texan vampire as though she couldn't hold herself up.

It was fortunate that I had such good humor throughout the lesson and my dinner after, because reviewing algebra with Edward was a thoroughly horrible experience not to be repeated. He was impatient as a general rule and that alone made me even more nervous about one of my most challenging subjects. But I had hoped being able to see my confusion first-hand would help him ease up a little.

Somebody really should have rung a buzzer on that assumption, because I was as wrong as I could be.

"No, no, no. You missed a step," Edward corrected me irritably for at least the twentieth time in forty minutes, snatching the pencil and eraser out of my hands to erase all my work since the mistaken step. "Don't you remember?"

Even as he pointed out where the error began in my work, I had difficulty understanding how I had done it wrong or how the step he described seemed so blatantly obvious to _him_ and not to _me_. Exhaling frustratedly, Edward handed back the pencil and I set about working out the problem again in utter silence. I could tell from his inhale a couple of minutes later that I was doing it wrong again. My body tensed the same time as my hands did, the pencil effectively locked between my fingers while I waited for his correction.

Luckily, Esme entered Carlisle's office at that exact moment, hands on her hips as she gazed at her son demandingly. The forever-seventeen-year-old rolled his eyes and left, allowing Esme to take his place at the desk.

"I'm sorry, dear," Esme apologized to me, smiling comfortingly. "Edward isn't really patient enough to teach you algebra, I'm afraid. Especially since it's more challenging for you than your other subjects."

Smiling weakly, I turned my attention reluctantly back onto the problems at hand and let Esme lead me through them more patiently. I was still frustrated, but she explained much more thoroughly than Edward did and helped me realize exactly where I went wrong. Having had such an uncomfortable and draining experience with a very agitating subject, I was only too thankful when Emmett offered up something I had totally forgotten about.

"Hey, Mir," he called to me just as I was heading for a snack in kitchen. Looking back at the burly vampire a bit tiredly, I nodded him over my way. Taking the invitation, the big guy reappeared next to me with something in hand and a big grin on his face. "How do you feel about _Astro Pop_?"

Blinking rapidly, I tried to process that sentence more clearly, and failed. "What?"

" _Astro Pop_ ," Emmett repeated, surprisingly patient as he held up a thin Playstation case. "It's a video game. You blast bricks according to their colors."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, feeling extremely silly. "Wow, I guess my brain isn't quite up to bat right now… Um… I guess I'd have to see what it's like before I know how I feel about it."

"I'll show you!" he grinned widely, dimples out in full force. "Come on."

For most of the night, Emmett and I battled it out to see who could get the highest scores on the first two levels of _Astro Pop_ , the colorful little space-age game I grew to enjoy for its simple goals. Emmett won the night, virtue of his experience with the game, and I decided to keep improving my game-playing abilities. The only interruptions were a bathroom break on my part and a momentary intermission when Edward produced the preliminary English study topics for me to look over. To my gratitude, he was far friendlier and more patient now that we had ended our algebraic convolutions and relaxed into our normal camaraderie. Overall, my first day of lessons went as well as could be expected.

When my school packet arrived the following Monday, Carlisle's certainty of their acceptance was proved right. There was no trouble at all with my slightly edited transcript and selected course options, as proved by the welcome letter I received, which had been signed personally by Mr. Greene. After school got out, Alice was the first through the door, all a-twitter as she remarked on the schedule she'd already seen in her visions, but had been quiet about – because of my wish to read it first-hand, rather than vicariously. I had to admit, she was getting pretty good about that kind of thing.

"We don't even have to edit anything. This is _wonderful_. You're in Emmett's gym class and Chemistry with Rose!" the tiny vampire chattered. "And you have _two_ classes each with Jasper and Edward! That will be so much less boring for them!"

I just shook my head, sharing an indulgent smile with Jasper as his tiny wife kept on with her amiable and hyper chit-chat. When I checked for my algebra class, Edward appeared at my side with an expression of utter vindication on his handsome features, golden eyes gleaming brilliantly.

"What is it?" I inquired amusedly at the look, head turned back towards him as he leaned over my shoulder.

"You're sitting with me," he demanded in a friendly yet desperate way, arm curved around the other side of my shoulders as he pointed at the class in question. Remembering that Jessica was in said class, too, I burst into loud laughter.

"What'd I miss?" Emmett wondered, ambling in the door on his own.

"Me – Edward's bodyguard!" I finally choked out for the biggest Cullen, and he laughed a bit, but still looked a little confused.

The thought hit me suddenly that he had been late to enter the house. And Rosalie still hadn't come in. It wasn't like they lacked the speed.

"Emmett—?" I started to question him.

"Don't ask!" Edward advised me severely, and this time Alice, Jasper, and Emmett all laughed with me.

* * *


	22. Chapter 20: Insecurities

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** The special date in this chapter is of my own making, since SM never told us anything specific. And the books are actual texts that I found as first editions on Amazon, so you may still find them, if you have the inclination.

**Previously** – Alice and Mireille playacted arguing over Halloween costumes as the Cullens prepared to celebrate Halloween. Mireille was a fortune teller, Alice a flapper, Emmett was Hercules, Rosalie the Queen of Hearts, Jasper a riverboat gambler, Edward a vintage ball player, and Carlisle  & Esme were Snow White and Prince Charming. The Cullens voted on Emmett and Mireille's headstone sayings and Esme surprised Mireille with Halloween-themed foods. Mireille began her tutoring and talked with Jasper about the décor of his study. Edward was impatient with Algebra and Emmett played Astro Pop with Mireille. Mireille received her school schedule and it was exactly what they needed.

> **Chapter 20: Insecurities**

Given a choice between three decidedly bold and distasteful color palettes, I supposed I should have known Alice would choose the one I found the most gratingly obnoxious of the three and flaunt it as beautiful. If the decorating aspect of any given event overwhelmed Alice in excitement, the small vampire had a knack for taking a really good thing and turning into something with no subtlety or meaning anymore. November sixth was one of those kinds of days.

"There," the pixie in question stated rather obviously, holding up the palette of vivid cerise pink, bright sea green, and blinding amethyst which she had chosen for Carlisle and Esme's small anniversary party the following day. "What do you think?"

The colors were truly disgusting together, at least for this particular event. If it was a birthday party, or maybe New Year's Eve, I wouldn't have necessarily had a problem, as long as they were used tastefully. But for celebrating the eighty-second anniversary of two gentle souls who were so deeply in love?

"It's repugnant," I answered flatly, still in slight disbelief that she couldn't see that for herself.

"What do you mean?" Alice glared at me, hand flying to rest ominously on her hip.

"I mean _eurgh_ ," I repeated my sentiments a little more blatantly. Edward hummed quietly in amusement from the tall silver rack behind us, where he was pretending to examine a twenty-five-year anniversary book.

' _A little belated, don't you think?_ _'_ I couldn't help remarking to him in my mind.

For that, the bronze-haired vampire laughed out loud, trying not to be rude about it and failing miserably. The little specialty shop – and by little, I meant roughly half the size of the average shopping mall – in Los Angeles was one of Alice's favorites, but it certainly didn't do much in the way of privacy. Everyone nearby stared at Edward, probably wondering if he had lost it completely. Sharing an exasperated look with me, the lanky vampire moved away from his seemingly-oblivious post and came to my side instead. One look at the colors in Alice's hands, and he grimaced in obvious disgust.

"What is that?" he asked, nose wrinkled as though he had smelled something rotten. It wasn't like he hadn't _already_ seen the color palette about fifty times through both mine and Alice's heads, but I appreciated the support all the same.

" _This_ ," Alice responded, scowling furiously and shaking the fabric swatches with great violence at her brother and me, "is the color selection I made for the anniversary party."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Edward almost whined, very much unlike him. Now I _knew_ the colors had to go. If even Edward felt so brilliantly repulsed, we were in big trouble.

"I'm not kidding!" Alice whined back, and were we at home I surmised she might have stomped her foot.

"Those have to change," Edward continued more seriously, folding his arms stubbornly over the zip front of his close-fitted, dark yellow sweatshirt. The mustard-like color somehow did wonders to dampen the powerful beauty of his skin, face, and hair, but it still looked quite nice on him. It was nearly impossible to make him look really _bad_ , or unattractive, so we had settled for extreme mutability instead on this trip.

"I refuse to change the colors," the tiny woman retorted, arms also folded in front of her. "There's nothing wrong with them. They're perfect, in fact."

"Yeah, if only we were decorating a circus," I remarked under my breath, knowing she would hear me anyway.

Her huffing proved that well enough, but I ignored it as my eyes caught on an anniversary card tucked into the rotating rack just behind Alice. While the card as a whole was not to my taste, the three colors I saw on it were absolutely wonderful. Lavender, light aqua, and spring green. They were light, but bright at the same time, and utterly enchanting for the delicacy of Carlisle and Esme's relationship.

"Alice," I interrupted her continued remarks on the perfection of her chosen colors, stepping over to pluck the card from its holding. "These colors are just right."

"They're so dull and pale," she rebuked me stubbornly, barely glancing at the folded item in my hand. "No life at all."

"I disagree completely," I argued much more calmly now, a sense of rightness pervading my color choices. Granted, it was merely a party, but it was also a reminder of a beautiful bond between husband and wife. "Carlisle & Esme don't fit the bold colors you have right now. Theirs is a delicate, romantic relationship. They remind me of spring. Bright yet gentle; happy and fresh."

Edward raised a single brow at me, mingled amusement and amazement flooding his golden eyes as he responded, "I really shouldn't be surprised at your incredibly accurate and eloquent conclusions anymore, but I suppose it's only right that you keep me on my toes."

Laughing lightly, I tilted my head questioningly at Alice, who was intermittently looking thoughtful and attempting to put her scowl back in place. After a long moment of gazing at futures, she finally exhaled gustily, practically ripping the card out of my hand and carelessly tossing her gaudy fabric swatches into the nearest half-empty sales bin.

"Fine," she muttered mutinously, stalking away to the lighter color schemes the store had to offer. "I hate it when you get me all up on a cloud with your stupid, perfect, fairytale descriptions. Ugh. Never trust a writer. Cheeky articulates…"

I was grinning by the time she was out of sight – still mumbling about writers and fantastical phrasing – and Edward's body shook with silent laughter. Upon reflection, I decided I didn't want to know what thoughts accompanied Alice's audible words.

"Well, let's go find gifts for Carlisle and Esme," I sighed happily, pulling on Edward's hand to drag him along with me, since I would need his help. He laughed out loud again at my blissful thoughts of success against Alice, and redirected me to the corresponding gift sections of the store, all the while ignoring the rude stares that continued to follow his laughter. Apparently Alice had dragged him here numerous times for other anniversaries, because he knew exactly where things were.

"We usually shop together for the others' anniversaries," Edward shrugged as we came across more anniversary albums, all of which were white with either silver or gold for the ridiculously curly and scrolled lettering on the front. I couldn't see much difference in any of them. "I always need help picking out any kind of gift for Emmett and Rosalie's anniversaries. And Jasper doesn't enjoy the heavily trafficked stores like this one. Granted, he's waiting outside tonight, but he usually doesn't come at all. Alice and I just teamed up after a while."

"Well, now I need _your_ help choosing a gift for Carlisle and Esme," I informed him, glancing around at anything that might be a decent gift for the pair. Everything was so cliché, however. Albums, mugs, stationery sets, matching hot pink bathrobes (on that one, I did a double take that made Edward snort with laughter), and various other common, boring memorabilia.

"Why don't you get individual gifts for them," Edward suggested after a while. "It's really easier that way and we can certainly afford it."

"I suppose that's best," I agreed, nose crinkling as we passed a more risqué area of the store. Scanty clothes were not the only questionable items displayed in this tucked away section, I soon realized, and I felt myself turning a brilliant crimson.

Way to go, Mir. Way to go.

"I really would prefer to leave this area alone, thank you very much," I got out through my half-strangled embarrassment. Choking similarly on repressed laughter, Edward led me away rapidly, right to the main entrance and outside into the night air.

Having had school, the others couldn't get out and shop until later in the day. When Alice decided to go to Los Angeles for the specialty shop, we then had to make it a night trip to avoid sunshine. It wasn't a bother to leave later, since it was cooler – something that thankfully helped calm the redness of my face as Edward and I walked away from the shop.

Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of hot places. Besides, I liked the city lights. It was always bustling and lively in a metropolitan area. When the night came alive with neon, running motors, dance music, thousands of chattering voices… the urban world became a true beauty in its own strange way.

"Alice would kill you if she heard all that poetry in the flesh," Edward teased, pulling me casually along the streets in a comfortable stroll. It was nice to just relax and walk around, instead of constantly rushing store to store without taking in the scenery in-between.

"Thankfully, Alice isn't here right now," I retorted easily, glancing with interest at a furniture store we were soon to pass. From what I could see as yet, they had some nice contemporary pieces, mixed sparsely with more traditional and elegant works. "Does Esme need any furniture anywhere?"

"Not that I know of," he responded with a shake of his bronze head. "Although I think she could easily find places for anything you might buy her. We certainly have plenty of extra spaces that could be filled with an intriguing item. And Esme's tastes are fairly diverse."

"Let's go in there, then," I decided, tugging him inside the business.

Overflowing with modern style and sleek, simple designs for the most part, the atmosphere of the place called to me. Wandering was my initial course, until I saw something that caught my eye like a flash of lightning out in the middle of an empty field.

"Hey, that's it!" I cried. Quietly, that is. No need to draw more stares than Edward had already garnered that day.

"What would they…" the vampire in question began to ask, brows furrowed in confusion, until I started envisioning the use this particular piece of furniture would be put to, and then his expression cleared abruptly. "Oh! That's a good idea. It's an awfully large piece, so we'll have to go get the jeep, but…"

"Yes, it is." I stopped halfway to the item of interest, frowning as I glanced up at him. "None of you guys bought anything that big, did you?"

"I don't know about the others," he shrugged. "And I'm still undecided what I'm getting. For Esme, anyhow."

"We couldn't share that, could we?" I asked hesitantly, gesturing at the piece I so badly wanted to get for Esme.

"Not that I'm opposed to sharing," Edward replied curiously, offering me a quizzical look, "but it's no problem if you get it all on your own, you know?"

"I… I just don't want…" I bit my lip, feeling ridiculous as my thoughts raced ahead of the spoken words. I could just imagine Rosalie sourly accusing me of kissing up to Esme by buying some enormous gift.

Edward pursed his lips thoughtfully for a couple minutes, staring at me in consideration and occasionally glaring at the next person to stare manically at us where we stood motionless in the middle of the wide-open floor.

"Let's share it," Edward finally decided quietly, continuing to be very thoughtful in tone and expression as he pulled me towards my original goal. "Esme will love it and I really didn't have an idea of my own anyway."

I had no trouble in recognizing his subtle avoidance of my worries, but could find no words with which to broach the topic again. Instead, I just watched as Edward paid extra to have the item held until he came back with the jeep a little later.

Once out in the night air again and steadily walking along the pavement, it took me a moment to find a suitable subject for small talk. We didn't usually indulge in a ton of chit-chat, since I often spoke to Edward mentally of late, but I found myself needing the verbal discussion.

"What are you going to buy Carlisle?" I asked after a while, grateful that Edward hadn't interrupted my floundering for a topic.

"I'm fairly certain it'll be a book," was his wry answer. "Preferably a first edition of some kind, if I can find it. Which reminds me… there's a bookstore a few blocks away from here, and it has a fair selection of collectible books. Why don't we head over there?"

"Sounds like a plan," I agreed immediately. Bookstores were no problem for me to get dragged through. Like as not, I would end up dragging Edward myself.

"Now _that_ I would love to see you try," he remarked with a deep smirk. Rolling my eyes, I playfully shouldered him – with as little damaging force to my arm as possible. Although, as we continued on towards the shop, I wondered if that was even remotely possible.

"Edward!" I gasped in pleasant surprise as our destination finally came into view some time later.

When he said 'bookstore,' I hadn't realized he meant a private home which the owner turned into a sales pitch. The ambience of the old library was absolutely spectacular, with two large windows on either side of the door. Further in among the shelves of books, comfortably low lighting turned the space warm and created a glow around the dark-stained shelving – ornately carved and clearly not the cheap manufactured wood of your average pre-fabricated storage unit.

"What kind of wood is this?" I asked Edward in fascination, brushing the nearest shelf reverently with my fingertips. It was reassuringly solid under my grasp.

"It's oak," he answered absently while we waited for the owner to appear, perusing the nearest shelf of books with a keen eye. One book in particular, while not a first edition, was nevertheless a collector's item and placed on special display near the makeshift checkout, the plated price tag registering a whopping four thousand dollars due to its extreme age and rarity.

Frankly, I wasn't surprised it was still on display; the price was certainly detrimental enough, to say nothing of the subject matter. The ancient history of a ritual cannibalistic culture couldn't be very popular amongst a steadily growing vegetarian population. Or any human population at all, for that matter.

"You never know," Edward remarked quietly, wryly. "You are standing next to a variant on the cannibal."

I just about growled at him, "Not. Funny."

He shrugged nonchalantly, unbothered by my upset. If there was one thing I noticed Edward still had some of the biggest trouble with, even after reading the books, it was faith in his own humanity. His lack of this faith made me struggle more monumentally with my own inefficiency at convincing him than just about anything else we'd talked about. Except the matter of his soul, that is. But I didn't really want the conversation to head in such a direction. Now _that_ was a migraine waiting to happen.

"Can you stop talking about this?" Edward growled suddenly.

"I'm _not_ talking about it," I responded quietly, immediately irritated with his irascible tone.

"Then stop thinking about it!" he snapped, turning away from the books to scowl at me.

"Why don't you stop hearing it!" I retorted a bit louder, crossing my arms angrily.

"I can't and you know it!" Edward hissed, scowl becoming a ferocious glare.

"Then stop taking everything the wrong way!" I finally snapped back, doing my level best to match his glare. "Every single word I speak isn't tailored especially towards pissing you off! Learn to deal with it, will you?"

Ignoring the fact that Edward was opening his mouth to speak, I took advantage of the owner's return so I could stalk off into the shelves of books in a fury. The _gall_ of that… that… I could not find a word adequate to describe Edward Cullen's idiocy at the moment. I had a perfect right to my thoughts, thank you very much, and if they happened to center on something Edward found distasteful then that was just too bad. We had already gone over this idea of fair play several times, and I had thought we came to an understanding about the fact that neither of us could help what I thought or what he heard.

Until I wrenched my jaws apart, I didn't realize my teeth were clenched so tightly. Taking a deep breath to cool the tension a little, I purposefully distracted myself by browsing titles to find Carlisle a gift for his anniversary the next day. So many ideas passed through my mind in what I came to notice as a historical section, but nothing felt right. Knowing the doctor as I did, I felt that history was fitting, but it didn't inspire me the way I wanted it to.

It took a lot longer than I expected to arrive at a section I felt strongly connected to. That is was the religious section of books did not escape my notice, nor did I neglect to mark that for future reference in my book shopping ventures.

A few titles crossed without interest; I picked up a title that came close and read it, felt it was wrong, then moved forward again in my browsing. This was my pattern through three different shelves before I found the proverbial jackpot. The title certainly sounded interesting for a person like Carlisle, I decided, opening to the introduction. The further I read, the more I felt the connection I'd been waiting for. Checking the details of the book, only to realize it was tagged as a first edition, I knew I had found just the right kind of book for Carlisle, and headed out to buy it with a satisfied air.

When I arrived at the front, my pleasant expression dropped instantly. Edward was not there. I walked back through the stacks to look for him, double-checked outside the large windows, and even set my chosen book down on a nearby table so I could step just out the door and check my surroundings for the familiar vampire.

He was nowhere to be found.

Biting my lip against a sudden influx of nerves, I uneasily stepped back into the door and hurried to ring the desk bell. I hoped that perhaps Edward had merely wandered off a bit to make me a little worried. Still, if he was playing a joke just to get back at me for my earlier thoughts and our argument, it was an incredibly cruel one. Frighteningly so. I had never been to Los Angeles in my life, I had no cell phone or any other means of communication, no transportation, no map…

The owner thankfully hurried out of the back door at that moment, distracting me from my growing list of worries. The gray-haired man smiled a little, clearly rushed, and greeted me first, "Mireille, is it?"

Startled, I inched a step backward. Seeing mistrust written all over my face, the owner hurried to reassure me, "Oh, I'm sorry. Your friend told me. He wanted you to know he'd meet you later."

Blinking, I tried not to look surprised by this information. I decided Edward must have wanted me to know he left on his own. The whole situation was beginning to look more and more like a cruel retaliation, but I tried not to think like that. It didn't seem like Edward to mistreat anyone like this, unless he really hated them. Fortunately, I knew he didn't hate me. He was upset, but I really hoped it was nothing more than that.

"Thank you," I responded a bit belatedly to the somewhat impatiently waiting owner. "I'll just get this book."

"Ah, you must be pretty religious," he remarked with a half-smile as he looked over the navy leather book. A vague smile was my only response as he rang up the purchase and bagged it.

"Have a nice night," he smiled, handing the bag over to me.

I guessed I gave him another smile in return, but I wasn't altogether certain of that. My nerves notched up to unbelievable heights in those few minutes of paying for the book. Unless I wanted to trek around Los Angeles mindlessly, I was well and truly stuck. Slow steps carried me around and then over to the door, every footfall jolting me unpleasantly.

Expecting a street devoid of familiar faces or vehicles as I reached out to grab the door handle, I closed my eyes as it twisted. The bell rang gently when I slipped outside onto the walkway, a sigh of fearful resignation escaping me, and I forced myself to open my eyes again.

I couldn't have been more shocked to find the Mercedes parked outside and Jasper standing erect beside it with a frown spread across his face and his arms folded.

"Are you all right, Mireille?" he inquired concernedly. To my embarrassment, a choking breath left my throat to signify the utmost relief coursing through me.

"Fine," I was able to get out, gladly rushing forward to stand equally as stiffly next to him, bag clutched to my stomach by white-knuckled fingers. Jasper frowned more deeply, and it took me a slight second to realize why.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, turning pink in the face and trying to wrestle down my unleashed feelings. "I'm sorry. I forgot. I don't know how, but I did. I'm so sorry."

"Stop that!" Jasper ordered firmly, unfolding his arms to grasp my shoulders with human firmness. "I can handle it. Just stop pushing it back. You'll only make it worse."

"Sorry," was all I could say, vaguely able to tell I was trembling slightly. Shaking his head at the continued apologies, Jasper turned me around and walked me to the passenger side of the vehicle. He had to buckle me up himself when I found my fingers incapable of releasing the book I'd purchased.

"You're all right now," Jasper murmured deeply as he drove away, reaching over with one hand to grasp mine. Calm flooded me in an instant, the dread that had built up inside suddenly flushing away – water over so many rocks in the streambed.

"Did Alice send you?" I was able to ask some time later, still absently latched onto his hand. He didn't seem bothered, but I figured a change of topic might ease the awkwardness of the gesture on my behalf.

"I suppose you could say that. Although really, Alice was so involved in visions of what tomorrow will be like, that she missed this whole situation when it happened." Jasper shook his head in a combination of indulgence and exasperation. "No, actually Edward called; asked us to hurry and come get you, so you wouldn't be afraid."

In order to miss my head suddenly whipping around at high speed, Jasper would have to be blind. Seeing as he wasn't, it only made sense that he was offering me a sort of privacy. " _Edward_ sent you?"

"He didn't leave you there on purpose," Jasper reassured me gently, offering a vague squeeze to the hand he held. "After you argued earlier, he quickly bought his gift for Carlisle and took a run to clear his head. Once his temper wound down, he instinctively ran all the way back home. That's how he usually ends his run. Only this time, he belatedly realized you had no way of contacting anyone and no knowledge of where to find us. He called Alice and she sent me over."

"He couldn't even come back himself?" I wondered, quite hurt. Maybe Edward was angrier than I thought.

"Alice and I were only four blocks away when he called," Jasper amusedly countered. "Edward was all the way back in Forks. By the time he made it back here at a run, we could have driven here and back to the other store about three times."

"Oh." I blushed lightly, reminding myself that Edward may be a hyper-speed runner, but he wasn't capable of instantly beaming himself from place to place. That would be _my_ personal talent, if my entry into this world was any indication… Granted, I was still upset that Edward would leave the way he did, but I could at least understand what had happened on a more objective basis now. If he had not done it on purpose, we would be back to normal soon. Still, he was going to have to get over his anger and frustration on deeper subjects or else risk more permanent friction.

"I'm pretty sure he'll meet us partway, though," was Jasper's next comment, a knowing tone to his voice.

"How do you know that?" I asked, giving him a puzzled look.

"If I know Edward, his guilt is stronger than steel right now," the Texan vampire sighed resignedly. "I'm going to have a great night, I can tell… And don't you apologize again!"

Snapping my mouth shut in surprise at his abrupt reprimand, I sunk into the passenger seat embarrassedly, keeping silent for a long while. Jasper was back to the 'less Southern' voice that meant he was feeling formal and somewhat stiff. I wasn't precisely sure why, since he had hunted just the previous night and surely my blood wasn't as terrible in that moment as it had been the day before.

"You have a question?" the former soldier prompted me suddenly, lifting a single golden brow. Grimacing at the idea of telling him what I had been thinking about, I just shook my head negatively. After another minute, he continued, "You do… But you're afraid to ask. Or worried it's too uncomfortable of an inquiry. Am I right?"

"Just because I'm curious about something, it doesn't mean I have a question to ask," I retorted with a slightly irritable strain in my voice, although the honey-haired vampire would unfortunately feel how impressed I was at his astuteness. "And even if I do have a question, it doesn't mean you're the one I'd like to ask."

"Fair point." Jasper offered me a bit of a grin. "But based on your embarrassment and defensiveness, I think you _do_ wish you could ask me something."

"I said there wasn't anything," I huffed, looking out the window frustratedly, knowing all the while he could feel the dishonesty and the embarrassment rolling through me.

"Let's get a couple of things straight," he pressed forward doggedly, determinedly. "I'm pretty certain you've noticed my distance, the way I retain a formal veneer at times, the stiff posture I hold when we're in the same room… Your curiosity always gives you away at exactly the right times."

"So what if I've noticed it?" I bluntly countered, turning to look at him.

"So how about you ask why?" he argued just as blatantly. "No, nevermind. I'll just answer the unspoken question because I know you're too thoughtful and stubborn to ever actually ask it… Fact is, I have a hard time being around a human all the time; most of the day, every day. And that's in addition to spending five days of the week sitting in a school full of human youth who have hormones, blood, and emotions running sky-high almost every second of that time. Can you understand why that might be a challenge?"

"I never questioned that," I bit out, glaring at him. "And if you're insinuating that I have somehow made less of your struggles—!"

"I didn't say that," he interrupted sharply. "You've wondered why I became so stiff and formal all of a sudden. That's my answer."

"Your lecture, you mean," was my cool retort, eyes narrowed icily. "Since I never actually asked you a single thing about it?"

Jasper cocked both eyebrows this time, and for a minute I thought he was going to get angry. It was to my startled disbelief, therefore, that he began to smile ever so slightly. Even worse, a minute later he started chuckling. Well, no, that wasn't quite right.

He didn't start chuckling, he started _snickering_.

"What's so funny?" I asked him incredulously, eyes widening from their narrowed state.

"You," he got out through his amusement, shaking his head side to side. Trying to settle himself down, he added, "When I sunk my teeth in, I didn't expect you to bite back!"

Gaping consumed my entire thought process at first, because I couldn't think past my utter surprise. When I found my voice, it – very regrettably – squeaked out at an undignified volume, "Did you really just tell a morbid vampire joke?"

"Surprise," he snickered, looking to be in a stupendously good mood now.

"Where did I miss the laughing gas?" I murmured worriedly.

"I like that you can occasionally get the better of us," Jasper confessed with a milder grin, "it keeps us from going stagnant."

Still remotely stunned, I allowed myself to get lost in the passing scenery for some miles. Until we slowed down and exited the highway somewhere just past Redding, California, the car was completely and awkwardly silent.

"Where are we going?" I wondered confusedly.

"Edward is meeting us at a campground," Jasper answered, smoothly turning left onto Gilman Road and then briefly taking another right, onto Salt Creek Road. Another right onto Conflict Point Road – which became Statton Road right under an overpass – and then a left onto Solus Campground Road, and we drove straight up to the entrance of Lake Shasta Pines RV Park & Campground. I had yet to see Edward, so I suspected him to be waiting in the trees deeper in.

Sure enough, Jasper drove through the park a little before stopping in a clearing that was empty of people, vehicles, or anything else. With little warning, Edward appeared at the tree line, and Jasper got out to meet him.

"Alice and I will see you later, Mireille," the Texan explained.

"See you, Jasper," I waved to him as he walked to the trees. Some words were exchanged, but at my distance I couldn't tell what they were, nor even if they were heated or not. I didn't like the idea of them arguing over me, so I hoped it wasn't heated.

Another moment and Jasper disappeared into the trees, leaving Edward to slowly and uncomfortably approach the car. I could understand his hesitance, because I wasn't even sure myself if I was ready to completely forgive him. Hearing this in my mind drove Edward to reappear at the car and take the driver's seat.

Neither of us spoke, instead sitting awkwardly beside each other in the quiet of the Mercedes. My hands became quite interesting to examine, and likewise I noticed Edward staring at the dashboard with far more concentration than normal.

Sighing over the tension and my realization of it, Edward took the reigns with something approaching resignation.

"Would you accept my sincerest apologies for being such an idiot?" he wondered quietly, barely glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

"That would depend on your intention," was my neutral response.

"I didn't intend to leave you alone and afraid in the middle of Los Angeles," he murmured, wincing. "I wasn't trying to get back at you for arguing with me."

"Maybe next time I shouldn't have to argue over something like that," I murmured in return, fearing this would send him over the edge again. His temper was certainly legendary.

"Maybe not," he hedged through gritted teeth, looking at me head on finally. "But I shouldn't have to curb my opinion, either."

"Your opinion borders on tyranny," I retorted, the corners of my mouth tipping downwards already. "I have a right to believe you have a soul. If you don't like it, then go pound a tree into wood pulp or grind a rock into dust or play a furious Rachmaninoff piece. I don't care what you have to do, Edward, but I won't take you getting mad at me because of _my_ opinion. Otherwise…"

Shrugging, I tried to hide how much it would bother me to stop talking to him or spending time with him. But it was true. I wouldn't want to spend time with someone who couldn't let me have my own opinion without kicking me for it.

"Then stop trying to convince me that your opinion is the better one," Edward returned stonily. I had to confess to doing that a few times over the few weeks I'd been living in Forks, but not that forcefully.

"I'm sorry, but I won't do that, Edward," I admitted boldly, hurrying on before he could speak, "I won't do it for the simple reason that I know you'd be happier if you _did_ believe my way."

Edward closed his mouth briefly, eyeing me shrewdly for a few minutes before he spoke again, "I can't fault your reasoning, but I'm asking you to stop. At least for now… I'm still coming to terms with a lot of things that I've read and that are expected to happen. Please, just give me some time to get my head around them before you go pushing faith on me as well."

Frowning, I tried to think around that, but it was perfectly reasonable for him to try and sort out everything he was waiting for. When I thought of it that way, I did feel a little pushy and thoughtless. As much as I realized our argument and the issues surrounding it were not really resolved, I figured I needed to stop pushing so hard at the moment. Biting my lip was as eloquent a response as I could think up, so it was lucky Edward could read my mind.

"Thank you," he sighed a third time, leaning his head back against the rest for a moment.

"You're still stressing about Bella?" I wondered anxiously, glad for something of a topic.

"Always," Edward muttered, turning the key in the ignition. "It never leaves my mind, really. The only time I've been able to think past it was when I realized you were all alone tonight."

"Nice to know I keep you focused," I rolled my eyes. "By the way, you're forgiven."

"Thanks," he grinned slightly, turning to leave the clearing and head home.

The following morning I remembered the furniture store and my gift for Esme. Panic just about mowed me down until Alice came in to calm me, practically dressing me herself. She thankfully informed me that Edward had gone back for the item that morning and returned successfully. Far more relaxed with this information under my belt, I headed down to breakfast with Alice, whose pale gold dress and honey-colored heels seemed to make her glow. Only as I realized I wore a peach cocktail dress and gray suede pumps did I remember I was pretending not to know anything special would happen that day.

Looking quite resplendent in a knee-length cocktail dress of rich blue, Esme didn't seem at all disappointed by mine and Alice's lack of congratulations; in fact, the mother of five looked quite distracted as she washed the dishes. It didn't appear she even realized that her vibrant elbow-sleeve frock and matching shoes were far nicer than usual for an average day. Alice offered a quelling look when I nearly inquired, quickly pulling me away from the table.

"What?" I mouthed to her, confusion written all over my face.

Checking that Esme was not paying attention, Alice took out a pen and a pad of paper. This was a practice I was very familiar with. Whenever I needed to know something without another member of the family overhearing, out came the paper and pen. We were practically mimes the whole week preceding Carlisle and Esme's anniversary, so that we could plan out the party, and Alice's current note was no exception.

**_Esme thinks he's working all day today. She's down about it, since it's such an important day. But Carlisle is coming home at lunch so we can throw the party and then let them spend the weekend together._ **

I nodded my understanding and smiled a bit at the surprises Esme would be receiving that afternoon. Of course, Carlisle would be the best surprise of all. As nice as our party was going to be, it was not the priority. No one had wanted it to be a huge bash anyway, despite Alice's protests to the contrary, and Carlisle's office was a much easier place to hide from Esme without becoming suspicious. With Carlisle at work for the morning, it was absolutely ideal. It did leave an unhappy wife to be distracted, however, because apparently when Esme missed her husband, his office was her refuge.

Given the task of distraction, Edward did one of the things Esme loved most. I couldn't even count the amount of gentle, happy songs that floated in the atmosphere of the conservatory for the hours Edward played his piano. Esme was fondly appreciative of her son's attentions and my supportive seat beside her on the sofa facing the foyer, but nothing dampened the sadness in her gaze. Not until Edward had nearly finished playing a sadder and more romantic piece than before, something I recognized as being Chopin's work.

It was a little unfortunate that poor Esme began to cry nonexistent tears at the moment the piece ended. That moment at exactly twelve o'clock when Edward started playing a beautiful, complex, familiar melody; and when Carlisle walked in the front door with a colorful bouquet of roses, hydrangea, and lilacs in one hand and a white-wrapped gift in the other. The doctor had obviously changed before coming home; his striped dark blue shirt and black dress slacks were much too appealing and form-enhancing for the hospital.

Esme gasped and stood instantly from her seat, staring at her husband in shock. Carlisle, in turn, stared after having watched and heard his lovely wife crying on such a special day. Edward in his light gray dress shirt shared a fondly exasperated look with me. It was all I could do to keep my grin in check.

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind," Carlisle finally spoke, looking at his wife with a sweetly abashed expression. "I had rather hoped you might be smiling when I walked in."

Esme laughed abruptly, her sadness gone, and swept to her husband in a whirl of blue to slip delicate arms around his waist. Glancing a little amusedly at his occupied hands, Carlisle almost settled for tucking his elbows around the woman he loved. Edward came up to him with a smirk, shaking his bronze head as he took the gifts from his father's hands and stepped back. Carlisle grinned at his son and gladly wrapped his arms about Esme's shoulders.

"I thought you were working all day?" Esme mockingly scolded the doctor, but her wide smile gave her tease away.

"Hm… I garnered a half-shift today and extra hours this coming week in exchange for the weekend," answered Carlisle, stealing a quick kiss. "Happy Anniversary, darling."

"Happy Anniversary," Esme sighed happily in return, ignoring the presence of two other people in the room and reaching up for a far more lingering kiss than the first. Carlisle's throaty chuckle was still audible, even through the lip lock.

If not for Edward eyeing me, I probably would have swooned at the whole scene, but I had learned not to sigh too loudly in front of him. Sarcasm would inevitably follow and only serve to irritate me, so I just withheld the romantic thoughts and notions I felt at times.

"Like I can't tell anyway?" he said as he reappeared beside me on the sofa – flowers and white gift still in hand – making me jump a bit. I glared at his smirking face. "You get this distant, dreamy look on your face whenever you think something is sweet and romantic."

" _You_ could do with adding a bit of sweetness to yourself," was my tart reply.

Carlisle interrupted his son's impending remark by clearing his throat and offering a raised brow in request of his gifts. Judging by the way Esme' eyes lit up after seeing the bouquet, flowers thrilled her almost as much as the actual gift, which was an exceedingly delicate and complex crystal figurine in the shape of a tree.

"It's a cherry tree!" laughed Esme, moving to peck a smiling Carlisle on the lips again. "Thank you, dear. I think you've outdone yourself, this time."

"I'm glad you think so," he chuckled, squeezing her arm.

"Happy Anniversary, you two," Edward spoke with deep, knowing humor, smiling genuinely at his parents. "You deserve the happiest day possible."

The two beamed at their son, chiming together, "Thank you, Edward."

It seemed fitting that the only child to have been present at Carlisle and Esme's wedding was also the first one to congratulate them on their anniversary. Nice as it was, though, I also couldn't help feeling suddenly out of place in the familial scene. Times like this made me realize how little I was actually a member of the family. For all the fun I'd had in recent weeks, the strong affection I felt towards these special vampires, and the shopping excursion the previous night for just this occasion, I wasn't actually a 'Cullen' as the term implied in the grand scheme of things.

"Esme, why don't I put those in water for you?" I offered more confidently and smoothly than I really felt, nodding at Esme's pink, purple, and green bouquet. Edward looked over at me, giving absolutely nothing away in his expression, and likewise said nothing about my inner turmoil. Yet there was a glint in his topaz eyes that bespoke his agitation with my thoughts.

"Oh, but I can do that," Esme responded with a continual smile, stepping away from Carlisle and moving towards the kitchen.

"I know, but I think Edward needs to show you something," I smiled convincingly back at the sweet vampire, all the while tossing forceful suggestions at the mind-reader in question. The slight stiffening in his posture indicated his frustration.

"Really?" Esme beamed again, apparently unable to stop herself now that everything was going so well. "Edward, how nice."

"Actually, Alice is the one who needs to show you something," Edward said instead. Had I not wished Carlisle and Esme to remain unaware of my feelings, I might have glared at their eldest son for ignoring what I asked.

"I certainly do," Alice squealed, whooshing down the stairs and hurrying to whisk Carlisle and Esme off up the staircase. "Come on, come on!"

Esme gladly went, handing her bouquet off to me with a grateful expression. "Thank you, Mireille."

"You're welcome," I smiled once more, daring to drop my nose into the flowers and take a contented breath of the fragrance as Alice dragged her mother away.

In contrast to his beloved wife, Carlisle reluctantly followed his small daughter up, casting me an odd, reproachful sort of look that surprised me into stepping back a little, eyes wide. Sighing and shaking his head with some unnamed emotion, the doctor hurried after Alice and Esme, leaving me alone with a stony-faced Edward.

When it became clear he intended to remain mute and not even look my way, I exhaled more heavily than normal and moved to where I knew the vases and flower food to be stored. For a few minutes I simply set about carefully trimming and arranging the beautiful rose, hydrangea, and lilac bundle in a large vase. The task was an enjoyable one, something I had often done while living with my parents. It was just slightly mindless, but it took some creative power to get the arrangements to look artful.

Unable to hold off the inevitable any longer, I heaved a breath and turned to face the motionless vampire behind me. At finding him standing a mere three feet behind me, I jumped and held a hand to my chest in surprise.

"Don't do that," I murmured, folding both arms across my stomach in a familiar defensive posture.

Edward still refused to speak or move, his eyes boring into mine unabashedly, until abruptly I found myself in a whirl of movement that ended with me and the newly arranged vase of flowers standing smack in front of the door to Carlisle's office. Six pairs of eyes looked back at me, two of which were distinctly too kind and understanding. Esme's sympathetic expression I could understand; it was merely who she was. What amazed me was that Jasper was the other extremely kind gaze.

' _So now everybody knows what I was thinking?_ ' I snapped at Edward in my mind, trying very hard to keep an angry look from overcoming my features.

A discomfiting pause stole over us after my silent remark, during which I couldn't even hear or feel Edward breathing. Finally, he murmured more cautiously, "No, not everything. But Esme worried, Carlisle guessed, Jasper concurred, and… well, it all snowballed from there."

"We would very much like you to join us, Mireille," Carlisle informed me quietly, disappointment in his eyes. Who it was directed at wasn't clear, but I feared it was meant for me and my insecurities. Incapable of thinking up a suitable response, I made a poor show of interest in the flowers I held, fingering the soft petals without thought. I hated being in the middle of everyone's attention in such a way; it was a form of personal torment I had never been able to overcome. It didn't help that I had apparently put a great big downer on Carlisle and Esme's happy day. Embarrassed at the very idea, I practically shoved Esme's rearranged flowers at her out of discomfort and looked at the ground. With trepidation, I watched from the corner of my eye as four pairs of legs headed into the office, Rosalie's black-heeled feet the last pair I saw before the door closed.

Immediately, I found my face held between Esme's small, cold hands. Over her blue-covered shoulder, I saw Carlisle holding the vase of flowers and looking slightly sad.

"Please don't isolate yourself, sweetheart," Esme murmured, eyes glassy with the vampire equivalent of unshed tears. "You live here and we care about you. We want to include you. Not just in trite, meaningless events, but in important days like today as well. All right?"

Eyes watering, I suddenly reached over and hugged the woman before me like I had once hugged my own mother – before I had started becoming a person my mother could no longer love or understand. The tears never truly fell from my eyes, but Esme comforted me as if they had, sweeping her hand through the loose curls of my hair and shushing me. Through the blur of my wet eyes, I watched Edward reappear beside his father and talk inaudibly with him, once glancing over at his mother and me with some concern.

After what seemed like forever, Esme pulled back a bit, reaching up to swipe away a tear I hadn't even felt fall. "Coming in?" she asked with a small smile, nodding back at the office door.

"Yeah," I muttered, offering a tiny half-smile in return.

"Good," Esme kissed my forehead and moved to Carlisle's side, more happily accepting the bouquet he held.

Behind the two of them as the door opened to reveal the decorated space beyond, Edward moved to my side and laid a hand on my shoulder. I felt badly for accusing him of revealing my thoughts earlier.

"It's okay," he muttered, and I could hear the awkward smile in his voice.

"Happy Anniversary!" Edward's siblings all called out to Carlisle and Esme, bringing my gaze up to the open doorway.

"Oh, this is so lovely!" Esme sighed, spinning slowly in order to see the entire party space. The windows had been decorated with tissue tassel garland in the soft lavender, spring green, and pale aqua theme I had convinced Alice to use. Tissue paper confetti in the same colors had been sprinkled across the desk, the window sills, the lower bookcase tops, and the end tables on either side of the leather sofa. To add a final, elegant touch, tissue pom flowers were strung across the ceiling above our heads. Something I had not known about was the perfectly arranged curtains of alternating lavender, green, and aqua which now bordered the corner to the right of the door.

"This is wonderful of all of you," the doctor remarked happily. "But what is the curtain for, if I may ask?"

"Gifts, of course," Alice commented with a grin, although her eyes darted to mine for a moment. I realized that the item I had sought for Esme must be hidden behind the curtain.

"Gifts?" Esme blinked. "But we told you all long ago to forget about buying us presents on our anniversaries. It gets so monotonous for you."

Well, that was news to me. Everyone had made it sound as though they had gifts and a little celebration every single year. Not that it wouldn't get a little tiresome to do something different so many times, but still…

"Well, we didn't listen, did we?" Emmett announced cheerfully.

"Come on, Esme, Carlisle," Alice insisted, pushing them both towards the temporary curtains and pulling them aside with a whoosh to display seven gifts beautifully wrapped in a spring-like paper to match the party's theme. To my surprise, the item I'd chosen wasn't the only large gift. There were two other pieces which could not fit on the table. "Emmett won the draw, so you're opening his and Rosalie's gifts first."

Dressed in a form-hugging teal dress that fell to mid-thigh with her hair in a knot of curls to one side, Rosalie came forward to pick out one of the largest gifts, something very wide, and hold it out to Esme. The unwrapping took all of ten seconds, revealing an enormous tapestry in varying shades of green, with a tree on it.

"You wanted a tapestry for the back of the shelves dividing your bed space from the main entry," Rosalie explained quietly, "and you loved that green tree pattern they had on display last month. I had to order a new, custom design so it would fit the space, however, so I hope the design is what you were looking for."

"Oh, sweetheart, this is beautiful," Esme sighed a little, smiling warmly at her blonde daughter as Carlisle and Edward held up the tapestry for her to see it better. "Thank you so much. It really does fit what I wanted. And I love the new design just as much as the original."

"You're welcome," Rose murmured almost under her breath, looking slightly awkward with the emotional gratitude of her mother, but resigned to it all the same.

"And this is yours, Carlisle," Emmett pronounced in a loud, cheery voice, reaching to pick up a much smaller package and hand it over for his father to unwrap. It was a very pricey looking silver watch with a dark blue facing.

"Thank you both," Carlisle smiled at them, instantly replacing his current, plain pewter watch with the new one. "I suppose my other one _is_ a little old now."

"Esme, this is our gift to you," Jasper spoke, lifting up another small package.

The mother of five gasped at the sight of the little silver piano engraved with a delicate scrolling pattern of hearts and one large, smooth heart on top where it had obviously been engraved.

"What does it say?" Carlisle asked softly, coming up to put his arms around his wife from behind.

"For our mother – a loving heart always," Esme whispered emotionally, rubbing her thumb ever-so-carefully across the words she had read.

"It's a musical box," Alice quietly told her mother. "We had the song programmed especially."

Looking over at her small daughter curiously, Esme opened the lid of the mini piano, gasping a second time as she recognized the basic melody of the song Edward had written for his parents years before. With a sniff, Esme opened her arms for Alice and Jasper. The former giddily accept the embrace without hesitation while Jasper moved more slowly to indulge in the sentimental gesture, though no less pleasantly.

"Our other gift is kind of for both of you, but mostly for Carlisle," Alice informed them once she pulled away, pointing to another large gift. Chuckling, Carlisle stepped up to unwrap it and found himself face to face with a chair just as green as the décor and covered in a large, brown and gray, vine-leaf pattern.

"For the writing area?" the blond-haired doctor guessed laughingly.

"Yep!" Alice giggled. "I knew you needed one, but it also had to match Esme's décor. So I found that."

"It's perfect," Carlisle and Esme agreed at the same time, sharing a brief grin at their synchrony.

"Now it's Mir's turn," said Alice, gesturing me forward. One look back at Edward in uncertainty had him at my side.

"We shared the gift for Esme," he explained, pointing at the largest of all the presents with a wry smile matched by my sheepish expression.

"My goodness!" Esme laughed, curiously unwrapping it up and down to first show the dark wood cover on the top and the beginnings of a glass panel on every side. Every inch of paper taken off afterward revealed more of the smooth glass panels and interior shelves, right down to the bottom dark wood panel and the cylindrical, stainless steel feet.

"A display cabinet?" Rosalie wondered with a single blond brow lifted.

"What's it for?" Alice inquired, equally as puzzled.

As much as Esme looked pleased at our thoughtfulness, not one person aside from Edward seemed to understand the point, and I flushed pink. "I thought… uh, Esme, you were showing me all those old bottles up in the attic last week and I… I kind of thought they might look nice in this."

Esme beamed at me, then switched just as abruptly to a slight frown. "But where would I put it? There aren't many good display places left."

"Um… I don't want to push anything on you," I tentatively spoke up again, fidgeting, "but I keep seeing it on that wall by the dining table. You know the one that faces the living area?"

"That's a marvelous idea!" Alice squealed and clapped her hands, eyes distant. "Oh, Esme, you just have to put it there! Really, it will be the perfect backdrop for the dining room."

"Then I will," Esme decided firmly. "Thank you, Mireille. And Edward, of course."

Edward sighed humorously. "Don't bother. It really was all Mireille's idea."

"Well, you bought it, after all," I pointed out somewhat shyly.

"And that's _all_ I did," he countered amusedly, reaching for one of the two gifts left. "Carlisle, I think you'll appreciate this. I was surprised to find it, myself."

Opening the gift without a response, Carlisle raised both eyebrows nearly to his forehead upon seeing the face of it. "A translation of the Books of Jeu? You _must_ have been surprised."

"Well, it's not your everyday bookstore find," Edward laughed.

"I'll say it's not," Carlisle laughed with him, setting the book down to free his hands for the last gift. Wordlessly, the doctor gave me a gentle, curious look. Just as silently, I handed over the gift I wasn't all too certain he would like.

Slower than any other time, Carlisle pulled off the paper of the last present and stared at the title in his grasp. Seeming to be in wonder, he cautiously opened the cover and read the introduction. Even as I stared anxiously at him, hoping he would enjoy the book I'd found, I could see Edward's brows pop upward in my peripheral vision. A startled yet pleased look filled his sharp features.

"What is it?" Emmett boomed all of a sudden, jolting Carlisle from his reading to look up at the burly vampire as though he'd forgotten he was there.

"It's a first edition of _The Diary of a Country Priest_ ," the elder of the two responded, turning to offer me an odd, inquisitive stare and tilting his blond head to the side. "You have fascinating taste, Mireille. I truly look forward to reading this. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I replied abashedly, more glad than I could express that he honestly appreciated the theme of the book.

"Well, that concludes our, ah… prelude," Rosalie remarked out of nowhere, the dry humor in her tone warning me of impending mischief.

Alice bit her lip to stop from giggling as she added, "The rest of the celebration belongs to the two of you."

"What do you—?" Esme began to ask through a frown, but Carlisle was trying desperately not to grin beside her.

"We'll all be going out," Edward cut in with a smirk.

"All weekend," Jasper tacked on, almost as an afterthought it seemed.

"Won't be back until Monday morning," Emmett joyfully announced, heading to the door with Rosalie tucked into his side. Jasper and Alice quickly followed, and Edward had almost pulled me along with him when I caught sight of that blasted crystal tree and curiosity reared its badly timed head.

Exhaling in humorous, but embarrassed exasperation, Edward stopped, giving his cautiously-embracing parents a vaguely apologetic look. "Go on and ask," he sighed, looking as though he would be blushing if he could.

"Ask what?" Esme wondered amusedly, eyes twinkling at her fidgeting son.

"Why a cherry tree?" I hurriedly asked, and Esme laughed at the flush on my cheeks.

"Well, you see, Mireille," Carlisle began, adopting a mock pensive pose. "There once was a lovely young girl who wanted to pick some cherries. In order to do so, she would have to climb rather high in the tree on her parents' large estate. Unfortunately, the poor young lady lost her balance and soon required the services of a doctor."

"The doctor was very kind and thoughtful," Esme picked up after her husband's little narrative, grinning at him from the circle of his arms. "The young lady never, ever forgot him or that cherry tree. Many years later, they were married and had five beautiful children who gave them a lovely anniversary celebration."

I shared one sly, romanticized look with Edward and he burst out laughing, dragging me out of the office as rapidly as he could. Hardly had I bundled up in my coat and scarf when he once again began to pull me, this time out to the car.

"Let me guess," I concluded, my breath fogging in front of me on the way to the garage. The afternoon air froze my nylon-clad legs right down to the bone. "Alice already packed me a bag last night."

"Three bags," Edward corrected me in a rush and opened the passenger door.

"What?!" I exclaimed in shock, barely able to make my legs move into the Volvo while the bronze-haired vampire reappeared on the driver's side.

Edward's only remark as he sped off with furiously squealing tires was, "Well, it _is_ Alice."

* * *


	23. Chapter 21: Immobility

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Music In This Chapter:**  
 _Varations on God Save the King_ by Beethoven

**Previously** – Alice, Edward, and Mireille went shopping for Carlisle and Esme's anniversary. Alice chose an odd theme for them and Mireille convinced her of one more suited to their romance. Edward and Mireille walked down the streets and bought a gift for Esme. Edward showed Mireille a home-based bookshop and they argued over souls and faith. Mireille stormed off, found a gift for Carlisle, and returned to find Edward gone. Mireille panicked until she saw Jasper outside. Jasper calmed Mireille and debated their interactions. Jasper drove Mireille to meet Edward. Edward and Mireille apologized and compromised their views. Esme was depressed over Carlisle's absence and he surprised her. Mireille felt out of place and Esme comforted her. Carlisle and Esme opened gifts and the Cullen 'kids' offered them a weekend alone. Mireille asked an awkward question and Edward swept her away in the Volvo.

> **Chapter 21: Immobility**

While it would seem, on the surface, to be a frightening prospect when one is carried off by a vampire and then shuffled to an unknown destination in said vampire's care, I found myself only mildly worried about where we were going.

"Where are we headed?" I asked comfortably, almost mindlessly, as the greenery rolled by like a film in fast forward.

Edward smiled slightly, replying, "A place up in Seattle. It's a mall and market sort of place. While Alice packed your bags, I picked the destination. I thought you might enjoy seeing a bit of everything."

"That's fun," I agreed, smiling with fresh excitement. "What kinds of places do they have?"

"There's a large focus on organic and natural products," he responded thoughtfully. "Glass bead shops and jewelry designers are numerous. And there's a good cross-section of ethnic cuisine, from what I read. Chinese, Mexican, Italian, French—"

"Oh, stop," I groaned, slumping down into my seat with exaggerated depth. "I'm getting hungry already."

Laughing, Edward stopped discussing the food options as requested and moved to turn on the radio. We engaged in a real tussle over my choice of a blues-jazz combination frequency and Edward's choice of a horribly loud alternative rock station for over fifteen minutes before I found a classical station completely by accident. Glancing surreptitiously at each other, we both snorted and left it on for the rest of the trip.

The last piece to be played on the station was Beethoven; his variations on ' _God Save The King'_ were a wonderful, uplifting way to end the ride as Edward pulled up to a curb boasting a tidy courtyard area reminiscent of a street café in France or Italy. Light wood-and-wicker chairs sat around small tables covered with white cloths. A black and white striped awning on the right side of the open area completed the café ambience, but was modernized by the large, single windows displaying the shop goods or seating areas behind them.

In the middle of the arrangement was a dark granite fountain sculpture that put me strongly in mind of an egg, lined on two sides by park-style benches. Miniature evergreens in large square pots dotted the stone space, along with a randomly placed larger trees I could not name against one of the three surrounding walls.

Up above the ground level for four stories of red brick casing – something that reminded me of Forks High School in its better days – I looked over a multitude of little white terraces lined with thick ivy, which hung down towards the top of whatever openings lie beneath.

"You can go in ahead of me," said Edward, pointing over to the left side of the middle wall. "Wait in the lobby over there. There are two chairs with a table between them, if you want to sit while I park."

"Do you mind if I just walk with you?" I wondered. While doing that, Edward could probably tell me about the place we were staying at, something I found far more fascinating than sitting in a lobby and waiting with nothing to do.

"I don't mind," he hesitated. "But it's pretty cold. You were freezing when we walked out to the car and the temperature has dropped somewhat since then."

"I don't mind," I shrugged. "I'll be going out in it anyway, won't I?"

"Not in _nylons_ , you won't," he laughed.

"Oh, just park," I sighed in aggravation, pointing rather imperiously away from the courtyard. "I know what I'm doing."

"Which is why you're pointing in the wrong direction for the car park?" he smirked, eyes sparking with humor.

Refusing to respond, I merely narrowed my eyes in his direction. Laughing again, Edward put the car in drive and pulled out into the street, turning at the end to go back the way he'd originally come. To my surprise, parking and foot traffic were both quite congested, even for a chilly November day.

"Living with the chill weather is rather like that fact it always rains around here," Edward explained amusedly.

"Like in _Twilight_?" I clarified. "You know, when Bella says… shoot, what was it exactly… Oh, something about the rain not having any effect on playing sports outside. But it was funnier the way Bella said it… That was pretty much what you meant, though. Right?"

I glanced over only briefly to see if he nodded or not, but that short look told me Edward was no longer interested in the conversation. A dark expression overtook his beautiful features, one that would have frightened me if it were most any other vampire; darkened eyes, hands clenched on the wheel, ramrod posture… As it was, I felt surprise first, then concern in close second. Staring rudely was not a habit I liked to indulge, but it seemed such a strange topic to become furious about.

"Edward?" I dared to ask worriedly, startled abruptly by a jerk so sudden that my seat belt locked up automatically as I pelted back against the seat. Whipping up to look at my unhappy companion in disbelief, I found the car in park already.

"Can you not leave those books out of the conversation for _two_ _seconds_?" he half-snarled, knocking the door open in a too-quick movement.

"Edward!" I exclaimed in shock, but the door slammed shut on my call as the vampire in question stalked around my side of the car to wrench the passenger door open. Stunned, I stared out at what I could see of him behind the car door, only to find his hands still clenched and his lips precariously close to a snarling position still.

"Do you find the cold good for your circulation?" he bit out when I didn't immediately get out of the car.

"What I find good for my circulation is a shouting match with you!" I snapped in return, instantly frustrated with his attitude. "You know what? Take me back to Forks. I'm sure Carlisle and Esme will understand my barging back in, what with the idiocy you're showing now!"

"Whether we're here in Seattle or back in Forks, it won't change the situation! I'm sick and tired of everyone pressuring me into things. And you're the worst, you and Alice! You just can't let well enough alone, can you?"

His glare would have pierced the hardest of diamonds, I was sure, but it just infuriated me even more. Edward was so black and white about _everything_. It was his view or none. And now he was ranting about me pressuring him into things.

_What_ things, though? I'd let up about religion and Bella Swan and the Volturi and singers and practically everything else worth talking about, mostly because Edward had seemed to slowly lose interest.

It had been a subtle, quiet change over the past two-and-a-half weeks. Changes in topic I had not really thought about. Now it all became painfully obvious Edward was bypassing things without even telling me he wanted to. He never made a fuss, but tweaked tiny moments to his favor so he didn't have to discuss anything he didn't want to. That didn't even include the rare blowup, like in Los Angeles. But that still didn't explain why he was doing it or what particular things bugged him or what I was doing to make him so mad at such random intervals and without any warning.

"Unless and until," I slowly remarked, trying to reign in my raging temper without success, "you can climb down off that marble pillar and explain what in God's name is the matter with you, I am not going to show any sign that you actually exist! Clear?"

With that I swung my legs out of the car and forcefully slammed the soles of my shoes on the concrete to push myself into a standing position, almost keeling over from the strength of the movement.

"Good luck with that!" Edward retorted sharply, slamming the door scant inches from my arm. "Not only do you spend a lot of time with me, your subconscious focuses on me half the time, too. You can't even keep me out of your dreams, did you know that?"

In one swift and thoughtless movement, born entirely of humiliation and rage, I ripped Edward's car keys from the pocket they were sticking out of and did the absolute unthinkable. The only thing I could think of at the moment to get back at him for ridiculing me so meanly.

I scratched the Volvo.

It started as one tiny jab, but in my fury I pulled the key in one long, jagged line from back window down to bumper.

Edward's jaw dropped spectacularly, eyes riveted to the ruination of his paint job, but I didn't wait for any further reaction, instead marching around to the driver's side, my heels click-clacking away on the pavement at a pace I had never known myself capable of. Presumably still in shock, of perhaps past the point of caring what I did, Edward did nothing to stop me starting the Volvo and backing out of the parking space. He remained immobile as I began taking off, leaving the car park to escape the madness Edward had taken to exhibiting at the worst times.

It was only once I stopped at a red light three blocks away, thoroughly ticked off and smarting from the insinuation I couldn't get Edward out of my head, that I was half-startled by the passenger door whipping open and shut as quickly as humanly possible.

"Alice," I greeted the invader curtly, having caught sight of her hair from my peripheral vision. "What do you want?"

"Only to give you a credit card," she informed me seriously, sticking the offending piece of plastic in the ridge of the dashboard. "Go South on Highway 5, through Olympia and Hoquiam, then up to Forks. You'll be running on fumes by the time you reach it, though. So stop at a station and fill up before you go home. And park at the far end of the garage. Rosalie can deal with the paint job later."

"You're not stopping me?" I asked incredulously. It seemed something she would do to help smooth things over and get Edward back in line.

"I don't think that would be the most beneficial thing right now," she murmured with a slight wince. "Edward is… Well, safe to say we've all been driving him too hard."

"About what?" I demanded, to the end of my rope with beating around the bush.

"Bella, Renesmee, Jacob, the future," she listed almost without thought, sighing wearily. "Edward just… He needs more time to adjust to the idea of having a future already waiting for him like this. I didn't realize I was so… pushy. I thought I was just doing what I normally do, letting him know the possibilities. But he's taking this all extremely hard. Like he has to be perfect or else ruin our lives and Bella's. And yours – Green light, Mir."

Snapping around to the windshield with a billion thoughts now running through my head, I took off again, heading towards the way I knew we had come into the area. "So what you're telling me is that everyone's heaping their heavy expectations on Edward?"

"Daily," Alice confirmed sadly. "I think the only reason he's so specifically focused on my intervention and yours is because we spend the most time thinking about Edward and the possibilities. Both of us tend to think about the future and dream up all the variations that might take place. The others don't think so much ahead, but try living day by day. Add in their occasional thoughts to ours, however, and…"

She gestured uselessly at the air, conveying the obvious outcome of such an overload.

"All I did was mention a little quote from the book, Alice!" I retorted with great exasperation.

"Yes, but you did say ' _it was funnier the way Bella said it_ '," she sighed again.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" I half-shouted to the world at large, nearly missing a stop sign until Alice reached for the brake pedal at an astronomical speed. I purposely remained stopped too long, even after she had pulled away, looking over at the tiny vampire in absolute agitation.

"I'm sorry, Mir," she responded with equal amounts of exasperation and frustration. "I know it's not fair for him to overreact like this, but he is under an _enormous_ amount of stress right now. Jasper didn't even realize how much because Edward's been stamping it out so he doesn't snap at anyone. Particularly at you, since the two of you inevitably spend a lot of time together. The constant pressure from all of us, his irrational attempts to keep all his feelings bottled up, and his trying to protect _your_ feelings… It's all pushing him to heretofore untested limits. Think of how stretched he was in the books and then imagine it all being thrown at him in one day. That's a lot to handle. I think today he finally reached a breaking point and it started to pour out."

"I hate it when I can't stay mad," I grumbled resignedly to my self, jumping when someone blew the horn at me. Scowling at the old burgundy Buick in the rearview mirror, I took off a little too fast, burning a bit of rubber along the way. Alice made a very tiny choking sound, and within a second I was laughing with her over it. The release of my frustration was a nice change and I felt far more concentrated than moments before.

"Was that why Edward let me go so easily just now?" I asked after a pause, looking ahead at the lessening amount of traffic. "So he wouldn't lash out further and hurt my feelings more?"

"Yes, that's why," Alice sighed once more, one hand resting at her right temple tiredly. "He wanted you to go before he lost it and started venting about everything. Jasper is thankfully handling him right now, so hopefully he's going to be a bit more open about all of this in future. It would be so much healthier for both of you. For the rest of us, too, but he's the one bottling it up and you're the one who tends to get in the line of fire, so…"

"All right, look…" I sighed myself, glad for the next red light I came upon so that I could turn to look at Alice as I spoke. "I would willingly listen to his venting. More than willingly, I would do it _cheerfully_! I just want him to realize when he's making it more personal than it needs to be. If he wants to yell and scream to a listening ear about the unfairness of it all, he can carry me off to the middle of the forest and shout it all out. He can even uproot a tree if he feels like it and I won't begrudge him the violence. Will you just let him know all that?"

" _Cheerfully_ ," she teased, grasping my hand with gratitude. "I think he'd like that, actually. Well, maybe not uprooting a _tree_ , but you get what I mean."

"Yeah, I do," I replied amusedly, hitting the gas much gentler when the light turned green. "Well, get back to your weekend and try to take off Edward's blindfold for me."

"All right," Alice laughed lightly, giving my hand a squeeze. "Carlisle and Esme will be waiting for you at the house, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded my understanding, but felt guilty. "I wish I didn't have to interrupt their weekend. They didn't even get a full day alone."

"You just get home and have a nice meal," Alice waved away my worries. "Carlisle's going to order out for you and Esme is already making dessert. Then you three can play cards or watch movies or whatever. Or Carlisle can teach you chess… Oh, that would be a great weekend adventure for you!"

I was laughing at her rapid-fire ideas already and could only shake my head.

"Drop me at the next corner, just before the market," she informed me with new enthusiasm. "Go South around Puget Sound on the way back. It'll be a shorter drive, which the gas tank definitely needs right now."

The next corner was vacant of other cars just long enough for my passenger to hug me and get onto the pavement. A tan Impala with a speed fix came up almost immediately afterward, laying on the horn before they even fully pulled up behind me. Alice rolled her eyes and turned to glare at the driver with frightening intensity. I didn't see their reaction, but the horn did not blow again while Alice left me a parting message.

"Go to the station just past Sol Duc Way. _Avoid_ the station at the edge of town," she said seriously, yet irritably. "The only things it can boast to its dubious credit are cheaper prices and a socially inept attendant who loves to flirt with moronic movie references. He'll annoy the hell out of you and keep you fifteen minutes longer."

Bursting into laughter, I could only wave at the pixie as I pulled away from the curb and she started walking back to the market.

The ride home was uneventful in every way except for my thoughts about Edward's stress levels and overreactions. That is, unless one counted a strange obsession with going faster than I really should have been once I met with a clear stretch of smooth highway with a major ocean view. Even if I didn't get caught by a cop, it was pretty reckless to go so fast with my pitiful human reflexes. I was beginning to get a speed thrill and that scared me a little. I had thoroughly hated speeding before I started riding around with Edward Cullen.

Regardless, I lightened my lead foot by the time I passed through Hoquiam and kept it that way the entire ride to Forks due to a mixture of ticket-anxiety and ethical consideration. Somewhere in Seattle, I knew Alice was probably in hysterics over it all, but decided it wasn't worth feeling irritated over.

The station with the movie-fanatic flirt certainly _did_ look dubious as I passed, especially in the dark, and I was glad Alice had forewarned me. The one in town was not much better necessarily, but the attendant was female this time and didn't even look out the window as I pulled up to the fourth pump.

It occurred to me that I was in nylons and likely to freeze outside while I pumped the gas, so I dug around in the bags Alice had packed to find a pair of pants to go under my dress. A pair of gray leggings was first to hand, but they felt warm enough, so I put them on and continued looking for some flats. There were none that matched according to my taste, and being more of a fashion fiend than one might suspect, I sighed disappointedly and kept on my heels, returning my sight once more to the windshield. Out of habit, I enacted a cursory inspection of my surroundings.

I had to admit, however reluctantly, that Forks was a much creepier place than I had realized since arriving there. Nighttime at a gas station on a deserted street in _any_ town could be unnerving, but Forks at that particular moment gave me a full complement of goose bumps that had nothing to do with the cold weather. An unnamed fear wrestled for control of my senses when I noticed how near the forest was to the gas station. I felt strange, unprotected, as I got out of the car and instinctively locked the door. It seemed to me some unknown threat lingered in the shadows of the surrounding buildings, waiting expectantly for a single misstep.

Shaking away the fright as thoroughly as possible under the circumstances, I moved to the pump and marked my choice of fuel. Waiting for the pump to be ready, I could barely keep the feelings in check. With a sigh of relief, I finally watched the digital display turn to zeros and squeezed the handle to begin fueling.

The tank filled so slowly it was unreal, leaving behind an increasing desire for it to move just a little faster every time I looked back at the display. At long last, however, the pumped clicked and thudded to a stopping point. Another wave of relief passed through me as I rapidly replaced the nozzle and jogged inside the station itself to pay, extremely uncomfortable remaining outside – alone – any longer than I had to.

The sandy-haired attendant, whose badge read ' _Alexis,'_ looked up at me a bit bleary-eyed when the bell above the door clanged against the glass. Considering the red mark on her left cheek, I guessed I had caught her dozing, but she at least seemed fully operational as she entered the payment and printed my receipt.

"Thanks," I smiled quickly, eager to get into the car and get back to the house before the night became any more anxiety-inducing.

"Have a nice night," Alexis muttered more to herself than to me.

The bell clanged again as I made my way outside and jogged across the lot for the second time. Soon standing beside the driver's side door and clumsily digging the key from my pocket out of sheer anxiety, I absently noticed the attendant already dozing away on her arm again.

Just when the key slid completely in the lock, the lights above me flashed uncertainly. Startled, I whipped up to stare at the blinking brilliance, nervously realizing that every single light in the station's overhead was doing the same thing. Alexis slept on, oblivious to the situation right outside, and in another instant, the lights blinked out entirely to suspend the world in darkness, aided by the clouded night and lack of street lamps. The lights inside the station were too dim and too far from the Volvo to help matters, but it was curious that a power outage would not affect them.

I felt a furious shiver pass over me like ice water as the information crept through my mind. Lights did not just turn off all across a station while the interior lighting remained intact. Darkness remained around me, absolute and overwhelming, and I understood with great horror that my danger instinct was not as delusional as I had thought.

Something beyond my control rooted me to the ground, body frozen while my mind tried to process the fear coursing through my system. It was that single moment of immobility which I cursed in my head as something hard knocked straight into my abdomen, leaving in its wake a lingering pain the likes of which I had never experienced before.

The scream I was so close to uttering never left my throat, the breath ushered out of my lungs in one fell swoop from the blow and a thin yet strong hand clamped over my mouth before I could recover. Two large hands wrenched my arms behind my back with painful force at almost the same instant, dragging me along in my now unmanageable high heels to what I fearfully recognized as the tree line behind the station.

Before I could process anything with true coherency aside from the crushing fear, the black shade of the trees engulfed me and my abductors. Half dragged and half stumbling along in the dark for an eternity with my stomach clenched and knotted and hurting, I was too horrified to even cry. This could not be happening to me, was all I could think.

There were no more fully rational thoughts when another blow connected with my abdomen; somehow my mind now recognized that a fist had done it, but the thought was a detached fact as if from another person's brain. Hardly did I inhale when another blow rained down on me, this time on my upper arm. Someone shoved me to my knees as the fist connected again, this time my lower back. Pain burst my senses into gear with acute clarity of a sudden, and the world invaded my ears like water from a broken dam.

Leaves and natural debris rustled as my attackers moved around me, the foreground to the wind gusting about my ill-dressed form. The captors' breathing, quick and light, raced against my own labored, unsteady intake. A beat passed, then two, four more hits slamming into my back and knocking me to the ground. A kick smashed into my back, pain jolting around my shaking body like fireworks and forcing me into a fetal position to protect myself somehow. I didn't count the further blows, desperate to stay conscious after one blunted the side of my head.

My brain could not concentrate on anything except the pain and the continued impossibility of my circumstances. Why were they doing this? Who were they? What did they want?

No answers came.

I had read Rosalie's story. I had stared at her and known what happened to make her the way she was, but I never knew anything of what she must have felt. The helplessness of thinking she wasn't going to live until the dawn, the gripping terror and cruel suffering, and the steadily dying hope that someone would come to save her.

I wondered in some dark corner of my mind if I was ever going to feel again through the cracked lips and torn skin and multiple bruises, when my attackers added a new form of torture.

I hardly recognized my own voice as a scream curdled into the blustery air as violently as a siren.

Sharp, burning, stabbing pain thundered across my back like a white-hot firebrand had torn open my skin and someone poured acid into the wound. Thoughts flew out of my head, leaving nothing but a wish to black out, to escape. I prayed with everything I had for someone to hear the scream I had finally been able to loose into the atmosphere.

My prayers seemed to be answered when the blows stopped abruptly. Rustling and hissing echoed around me, my mind too beleaguered to comprehend the meaning until the sound of running footsteps passed vaguely into my hearing and disappeared into the silence.

They left.

They had really gone.

I could sense it, feel it in the air somehow as only the wind washed my battered body in coldness. Time passed, whether brief or long I could not tell. Nor did it matter in my shivering slump. Even the trees seemed to moan with me, deep and despairing, as I waited for someone, _anyone_ to help me.

The idea hadn't even sunken into my head when the sirens came blaring from a distance away. Doors slammed and shouts sounded. Rustling grew louder and louder, someone running towards me at high speed.

"Mireille!" came a cry out of the silence, waking my depleted mind to the overwhelming pain more deeply than I had thought I could feel it anymore.

That voice, so full of choked desperation and pleading, blazed through me like a shot of adrenaline I could not suppress. My lips, cracked and bleeding though they were, still formed the name stuck in the back of my mind.

"Car-l-lisle," I managed to breathe out painfully, regretting every use of my vocal chords and the muscles of my face. Still I tried to move, to reach out. A strangled gasp of agony wavered in my entire body as the movement exacted its revenge.

"Do not talk any further." Carlisle tried to be calm, but the quaver in his voice gave away his fear as he spoke almost too rapidly for me to understand and petted the fringes of my hair with gentle fingers. "And do not try to move, dear. You will only hurt yourself further. They are bringing a stretcher now. We will get you out of here."

I couldn't do anything outwardly, my eyes too heavy to open and limbs too weighted down to move, but I thanked God for sending me help after all. For sending someone who cared.

"Carlisle!" came a gruff voice from further off, but one that was almost as worried and rushed as the doctor had been.

"Over here!" Carlisle shouted back, his petting stopped.

Heavy footsteps thudded into our space, near my head, some huffing and puffing accompanying it. There was an indrawn hiss of breath, a muttered curse, and then the gruff man spoke again, this time with fury.

"We're going to get whoever did this," he vowed in a low, angry tone. "I promise you I'm going to find them."

"Thank you, Charlie," Carlisle replied gratefully, albeit sadly, informing my drifting mind of whom the gruff voice belonged to.

Any further discussion ended when more footsteps entered the area. Something was placed beside me, and they lifted my pain-seared body awkwardly onto what I realized was a stretcher. Carlisle's cool hand on my forehead was the only thing that kept me from passing out. My bearers drew me out of the woods at a swift and jerky pace, but those kind fingers never abandoned me.

"You are going to be okay, sweetheart," Carlisle whispered kindly to me, voice breaking a little, as I was lifted up into an ambulance and an oxygen mask covered my face. The gentle doctor climbed up right behind the two paramedics who had carried the stretcher. Soon, he was the only one in the back with me, murmuring more words of reassurance and comfort. "I am going to take care of you, I promise. You will be all right."

"Let me call your family for you, Carlisle," Charlie offered more quietly than before as Carlisle kept on petting my hair in soft strokes. "You're the best surgeon we have. Family or no, you're going to be the one taking care of Mireille for a while yet. And I know you want Esme and the kids to get the straight facts as quick as possible."

"Yes, that... that would be wonderful," Carlisle awkwardly answered, brushing the hair away from my discolored face when it slipped over my nose. "Tell them… not to come up. I do not want them to see Mireille until I have gotten her out of surgery, at the very least."

"Of course," the chief agreed, tone sympathetic, before moving into a more tentative vein. "I hope you don't mind if I add a warning for your boys to stay at home and not get into any trouble looking for the attackers?"

"Yes, that is an excellent warning," Carlisle nodded firmly, seeming to square his shoulders. "I would not mind at all. Will you add my hearty agreement on that subject?"

"Be glad to. I'll touch base with you later," Charlie concluded firmly just before shutting the doors.

For a minute after sealing the interior of the medical transport, all was silent save my uncomfortable breathing. Carlisle began to work over me with the air of a man going to war and hating himself for it.

"You are going to be quite uncomfortable while I mend these lesser injuries, my dear," he informed me regretfully. "I will be as gentle as possible, but some of the damage may hurt worse before it gets better. I am sorry for that."

If I had not been under use of an oxygen mask, I would have assured him that his apology was needless, but I had to settle for giving as much of my sentiments as I could through eyes alone. When he caught the expression therein, Carlisle smiled sadly.

"I know you think my apology is not necessary," he replied with knowing fondness, still working over the minor lacerations with speed and efficiency. "But I will nevertheless feel terrible because of every moment of discomfort you feel. It is not something I will be able to prevent. Now, sweetheart, I am going to ask you a couple of questions. Blink once for yes and twice for no. Do you understand?"

I blinked once, as definitively as I was able.

"Good," he responded, a relieved smile crossing his face. "First, was your head hit during the attack?"

A single blink and my mind recalled the hard blow against the side of my head.

"More than once?"

Two blinks. I was starting to feel so very tired now that I was in safe hands. My body didn't want to stay awake for more questioning, although I pushed it to do so.

"Were you hit in the abdomen more than once?" Carlisle asked. I blinked once, but tried to convey the way I had protected my stomach after the first two blows there.

"Not many more, though?" was Carlisle's shrewd guess, eyeing my face carefully as I blinked once, much more tiredly than before. "Did you protect yourself?"

One very slow blink and he sighed with relief. "We will do x-rays to check your ribs, but I think they are fine. That should speed up your healing time… Now, I am going to check for a concussion, all right?"

It was exceedingly difficult to blink this time, my eyelids growing heavier and heavier every moment.

"Honey, just stay awake a little longer," Carlisle pleaded with me, ghosting a hand across my eyelids. "Open your eyes. Come now, just open them for me."

Opening my eyes was like trudging through a bog on a foggy night, but I did it. True to his word, Carlisle was quick but thorough as he shone a penlight in my eyes and checked my concentration.

The doctor fell quiet after, probably uncertain what else to say. Complete silence encompassed the rest of the trip – which was thankfully brief – until the ambulance opened up again to reveal a mess of noise and confusion that made my head hurt even more. My jolting, painful trip into the emergency room passed in a blur of brilliant white overhead lights and squinting against the ensuing head pains.

"You can try to rest now, sweetheart," Carlisle murmured at my ear, once more brushing the hair from my forehead. "You will wake up mended and on the road to healing, all right?"

An irrational fear gripped me as he pulled away, my panicked attempts at squirming drawing the gentle vampire back in a hurry. "Do not worry yourself," he said worriedly. "I will be there when you wake, I promise you that. Try and relax now, dear. Just relax. I am going to count backwards from fifty and I want you to listen carefully."

By the time he reached thirty, the edges of my vision had crept into a small, blurry circle and hurriedly continued into utter oblivion. I never even felt the hypodermic pierce my skin.

* * *


	24. Chapter 22: Implications

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** When it rains, it pours. Job loss, financial problems, car issues, power outages, health concerns… we've had it all this year. I also had computer issues, and lost _everything_ for my stories. The hard lesson of keeping backups and not depending solely on one method of storage. *sigh* So, if you're a writer and you don't already… then save, save, save! Do it in different locations if possible. Even keeping a draft of the latest chapters on your email account would be helpful.

I've had to rebuild all the information that wasn't in a published chapter. On EVERY unfinished story. Thus, it took me this long to even begin dealing with it all. I had half-written chapters for this story, _Damages_ , and several other stories, all of which are gone. So it was back to scratch. In some ways that might refresh the story, but I hate losing the hard work I put in before. And let me tell you, there was a LOT of it. _Damages_ is frustrating without the framework I had, so that will be a long wait _again._ But I swear I am forcing things into progress no matter what. I refuse to let my stories flounder while the ideas are still thick in my brain.

Re-reading the earlier chapters of this story will not only be recommended because of time, but because I was forced to do some retconning, so please be aware of that. I just happened to remember the information on this particular chapter more than any other, so I had a much easier time writing it up again. Here is the culmination of that god-awful cliffhanger!

**Previously** – Edward and Mireille drove to a market in Seattle and argued over the books. Edward was rude, Mireille scratched the Volvo, and she drove away. Alice met Mireille and explained Edward's attitude. Mireille stopped for gas in Forks and sensed something very wrong. Mireille was attacked and badly damaged. Something scared the attackers away. Mireille thought she would die, then Carlisle and Charlie found her. Carlisle took Mireille into surgery.

> **Chapter 22: Implications**

White… Pure, sterile, unyielding white.

Noise... Loud, cacophonous, jarring noise.

And pain… Blazing, uncomfortable, startling pain.

That was all I could see, all I could hear, all I could feel.

Voices collided and mashed around me, full of confusion and panic and energy my mind was incapable of processing. Everything overwhelmed me, roaring across my senses with useless, mindless waves of bedlam. Before I could attempt to comprehend any of it, the world coalesced and surged into an abyss of complete and total blackness once more.

When I woke next, the atmosphere did not explode into being like a blinding sun. There were no voices battling for my attention. All was quiet, save the infernal beep, beep, beep which invaded my sluggish senses with annoying frequency. For far too much time, I attempted to ignore the sound, my eyes remaining stubbornly closed. Yet returning to sleep became impossible. Driven by constant curiosity and frustration, I finally forced my obstinate eyes open.

Squinting against the overly bright lighting above, I slowed my eyelids to a tortoise's pace until the white around me didn't seem so blinding. The last part of the room I came to terms with was the small window on the parallel wall. In that little room, which was actually quite dull in spite of its imperial white walls, the one tiny window gave off a bounty of sunshine. It seemed unfair, that I should be stuck in what was obviously a hospital room while the sun shone with such abandon outside of it.

Once adjusted to the room, I tried to remember where exactly I was and what had happened. My eyes traveled over the IV in my arm, the heart monitor clipped to my finger, a drab hospital gown, and stiff white blankets. The side table had been filled with a water bottle, a plastic cup, pill bottles, prescription boxes, clean bandages, and ointments I'd never heard of. Further down the wall sat a single padded chair, upon which a clipboard lay full to bursting with paperwork. Before I could examine the room any further (or possibly injure myself more by trying to), the door clicked open and my eyes flew to see who the visitor was.

"Carlisle," I breathed in muted surprise.

Once again since landing in fictional Forks, I had thought myself only dreaming my adventures with the Cullens. But this was no dream.

"Mireille," Carlisle sighed with a flabbergasted combination of relief, gentility, and gratitude.

"I r—" I tried to speak, but my voice cracked and died before I could do so. It hurt to speak just the same as it hurt to breathe and move my body.

Carlisle rushed to my side, hurriedly pouring water into the plastic cup I'd noticed a few moments earlier. He had to hold my head up for me, and swallowing made my throat ache, but the cool relief and moisture was worth it. Only half of the water remained after I finished sipping, leaving Carlisle equally concerned and pleased.

"What I was trying to say," I picked up at a whisper, in spite of the doctor's disapproving glance, "is that I really need to stop thinking this is all a dream."

"Indeed," was all Carlisle said, lips slightly pursed.

"Look," I continued to speak through a sigh, wincing at the movement, "if you're trying to stop me from talking, your approach is all wrong."

"Is it?" he responded a bit tartly, eyeing me with fatherly disapproval.

"Yes, of course," I answered confidently despite my soft voice, ignoring burning pains all over the place with a ridiculous amount of stubbornness. "If you want me to stop talking, then you'll have to fill the silence, not leave it wide open like that."

Against his better judgment, Carlisle began to chuckle lightly.

After a beat, he sighed, "All right. Then I shall have to try a more devious tactic… I never counted on you waking up so early today. My hope was for you to sleep into the evening. Please, sweetheart, for your health and my sanity, will you try to rest your throat if nothing else?"

Faced with this sweet, unexpected parental approach, my resolve died instantly. "Oh, okay."

"Thank you," Carlisle sighed more happily than before. "I'll be right here if you need me."

Remembering my promise to rest, I just lifted the corners of my mouth up in some semblance of a smile so as to avoid more of the same pain, watching the doctor sit in that padded visitors' chair.

Carlisle's obvious familiarity with the seat, coupled with the immediacy with which he chose a spot on his paperwork to begin again, told me a suspicious tale. I had promised to rest, and rest I would. But the next time I awoke there would definitely be some questions to answer. That was the repeating mantra in my mind as I lay there.

One more thought crossed my mind, and I forgot my promise long enough to tell Carlisle what was on my mind.

"Carlisle, don't put me on a bunch of meds if you don't have to. I hate them… and they're so… so…" My words trailed off as I fell under the spell of sleep once more, never hearing whatever reply Carlisle might have made.

A third moment of waking came much easier than either of the previous two, the sun no longer shining in through the window this time. Instead, the dark of night beleaguered Forks.

"Good evening, Mireille," Carlisle spoke quietly from the same chair – drawing my slow gaze over to him where he sat holding his clipboard again – and offered me a small smile.

"Mr. sunshine was being very sarcastic today," I mentioned mindlessly, my thoughts stuck on that tiny window for some reason. Everything felt a little disconnected still, so I guessed that was the problem.

Carlisle chuckled gently, his smile broadening more naturally than before. "Yes, I suppose he was."

"You haven't left here much, have you?" I asked with abrupt curiosity, irritated by my scratchy voice.

"Not exactly," Carlisle murmured a bit embarrassedly, glancing away towards the window a moment. Those golden features turned so pensive and gray that I almost felt badly for bringing it up. "You looked so… small, fragile… and I could not leave you all by yourself, even if you were not awake."

Caught by the emotion in his soft voice and the obvious care therein, I found a sudden pressure looming behind my eyes, which were quite unexpectedly wet. Turning swiftly to face me with something approaching alarm, the golden-haired doctor's brows furrowed worriedly.

"M' fine," I mumbled through a thick throat, wincing as I swallowed against it.

Continuing to frown, Carlisle reached for the glass of water on the side table, helping me through the painful process of lifting my head to drink. Laying my head back down did nothing to quell my many discomforts, but at least it did not increase them.

"If I did not already have a very good idea of what you are going through, I would inquire after how you feel," the doctor announced with a heavy sigh, sitting back against the chair with a mild thump. "I am so sorry you are experiencing this."

"What's the story?" I wondered, focusing on the conversation as much as my body would allow in its current condition.

"Exactly what happened," Carlisle seemed to shrug. "You were driving back home from Seattle, stopped for gas, and they attacked you."

The manner in which the patriarch said 'they' was very curious. Almost as if he knew—

"You _do_ know who it was," I whispered lower than ever, ensuring I could not be overheard by anyone except for the vampire beside me.

"Of course we do," Carlisle muttered half beneath his breath, but even then I could hear the fury coiling tightly in his tone. "Alice and Edward watched as it happened, and I could easily smell their scents on you and the surrounding environment as I came upon the scene."

A chill ran down my spine at the knowledge of who it must have been.

"The three from the dance," I whispered just as softly, dread pooling in my stomach. "The ones who were going to…"

The words died on my tongue, so ill did they make me feel. They had done exactly as they said.

Swallowing against the sick feeling, I closed my eyes as Carlisle went on, anger still clear in his words, "Only two. Vanessa Travis and Greg Overman."

"Why?" I breathed, incapable of understanding the violence I had endured from two people I had never actually met. How could two human beings wish the pain and terror I had felt – and continued to feel – upon another person? "Even knowing they hurt me like this, I couldn't even fathom wishing the same violence on them."

Sighing ever more darkly, Carlisle grasped my hand comfortingly in his own, the temperature not even a barrier. "Who can truly understand such things, Mireille? Two angry people decided to hate you without ever knowing you. It makes no sense. There is no real 'why' in this situation. Their anger drove them, and they allowed it to cause deep, abiding pain to another human being. We will never be able to genuinely explain or comprehend that choice."

"So they've been caught?" I asked.

"Not yet," Carlisle practically growled.

"What… How?" I floundered, impossibly confused. There had to be evidence. There just had to be.

"Whatever proof there is, it was mostly on you and your clothing," Carlisle kept on growling his words and grinding his teeth, yet he had sense enough to remain as quiet as possible. "We made sure to collect whatever evidence we could find upon your person. It will take at least two weeks to process any DNA, no physical evidence can be found in the vegetation, and because the ground was surprisingly dry, there were no footprints to speak of… Oh, _I_ could see the faintest indentations upon the soil, of course. But it is not as though I can bring my vampire senses to everyone's attention, which therefore results in waiting upon the average human senses to find what little they can and hope it is enough."

"What's happening with the others?" was my tentative response to his heated talk. I didn't even dare to imagine what the rest of the family was going through – even if I needed to know. They couldn't come and see me, since I was in the hospital where there was frequently fresh blood around, and I couldn't guess what effect that absence had.

"Do you really want to know?" Carlisle queried rhetorically with the hundredth sigh of the day. "It was a near thing when Charlie called and told them to stay at home and out of trouble. Alice barely recovered enough to agree with the idea. Other than that, there is nothing positive happening at home. Mr. Greene was in full agreement with my pulling the others out of school for the coming two weeks, which does more harm than good in many ways. And Esme… all she talks about is seeing you and taking care of you. Until I bring you home, she will not be content."

"When _will_ I be getting out of here?" I asked resignedly, disturbed by the mess everything had become after it all seemed set so fine.

"I have arranged to take you home in a few days, if all goes well," he replied. "I can care for you just as well there, now that you are no longer in need of surgery, so it is only a matter of your body healing enough to be moved. Based on the rate of healing I have seen so far, I would estimate Tuesday, but that is based in my extra senses and invisible to my human colleagues, so it may be a longer wait than that."

"I wish Esme was able to visit," I sighed awkwardly, mind returning with sadness to the motherly vampire. "It'd be good for her to see me awake."

"Yes, and it would help with the rumors I've heard today," Carlisle groaned slightly, folding his arms over his chest. "Apparently, some even doubt it was an outside attack."

"Excuse me?" I muttered, blinking owlishly at the implications.

"It is exactly what it sounds like," he assured me tiredly. "With the others unable to visit, the less-informed people in town and at the hospital see it as a family divided over its newest member. Some of the comments I have fended off… You would not believe the audacity when some of the nurses speak with me."

"Send them to me, then," I almost growled myself, ignoring the twinges it gave me. "I'll give them a piece of my mind they won't soon forget, believe me."

Chuckling suddenly at my fervor, Carlisle patted my hand. "Well, not just yet, my dear. I doubt your body would be up to that right now."

Regardless how little my body was up to such a task, I certainly gave it a good try whenever a flirty, annoying nurse pushed her way into my private room, acting sympathetic towards me and seductive towards Carlisle. One in particular, named Jill, drove me up a wall with her clumpy mascara, over-painted lips, too-tight scrubs, and general apathy towards anyone who wasn't Carlisle.

"How do you even _get_ scrubs to fit that tightly?" I had commented irritably to Carlisle after the first time meeting Jill. "They're _made_ baggy, for heaven's sake!"

Carlisle had merely grinned at my frustrated commentary, having already lived with its constant presence since my waking. As had the nurses of Forks General Hospital. Indeed, every nurse who entered my room was given one chance to _not_ flirt with the married doctor. Those who did, I grumbled about. Those who flirted and also made some subtly disparaging comment about Esme or the other Cullens, I grumbled about and glared at. Childish though it may have seemed, it was all I could really do to get my point across. My point being, essentially, to leave the Cullens alone and quit flirting with an obviously married man.

On my final day in the hospital, which was indeed Tuesday, Jill was unfortunately the one to bring my last lunch tray. The same clumps of mascara, over-bright lipstick, and inhumanely tight scrubs remained, as did Jill's most agitating expression – cow-eyed.

"Jill, is there something wrong with my niece's meal?" Carlisle inquired curiously when she still hadn't left, the deeply buried hint of ice in his voice all too clear to me.

"Of course not, Dr. Cullen," Jill laughed with false airiness, her heavy-laden gaze latched onto Carlisle's face. "Why would there be?"

"Perhaps because you have yet to set it down?" he mentioned ever so casually, yet the lift of his brow and the lilt of satire in his tone proved just the opposite.

"Oh," Jill murmured, embarrassed, rapidly slipping the tray across my legs with bad grace and backing away one step. It was to her misfortune she glanced my way at that precise moment, for my glare apparently terrified her almost as much as Carlisle's subtle, sarcastic reprimand. Turning all kinds of red, the nurse scurried from the room as quickly as possible.

"I've come to the conclusion that the nurses around here are idiots," I ground out mercilessly a moment later, jabbing viciously at a fruit cup over and over with no tangible results. "Except for Diane… Yeah. The rest need to forego reproducing, because clearly their mental deficiencies should not be passed on to a new generation."

Snorting at my convolutions, Carlisle tried very hard not to laugh outright. Instead, he sighed a little and reached over to calmly and smoothly remove the lid of my fruit cup. "I must say, I never saw the nursing staff so traumatized until you started glaring at them."

Despite his laughing words, I felt suddenly overbearing in my manner. It wasn't really my place to defend Carlisle's marriage, I guessed. "I'm sorry…"

"Oh, don't be!" the doctor finally laughed outright, his easy honesty reassuring me immensely. "Not only have you assuaged those foolish rumors about our family's feelings toward you, I have also never had an easier time fending off flirtatious nurses!"

Biting my lip to stifle a laugh I knew would not be comfortable, I didn't argue with him, but ate my lunch without complaint.

Much to my gratitude, it wasn't long after lunch that we prepared to go home. Carlisle discreetly aided me in dressing, helping as much as he could while still giving me privacy. I didn't trust anyone else enough to accept the assistance of a stranger's hands.

Thoroughly exhausted and perpetually in pain, I finally settled into the wheelchair with his help. It was an odd chair, fitted with improvised padding to straighten my back to a less dangerous angle. Carlisle grabbed our bags and pushed me out of the tiny hospital room with great relief it seemed; despite my horrid condition, I felt the same relief in spades. Whatever pains and discomforts I felt, however sickening it could get, everything would be a thousand times better if I could talk freely and finally be among all of the Cullens again.

Coming upon the lobby, Carlisle and I found Charlie Swan and an unfamiliar doctor waiting to see us off.

"It's good to see you awake, Mireille," the doctor smiled warmly, and I liked him right off the bat. "Maybe now Carlisle will start to take care of his own health, too?"

"Mireille, this is Dr. Gerandy," Carlisle introduced us with a chuckle, obviously accustomed to this type of response from his colleague.

"It's nice to meet you," I offered a bit weakly.

"I only wanted to see you off. I won't keep you waiting," the older doctor responded kindly. "I know you must be extremely uncomfortable. Take care, you two."

"We will," Carlisle answered for both of us as Dr. Gerandy walked away, leaving us in the company of Bella's father.

"And this," Carlisle continued seamlessly, turning to gesture at the other man, "is Charlie Swan, our chief of police."

"Mireille," Charlie nodded once in greeting. "Glad to see you're on the mend."

"Thanks," I replied simply, growing more tired than ever. Both doctor and police chief noticed immediately.

"Why don't I walk you both out?" Charlie stated more than asked.

"A good idea," Carlisle commented easily, turning my chair toward the main doors as he conversed further with the chief. "I can't thank you enough for all you've done the past few days."

"Got a girl of my own," Charlie responded, a dash of tenderness buried underneath the rough exterior. "I wouldn't want anything like this to happen to her."

My mind blanked entirely as the phrase processed, and I could feel Carlisle gripping my shoulder with gentle understanding when we came up to the Mercedes.

"I know what you mean," was the doctor's quiet answer.

The two men stopped talking as they worked in tandem to maneuver me into the passenger seat, which had been laid back all the way and plumped up at the fold to even out my spine. Every move was horrid, my back causing me every kind of grief where the worst injury had been, but finally I was left still.

"Seeing this just makes my blood boil," Charlie ground out, trying to fall beneath my hearing and failing. "I swear we're going to do whatever possible to find justice here."

"Until that time, we'll keep her safe," Carlisle murmured sadly, brushing a hand across my forehead before he pulled away and stood back from the door. Just before he moved to shut it, I forced out words I had wanted to say since waking up, but nearly forgot in the midst of everything.

"Thank you, Chief Swan," I said quietly, but firmly. In an instant, the cop in question squatted down to my level. "I remember you being there. You've been great."

"Ah, call me Charlie," the dark-haired man awkwardly shrugged, but the hint of a smile teased his lips. "And maybe you can get Carlisle in the habit of it. He seems to forget it a lot."

Outside my range of sight, Carlisle chuckled good-naturedly.

"I'll try," I smiled a little in return as Charlie pulled back, allowing Carlisle to close the door fully this time.

Words passed between the two outside of the vehicle for a moment and after a handshake, Carlisle headed around to the driver's side. I watched through the windshield as Charlie headed to the cruiser, Carlisle settling in beside me as I did so.

"Let's get out of here," the golden-haired doctor sighed, grabbing the wheel with one hand and my fingers with the other.

As we made our way out of town and more and more trees passed us by, both of us remained silent and contemplative. It was only once the Mercedes passed over the Sol Duc River that some silent agreement passed between us and a duo of sighs escaped our mouths. Huffing a miniscule laugh, Carlisle seemed to relax minutely into his seat and his cold grip on my fingers loosened. Scant minutes passed before the private drive came up. Where I thought the trees might have reminded me of the attack, of my fear and pain, of helplessness… I felt only a sense of welcome and safety. The Cullens would take care of me. Of that I had no doubts.

Coming upon the house brought a new mystery to my mind, for something covered the windows from the inside. I just couldn't see entirely what it was from such a distance.

"Carlisle?" I inquired curiously.

"You'll see," he smiled slightly at me, patting my hand and stopping the car. He was out and around my side before I could ask any more, and had me up in his arms with as little jostling as possible. There was still pain, but far less than Carlisle's faked human reflexes had been capable of.

With my condition, Carlisle used a human speed to walk up to the house, where I noticed Esme standing outside on the porch wringing her hands while she took us in.

"We're finally home," the doctor spoke first, approaching more slowly the closer we came.

"Carlisle," was all the caramel-haired vampire could say, biting her lip anxiously and golden eyes all on me.

"Hi, Esme," I quietly remarked, my head lying heavily on Carlisle's hard upper arm.

"Oh, sweetheart," Esme murmured mistily, lack of tears notwithstanding. In a second, she stood beside us at the foot of the porch steps, fluttering over me until she laid her fingers on the top of my head. "After all our plans to keep you safe—"

"Hush, dear," Carlisle quieted his wife gently. "No one could have anticipated the way this turned out."

"I know," the motherly vampire admitted just as tearfully. "I just wish she'd been spared this."

"So do I," the doctor responded softly still. "Let's get her inside now. It's too cold out here."

"Of course," Esme whispered through a watery smile, leaning in to kiss my forehead and brush my hair back one more time. Turning, she led the way inside the house and waited to close the door behind us.

I was reminded strangely of the night Edward carried me inside after flying across the roads at top speed to Sacramento and back. While the original purpose for that night out was to discuss Charles Evenson, that dark subject could not put a dampener on the fun we had chatting in the café together and watching _Underworld_.

My pleasant thoughts trailed away rapidly as the foyer passed and we entered the living area.

Every available surface in the house looked fit to bursting with the colors of the flag. Tinsel garland in the trio of colors bedecked every ledge, streamers and lantern garland dipped down low and spread from one wall to another. Patriotic confetti had been scattered over any flat surface, even the floor. From the high ceiling hung balloons and paper fans. The enormous window wall at the back had been decorated with patriotic window clings as far as the eye could see. At the center of everything was the coffee table, boasting a smooth-frosted white cake with red, white, and blue sprinkles; a piece had even been cut out to reveal a three-layer patriotic interior.

Around the coffee table stood Emmett in the most blatant button-down shirt I had ever seen, the entire thing designed to look like the American flag. Jasper's plaid button-down and blue jacket were far subtler, yet clearly portrayed the patriotic theme. Between them, Rosalie had even dressed to the theme slightly with blue jeans and an atypically simple blouse of navy blue and white. Although I had not noticed at first, Esme also sported something patriotic with her red and white striped top.

"What is all this?" I asked softly, taking care not to strain myself, yet allowing as much of my awe to show as I was able.

"We appreciate our two battle-scarred vets," Emmett spoke for everyone, voice much more subdued than usual, even as he tried to hide it under a façade of celebration. "So Happy Veterans' Day, Mir and Jasper. You're two of the toughest people we know."

"Thank you," was all I could get out in response, my voice a strangled whisper. Jasper offered me a tiny half-smile of understanding.

"Now, we got a gift for you, Mir," Emmett continued with false cheer meant solely for my benefit as he turned to pick up something from the nearest sofa, and I wondered why no one else had yet spoken. What little I could comprehend at first was relegated to the pinched set to Rosalie's features, Jasper's tense shoulders, and Esme's stiff smile.

More notably than anything else, however, Alice's and Edward's absences claimed my attention. The overwhelming occasion presented had distracted me for a moment. Long enough to forget two of the family were missing from this little celebration. Discomfited, I searched the room as much as my body could withstand before accepting the two gifted vampires were nowhere to be found. Carlisle gave a restraining squeeze to my leg, but my pains were warning enough without the gesture.

"There you go," Emmett proclaimed with something approaching his usual boisterous nature, but I saw the difference in his typically boyish face. The proffered gift, wrapped in a thick blue throw, held little appeal when I could see the effect my circumstances had on everyone, yet I couldn't deny it now. It obviously meant something especially significant to the big vampire.

With a small smile I reached out to touch the throw, already in love with its ultra soft texture.

"The blanket is yours, too, honey," Esme finally spoke up. "I thought you might like something extra soft after all those hospital blankets."

"And Edward told me about what's inside it," Emmett added with a tentative shrug. "Said you liked them."

"Them?" I whispered curiously.

"Here," the big guy said more gently, gesturing for me to peel away the throw. But my hand was too weak and I had grown too weary since waking up that morning in the hospital. For the first time since the attack, I hadn't taken a nap in the afternoon. Carlisle decided it must have been excitement that had done it, since we were to be leaving that day.

"Maybe… Could you…" I tried to ask, embarrassed to have to say it, but it was necessary as I laid my head back against Carlisle's arm tiredly. "Could you please do it, Em?"

It was the first time I had called anyone in the house by a nickname, and I had no idea if he even liked that name. But it seemed fitting, and it was so much quicker when my energy sat so low.

Everyone seemed to blanch, and Carlisle's arms stiffened beneath me as the sentiment processed. Within a moment, a tick began to move in Rosalie's jaw and Jasper's eyes narrowed. Emmett was swiftest to recover from upset, replying with that same atypical gentleness, "Sure thing, Mir."

The burly vampire carefully unwrapped the new throw, revealing an underside of cream until finally a familiar shape emerged from the mass of soft fabric.

"A penguin?" I questioned, some sense of bubbly joy burning in me despite my lethargy as I took in the huge, fluffy stuffed animal sitting in Emmett's large hands.

"Yep," he confirmed, a real and genuine cheer entering his eyes. "And he's all yours. I kind of thought… maybe you might like a friend to keep you company when you're stuck in bed. Edward told me to get a penguin because you like them."

Tears hindered my vision for a moment, and when the big vampire placed the comfortable throw and plush penguin in my arms, I buried my face into Carlisle's arm with bashful emotion over the sweet sentiment. Chuckling was Emmett's only response.

"We'd better get you in bed now," Carlisle said softly, lips pressing against the top of my ducked head. "I shouldn't have left it this long, but I wanted you to know how much everyone cares."

"Thank you," I whispered, overwhelmed and grateful. A slew of 'you're welcome' washed over me before we headed upstairs.

I was all too thankful for Emmett's sweet little gift once Carlisle began to settle me in the bed; everything that had seemed to pause downstairs suddenly reappeared with a fearful vengeance and I found my self squeezing that soft toy like a life preserver. It couldn't stop pain, but it softened the blows of my healing body somehow. My back, more than any other damage, called my attention like a beacon with its burning pain, and against logic, I had to ask.

"My back…" I started through tense breaths. "Carlisle, what did they do to my back?"

"It was a knife," he nearly growled in reply. "There will certainly be a scar, but no permanent damage."

A knife. They had sliced my back open. Because of jealousy, they had beaten me and cut me. Bile rose in my throat, but I pushed it back forcefully. "Was that the worst?"

"Yes," he said through clenched teeth. "That will take the longest to heal."

I just nodded a little, knowing better than to move too much.

"Sweetheart," Esme spoke up, "while you sleep, Carlisle, Rosalie, and I need to talk with Edward and Alice for a little while."

"Jasper and Emmett will be here and you can ask them for anything," Carlisle assured me firmly yet comfortingly. "We'll be back soon, I promise."

"Okay," I whispered almost beneath my breath, wishing for sleep already.

"Sleep well, honey," Esme murmured, kissing my forehead. Carlisle brushed my hair back as he had often done since I woke in the hospital and then they were both gone.

I tried to relax, to sleep… I wanted to so badly. Every fiber of my being cried out for rest, peace, stillness… But it would not come. For what felt like hours I lay there in the huge bed, clutching the soft blue throw in one hand where it lay over me beneath a mountain of different covers, and my penguin in the other hand. Like a little child I clutched my security blankets and prayed fervently for true rest without the pain nagging every nerve ending. At last I knew it was impossible, tears clouding my eyes and restlessness clogging my mind as the realization struck home more powerfully than ever.

In a last ditch attempt to keep it under wraps and not worry Jasper, I put my mind in sight of the same peaceful, grassy plain I had used upon first meeting the Cullen family to claim calm. A gentle dip in the mattress let me know I failed.

"What's wrong, darlin'?" the honey-blond vampire asked quietly.

"I… I'm… I just want to… to sleep," I breathed in a sigh of a voice, my desperation shining through brightly as my tears nearly spilled over.

"Just let me do all the work," Jasper murmured ever-so-kindly, taking the hand not wrapped around my penguin and gently pressing with reassurance. "You'll be all right."

Mere moments passed before I started feeling drowsy, Jasper's special gift working its way through me and pressing the lethargy I had been missing into my system. Sleep came like an old friend, beloved and much-anticipated after a too-long absence. I couldn't even remember the moment my eyes slipped shut for good.

What seemed to be mere minutes later, I was awoken from a dead sleep by the immense sound of shattering glass. Startled, I attempted to rise, forgetting in my sluggish mind that I should not do so. Barely had the thought fluttered past than did a cold hand gently brush my forehead in a gesture of restraint. Obliging the hand, I refrained from moving further. As it moved away, a familiar voice floated into my ears, warning me and informing me simultaneously.

"Don't move, Mir," Alice told me, "Rosalie just broke a vase by accident. Go back to sleep, all right?"

"Alice," I called to her, hearing her voice fade even as she spoke, yet she pulled away and did not speak again. I dared to try rising a second time, wishing she wouldn't leave, when a wave of lethargy not my own weighted me in the bed. Understanding immediately where it came from, I felt and said a reprimand to the responsible party, my words slurring with sleep already. "Jassh..ver…"

"Sorry, Mireille," the Texan vampire apologized quietly, the last thing I remembered for the night.

By my count, three days passed in this manner, with me attempting to sleep and something causing the others to worry or believe I was overworking my body. Esme would fret audibly over the situation, Rosalie or Emmett or distant Alice would suggest I needed to sleep more, and Jasper would once again give me a bout of lethargy I could not shake. Each time my frustration grew by the unnecessary pressure and sleep, but by the time I woke next, I became distracted by pain or human moments or nourishment or news about the investigation, and I forgot what I wanted to say until it happened again.

Carlisle was the one person in the entire house who didn't know what was going on. From the little I learned during his early afternoon talks with me, Carlisle had been run off his feet working with Charlie, catching up paperwork, doing more paperwork for my situation, talking with high school administration and teachers, trying to reason with an unmoving and guilt-ridden Edward and Alice, working to reschedule with Dr. Gerandy, Dr. Snow, and his superiors at the hospital… For once, even vampire endurance and longevity did not help calm the circumstances; Carlisle simply had too much to do. It was all up to him, since often it required a meeting or a signature that only my 'official guardian' could give.

It all came to a head one evening when Carlisle came home from a visit with Charlie about the investigation. The doctor had been taking excellent care of me, never doing anything without my consent, so I felt badly for him when he realized what his family had been doing in his absence. Granted, they did it out of sheer worry and care, something which I couldn't fault them for, but the situation had to end.

"This must stop. If you continue in this vein of constant sleep manipulation, you will cause long-term damage to Mireille's natural sleep patterns," Carlisle chided his family, even Esme, as he stood between them and me with crossed arms. "I won't even describe all the harm this could bring to her body in general. A great many things in the human body depend upon proper sleep in order to function in a healthy manner. Even if that were not the case, I am thoroughly disappointed that all of you refused to consider Mireille's personal choice in this situation. I know you care about her, and you were worried she needed more rest in order to fully heal, but it was not your place to decide for her. To the outside world, she may be a minor in my care, but in truth she is an adult woman capable of deciding her own life."

Out of all the family, Esme looked the most morose with her decisions the past few days, and I felt sorry for her. Worry alone had driven her, which negated any real, possible anger I might have felt.

"Jasper," Carlisle called on the empathic vampire firmly but kindly. "Unless you have Mireille's personal consent, in conjunction to my consent as her doctor, you _will not_ aid Mireille's rest. Under no other circumstances are you to manipulate her sleep. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Carlisle," Jasper nodded his agreement, looking sincerely repentant. "I'm very sorry, Mireille."

"I'm sorry, too, Mir," Emmett muttered as well, shoving his hands uncomfortably in his pockets.

"So am I," Rosalie murmured, looking towards the floor awkwardly as she led her husband towards the door.

"It's okay," I forgave quietly, confident in the knowledge they truly regretted the situation.

Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper left the room silently, leaving an extremely upset Esme to speak last. The motherly vampire reappeared at my side with a wobbly smile of apology.

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry," she moaned worriedly. "It's so new, handling a human under such circumstances, and I was so afraid you'd be in a lot of pain if you were awake too long."

"I know, Esme," I assured her with a half-smile, glad that my face and throat at least had healed enough to speak comfortably at a reasonable volume, "but the pain isn't going to go away until I'm healed. And as much as sleep will help my body to do that, the biggest factor is simply time. Carlisle would have said something if I needed more sleep, and he never did. He knows what he's doing and he respects my choices. So if you ever worry about it, just trust him. That ought to be easy for you, right?"

Laughing with genuine humor for the first time in days, Esme leaned over to kiss my forehead. "You're right, Mir. That _is_ easy. The hard part is remembering that in a moment of worry!"

The last she said with another laugh, so I knew she _would_ remember the next time.

"I'll let you be, sweetie," she said at the last. "After all this, you'll need some genuine sleep, I think."

"Probably," I smiled, but quickly turned mischievous. "You guys sure are a bunch of trouble."

Carlisle and Esme laughed lightly and the latter left in a blur of movement.

"Is there anything you need, Mireille?" Carlisle asked, coming to sit at the side of the bed.

Ringing from his pocket interrupted my reply, and he pulled out his cell phone with a slight frown. "Dr. Cullen speaking."

Like a rain storm clearing to reveal blue skies, Carlisle's confusion melted away. "Hello, Mr. Weber."

Startled by the mention of Angela's father, I listened all the more closely to the conversation.

"Yes, she's… not doing so well at the moment," the doctor responded with a glance towards me, pausing to take in something Mr. Weber said. "…Well, that sounds very kind… Yes, I think that might be arranged. Just one moment."

Pulling the phone away for a minute, Carlisle turned fully towards me to ask quietly, "What would you think of a visit from Mr. Weber and Angela when you're feeling stronger?"

"A visit?" I wondered blankly, surprised. "What brought that up?"

"Mr. Weber heard what happened and they've been keeping you in their prayers," Carlisle replied with a smile. "Angela suggested coming to see you, giving you some company while you're stuck here."

"That's really nice," I smiled back at him, already liking Angela without ever having met her. "I think I'd like that."

"All right," he nodded, pulling the phone back to his ear. "Mr. Weber? …We'd be delighted to have you both over. How about next Saturday? Eight days should see marked improvement in Mireille's condition… Yes, that's fine… Thank you, Mr. Weber… Have a good night."

"Well, by next Saturday, we shall have to clear anything suspicious from this room," Carlisle told me, face becoming thoughtful. "And we shall certainly have to be cautious about Edward sharing the space."

"I told you that would be an issue," I had to say.

"Well, we have eight days in which to handle that," Carlisle assured me easily. "It's not a very troublesome issue. I highly doubt Angela and her father will go poking around the closets to see if Edward has any clothes stashed there."

If I hadn't known the problems it might cause to giggle, I would have done so. "Okay."

"Now, do you need anything?" he wondered.

"I think I'll just try to sleep a little more," I murmured tentatively. "Not sure I'll get there, but I'll try."

"I suppose I should have another word with Edward and Alice," Carlisle sighed, long-suffering. "Little good though it may do."

"I wish they wouldn't keep blaming themselves," I muttered uncomfortably.

"May I use that in my argument?" was Carlisle's dry comment.

Smiling sleepily and reaching for my new friend the stuffed penguin, I agreed easily, "If it works, go for it."

Chuckling, Carlisle left me to a natural rest with one last brush over my hair.

* * *


	25. Chapter 23: Inordinate

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Previously** – Mireille awoke in the hospital and Carlisle admitted he couldn't leave her by herself. Carlisle explained his view of the attack and told Mireille her attackers were Vanessa and Greg. Some believed the Cullens had a hand in the attack. Mireille antagonized flirty nurses and Carlisle appreciated her efforts. Mireille met Dr. Gerandy and Charlie Swan. Carlisle took Mireille back to the house. The Cullens celebrated Veterans' Day for Mireille's benefit and Emmett gave her a stuffed penguin. Mireille realized Alice and Edward were absent. Jasper helped Mireille sleep, Rosalie broke a vase, and Mireille woke up. Alice and Edward stopped Mireille from reacting. The Cullens made habit of helping Mireille sleep and Carlisle finally stopped it. The Webers called and arranged a visit.

> **Chapter 23: Inordinate**

After Carlisle left me to my desperate hopes of sleeping, my stuffed penguin once again became the only protection against continuing pain, discomfort, and sleeplessness. The tiredness remained firm, but my body excelled at refusing to relax and fall into real sleep. For a number of minutes, I wished rather fervently that Carlisle hadn't made Jasper promise not to assist my sleep without his adjunct consent. Yet I knew pushing my body into unnatural sleep patterns would do even more damage to my messed up physiology.

All the same, if I couldn't find rest, what else was there to do? I supposed I could drink chamomile tea or warm milk or… I didn't know what else. Music might help. Of course, music was the biggest thing that had been missing from my life since the attack. Without Edward there, I felt as thought there was no one to share my love of music with, and found myself avoiding it. But it was a part of my sleep cycle, really. Hopefully I just needed that backdrop of sound to help me relax. I was on the verge of calling out for someone when help came all on its own.

"Mireille?" Jasper's uncomfortable voice hesitantly interrupted my contemplation.

"Jasper?" I returned with a little surprise, turning to find him hanging back in the doorway cautiously, Rosalie standing beside him. "Rosalie?"

The presence of the two Cullens who were most distant towards me did not go without strong notice. While Jasper had been nice to me in general, and we had our moments of camaraderie, his lower resistance levels drove him to become stiff whenever the thirst grew to its most prominent heights and he often pulled away. And Rosalie was… well, she was Rosalie. That was about all the explanation one needed.

"You seemed anticipatory… We thought we'd see if you were all right," Jasper told me awkwardly, clearly still wary after his actions the last three days.

Smiling slightly to show I held no ill will against them, I responded quietly, "I can't sleep… again."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" the southern vampire asked, again hesitant. "Humans do have remedies for these kinds of things, don't they?"

"Yes," I smiled a tad more widely at Jasper, grateful he tried to think outside of his ability. "Do you have any chamomile tea around here?"

"Carlisle bought some after you came home Tuesday," Rosalie answered immediately, taking one step forward into the room. "I didn't understand why until now. Some could be made, if you think it'll help."

"I don't know for sure," I tried not to sigh, knowing all too well how uncomfortable it would be, "but I don't have any better ideas."

"Then I'll make it," the blonde assured me quickly, disappearing from the room to accomplish her task.

Rosalie's willingness and determination to help amazed me for a moment… but then I remembered her ticking jaw when she saw how badly injured I was a few days before, the anger she felt when Vanessa and Greg were planning to attack me after Homecoming, and her slow but steady acceptance of my presence in her family's daily life. Perhaps my preconceptions about Rosalie were in need of an adjustment.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Jasper asked once more, looking almost as helpless as I felt.

"Could you put some music in, maybe?" I inquired softly, almost a little embarrassedly, but my body hurt and my brain needed relaxation. I couldn't get the rest I needed without something to ease at least my mental discomfort.

"I don't really want to mess with Edward's music collection," Jasper awkwardly admitted.

"That's okay," I accepted understandingly, though a pang hit me when I acknowledged Edward and Alice's continued absences. Now I was stuck. I knew I didn't have anything in my own CD collection that would meet my needs.

"Was there something in particular you wanted to hear?" the Texan vampire wondered.

"Not really," I almost shrugged, but stopped myself in time to prevent the painful gesture. "I just thought a quiet background noise would help me relax."

"What about a movie?" Jasper suggested curiously. "Even if the sound fails to relax you, watching the film might distract you from a little of your discomfort."

"That might work," I agreed slowly, considering the possibility. Smiling after a moment of thought, I confirmed the idea more solidly, "Yes, I think that's a good idea, Jasper."

The southerner looked relieved to be of service as he inquired, "Which film would you like?"

Not really feeling up to deciding on something, I nearly shrugged again. Holding back a sigh that my most casual functions had become useless, I instead answered, "Why don't you put in one you like, Jasper? I don't have many dislikes."

"If you're sure," he frowned minutely, brows turning down thoughtfully.

"I am," was all I felt up to saying, the aches and pains strengthening of a sudden.

"I'll be right back," Jasper murmured quietly, disappearing from the room.

While Jasper was away looking for a movie to put in, Rosalie returned with the promised cup of chamomile tea on a small tray along with sugar, cream, lemon, and a spoon.

"I wasn't sure what to add, so I brought options," she answered with some stiffness as she sat gingerly on the bed beside me. "What would you like?"

"A spoon of sugar and a little lemon," I informed her easily, gratefully.

Wordlessly Rosalie set about stirring in lemon and sugar, finishing just as Jasper returned to the room with a movie in hand. With very human movements, Jasper put the film in and Rosalie helped lift my head to sip the tea. My entire spine lit on fire with the simple lift of my head, but the tea was worth the trouble. It was a perfect temperature, obviously cooled enough to drink before the blonde vampire brought it up to me. Half of it disappeared in record time, until finally the pain in my spine was too much to keep up the angle of my neck. With gentler movements than I would ever have guessed before recent events, Rosalie settled my head back down on the pillows and set the cup of tea back on the tray without even a clink of china on china.

"Thank you, Rosalie," I murmured tiredly, but more contentedly.

"You're welcome," she murmured simply in return.

Warmed and soothed by the chamomile despite my spinal discomfort, I was already more relaxed when Rosalie left. Jasper remained and I noticed his posture had relaxed a bit from the soldier form he typically employed around me whenever his time to hunt was near. I knew Jasper wasn't expected to hunt until Sunday, as per the two week margin, so the fact that he felt this comfortable near my scent encouraged me.

"What did you pick?" I asked quietly.

"An old film," he answered hesitantly. "It's called _High Noon_. With—"

"—Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly," I finished in unison with him, pleased by his choice and more excited than a moment prior.

"You've seen it?" he wondered, staring at me in surprise, his posture going stiff again.

"I love it, actually," I murmured, nearly shrugging for the third time that evening. Either I shrugged too much, or I felt apologetic too often, because it took far too much of my time to keep stopping such a gesture.

"I'm going to go out on a limb," Jasper spoke again, a little smile playing about his mouth, "and say you enjoy a lot of old movies."

"Not too long of a limb, there," I actually felt capable of teasing him. Jasper chuckled at my humor, any tension that had built in his posture melting away again.

"I'll start the movie for you," the honey-blond vampire offered affably, picking up the remote from the entertainment cabinet to turn on the TV and start the movie.

_'Do Not Forsake Me'_ sounded through the speaker system, and I felt relaxed just by hearing that gentle country tune.

"I love that song," I randomly let Jasper know. "Nice and simple, and good lyrics."

"I always liked it myself," the Texan vampire agreed pleasantly, already leaving the room.

"Watch it with me?" I asked without warning, quiet and tentative with the odd request yet filled with a kind of urgency when he stepped on the threshold, leaving the room empty but for me.

I couldn't be certain of my reasons in that moment, whether fear of being alone after the attack or simply enjoyment of Jasper's steady, quiet company, but something in me balked at his exit. Maybe it was the fact that the two people I spent the most time with – Edward and Alice – were gone and no one else, not even Esme, spent any real time with me lately. And while I wasn't trying to whine about the unfairness of life, it was disheartening that the only one who really _talked_ with me the past few days had been Carlisle. Stuck in bed as I had been since coming back to the house, one would have thought I'd have company during my waking hours. I was… well, I was a little lonely.

Jasper studied me for a long, drawn out moment, gazing with keen dark eyes and – I was sure – an even keener empathy. After a moment's indecisiveness, wavering in the doorway as though he should leave, Jasper finally took one sure step back inside the room.

"I will," he nodded with well-hidden sympathy, walking around to the computer area and pulling a desk chair over beside the bed.

Releasing a tiny breath of relief for the company, I turned my attention to _High Noon_ at last, finding Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly's characters getting married. Despite my wish for more sleep, I ended up watching the entire movie with Jasper, both of us entirely silent throughout the film. Yet the silence was welcome and comforting. I knew Jasper didn't mind.

When the credits later showed, Jasper turned back to check on me, although I doubted it was necessary for him to know I was awake still.

"You _must_ love that movie," he chuckled at me, arms crossed and leaning back in his seat. "You were all ready to sleep until I put this in."

"I do love it," I agreed, smiling. "It's a very good story. Thanks for sitting with me, Jasper."

"You've been on your own lately," he admitted quietly, seeming to struggle for the right words, until he nodded once. "We… we're all so afraid of anything going wrong… of you not healing correctly or our actions slowing the process down. I'm sorry we left you alone so much."

"It's okay," I muttered, the rationale fitting in with their fear of me not getting enough sleep to heal. They had never faced this situation before and it was bound to cause growing pains.

"It's not, really," Jasper sighed. "And neither is the way Edward and Alice have been acting. They shouldn't leave you when they usually spend so much time with you. It's a shock to your system, I imagine."

"I wish they wouldn't blame themselves," I whispered, upset with how much Edward and Alice took on their shoulders. "Whatever happened with us, it wasn't the reason those people hurt me."

"I know," Jasper sighed more deeply, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as we talked. "But we can barely corner them long enough to get it through their heads. Alice will come around more quickly, I promise you. She knows she can't always stop a vision, even if she does see it beforehand, which didn't happen this time. But Edward…"

"He's angry with himself because we fought," I explained for him, knowing exactly what Edward was doing. "He thinks if we'd never fought, I wouldn't have left Seattle, and when Vanessa and Greg passed that gas station, I wouldn't have been there to be attacked."

"Yes, that's exactly it," Jasper shook his head with a frown. "Not an easy argument to dispel, of course. There's viable blame, in a sense."

"Edward is not to blame!" I exclaimed louder than I had ever spoken since returning from the hospital, making sure not to jerk my body with the strength of the words.

"Of course he isn't," Jasper said immediately, holding up placating hands. "But you can see how easy it is for him to reach that rationalization. For that reason, you probably won't be able to convince him he's blameless. You might only be able to make him move on from it."

Frowning deeply, I worried about Edward's psyche after this incident. "Things just couldn't be simple. As if Bella won't be complex enough…"

"Nothing is ever simple for us," the southern vampire shook his head again.

"There's no way I can get through to Edward right now," I released the barest of sighs, wincing only slightly at the movement of my back in response. "Not until I've healed more fully. Seeing me this way will only bother him more."

"Agreed," Jasper nodded, turning thoughtful. "Until then, I do have an idea about Alice. Granted, she'll see it before it happens. But if I do this, I know she won't refuse."

"What idea is that?" I asked interestedly.

"Don't want to say it yet," Jasper responded, "But know I'm working on something that might help her accept what's happened and stop hiding away."

"Glad someone has ideas," I grumbled half to myself. "I sure don't have any. Especially about Edward."

"If anyone can think of something to change Edward's mind, it'll be you," Jasper assured me confidently. "You're innate knowledge about us is something I still don't fully comprehend, but it's a powerful tool. You have the uncanny ability to know how each of us works best, and that'll help you."

"Thank you," I half-smiled at him for the vote of confidence.

"You're welcome," the tall vampire nodded gently. "Think you can sleep now?"

"Not with my mind running this much," I sheepishly replied. "I'm sorry I asked Rosalie to make that tea now. I just wasted it."

"It's not wasted," Jasper waved me off easily. "No one else was drinking it, and you needed to know if it even had an effect on you. Carlisle would have wanted you to test it once."

"It did relax me a lot," I confessed, "but then I got sucked into the movie so easy and couldn't sleep."

"No one knew that would happen," Jasper shrugged.

"Now what?" I queried. I doubted Rosalie wanted to make more chamomile tea for me.

"Well, Rosalie left to talk with Alice," Jasper let me know, a concentrated look on his face. "And I have no idea how to make tea, frankly."

Smiling at his blunt honesty, I wished he did know how, and would sit talking with me while I sipped my tea. I loved his deep voice when he talked. That, in and of itself, was relaxing and reminded me of when he lectured during my first day of tutoring; it also gave me another sudden inspiration which I couldn't resist.

"Jasper, this is kind of odd, I guess," I began tentatively, not looking at him while I spoke. "But I… well, your voice is pretty relaxing, you know? Like when you were talking during my lessons. And um… Well, there are plenty of books around here. Would you maybe… read to me?"

"If that would help, I'd be glad to," Jasper reassured me kindly and instantly, rising from his chair to head over to the window seat and look at the books therein. "Any suggestions?"

"Well, we could kill two birds with one stone," I decided, biting my lip in thought. "Maybe the history lessons I would have been discussing with you?"

"How about _The Prince_?" he offered, pulling it from the window seat storage. "It's a mixture of history and government, after all."

I smiled more widely than I had all week. "Sounds okay to me."

The next morning I awoke slowly, relief hitting me that I felt a tiny bit less pain and soreness than normal. Esme brought me breakfast and helped with some general grooming before I remembered that Jasper never read past the first few pages of _The Prince_ when I fell asleep to the rich, fluid tone of his voice. I wanted to thank him for his generosity the previous night. Luckily, I didn't have long to wait.

Esme carried away the tray of breakfast I'd partially consumed when Jasper arrived in the room, hesitantly curious about my condition.

"Feeling any better?" he inquired, though his eyes made it clear he knew any improvement was slight.

"Teensy bit," I answered. "Thank you for reading last night. And your advice. I really needed the help."

"My pleasure," Jasper replied, mouth quirking into a little smile.

"Do you think we could do more reading tonight?" I asked somewhat shyly, realizing I was not the only person he needed to spend time with. Alice needed his support more than ever.

There was no hesitation in Jasper's tone when he responded, "Of course we can. I'm glad I can do something for you."

"How's Alice?"

"The same, mostly," he sighed, stepping further into the room. "She knows what I'm asking for now. And being stubborn about it… obviously."

Smiling at the exasperated fondness in his voice, I said, "At least it's food for thought."

"Yes, that'll have to be enough for now," Jasper agreed rather sadly, but perked himself up enough to say, "She did tell me something you might enjoy doing while you're laid up, however."

"What's that?" I questioned curiously. I couldn't imagine what I could do while stuck in bed, other than what I already had done.

"Would you like to learn chess?"

Two hours later, Jasper and I had discussed what little I actually knew about chess, and the empathic vampire had pulled out a well-worn book on how to play chess that went further in depth about the basic playing mechanics than I ever knew was possible. After that, Jasper retrieved his laptop and spent another hour helping me try my hand at some online chess games, even holding the laptop at just the right angle so I could reach it while lying down. I had begun to gain a much deeper and better grasp on the game by the time lunch came around, and felt a little disappointed that lunch interrupted my playing. Esme and Jasper laughed together over my pouting.

"You'll have plenty of time to play after lunch," Esme smiled indulgently, shooing Jasper away with his laptop and chess book so I wouldn't be distracted.

"Okay, Esme," I gave up, letting her lift my head without complaint.

Lunch was another half-finished affair, my spine unable to take the strain of such a long time at that awkward angle, but Esme was satisfied enough with the amount I ate to leave me be afterward.

"I'll let Jasper back in now," she offered wryly, rising to head to the door.

"Esme?" I stopped her, something quickly coming to mind.

"Yes, sweetheart?" the caramel-haired vampire stopped and turned back in curiosity.

"Is there any way I could work on some of my lessons again? I just… I don't have much to do, and I know Jasper can't be here every time I'm bored or can't sleep."

"I'll talk with Carlisle, and see what we can do about that, all right?" Esme suggested kindly.

"Thank you," I sighed a little, frustrated by the twinge the movement caused.

"You're welcome," Esme smiled warmly, if a bit hesitantly. "Honey, I'm sorry I haven't been up to just visit with you. I'll come and check on you later, and we'll just talk if you want… Like we did early on. All right?"

"Okay," I agreed simply, glad of the offer.

Smiling one more time, Esme left the room and Jasper soon took her place, laptop and chess book in hand.

"More chess?" he asked wryly. "Or are you tired of it yet?"

"Not at all!" I insisted with enthusiasm. "I'd love to play again."

Chuckling, Jasper came around the bed and set up our playing arrangement once more. We spent another several hours that way – him holding the laptop at a level I could comfortably reach and me doing my best applying all the chess skills he'd taught me.

For several days afterwards, Jasper came to play chess or give me a history review or watch another movie. In the spirit of _High Noon_ , we also watched _Sergeant York_ , which was another mutual Gary Cooper favorite of ours. In addition, we watched two John Wayne movies: _Stagecoach_ and _The Quiet Man_. Emmett refused to miss the latter film, joining us the moment he heard Jasper say the title.

Despite his occasional distance at times before, and in spite of the darkness of his eyes nearer to hunting times, Jasper and I had been spending an inordinate amount of time together. And whenever I wasn't spending time with Jasper or eating and chatting with Esme, Emmett inevitably came up to play checkers with me or watch some comedy TV show or another. When my injuries hurt more than usual and I once again had trouble sleeping, Jasper would arrive in my room with a cup of chamomile tea – miraculously already mixed the way I liked – and he would read more from _The Prince_. He never got very far before I fell asleep wondering who had made my tea.

Finally Carlisle announced I would be able to start sitting up a little.

"Not too long," the golden-eyed doctor cautioned kindly, holding my back steady while Esme placed pillows beneath me. "But you will get there, I promise. This is really the first major step for you."

"Anything is better than constantly lying flat," I assured him uncomfortably, grateful when he was able to set me back down a moment later.

"There," Carlisle pronounced with a slight smile, and I was amazed to see him without the painful tilt of my neck. "Better?"

"Much better," I sighed, happy to find that also had improved to the point where the gesture no longer caused a twinge. "Thank you."

"I am only too happy to assist," the doctor smiled wider, taking a seat beside me and brushing back hair from my forehead. "It is refreshing to see you perking up like this."

Carlisle glanced to the side for a second, then did a double-take, staring at the doorway for a long moment. A tiny smile lit his features and he brushed my hair back one more time before rising. "You have company, my dear."

"Company?" I queried with a frown, too tired to turn and see who he meant from my new position. Carlisle merely smiled again and left the room. But my question was answered when Jasper stepped into my line of sight.

"Oh, hi Jasper," I said, a little confusedly. It wasn't exactly a surprise that Jasper would see me, so I didn't understand Carlisle's startled expression of a moment prior.

"When Alice and I first traveled together," Jasper began a bit mysteriously, hands clasped behind his back with stately grace, "we had the opportunity to find out my date of birth. Today, November nineteenth, would have been my birthday. Alice has been trying to get me to celebrate the occasion ever since or at least allow her to get me a gift, but I prefer not to have any fuss. However, this year I realized there was something I wanted… so I asked Alice to stop hiding away and start spending time with you again."

"You did that?" I questioned, blinking away moisture from my eyes, trying not to get too choked up. Obviously Jasper didn't do it solely for me. He wanted Alice to feel happy again, too. But it was a sweet gesture no matter what.

"You've been through a great deal and missed a friend," the honey-blond vampire said more gently. "And Alice hasn't been content, either. Enough was enough."

"Thank you, Jasper," I whispered, clearing my throat awkwardly against the emotion, regardless the fact the empathic vampire could feel it all anyway. He didn't say anything, but merely nodded with a small smile and left the room.

A few halting moments later, the elusive pixielike vampire in question came into my line of vision, appearing in a flash at the end of the bed; she dressed in a drab gray tee and leggings that didn't suit her typically bubbly personality – or her high fashion sense – at all.

"Alice," I murmured, a mixture of happiness and sentimentality overcoming me now that she had finally become more than a phantom in my presence.

"Mir," she murmured in return, looking particularly miserable as she glanced me over in all my injured condition.

"Are you going to stay away forever?" I bit my lip to fend off watery eyes. It hadn't occurred to me before just how close I had become to the Cullens. This only cemented the fact.

"No," Alice wobbled a little, looking wet-eyed herself as she finally burst, "I was just so horrified! Watching them hurt you and not being able to do anything! Oh, Mir, I wish I could have stopped it!"

"But you couldn't have!" I insisted strongly. "It just wasn't _possible_!"

"I know, I know!" she agreed, spreading her arms helplessly. "It doesn't make it any less terrible to have looked on uselessly!"

"You're _never_ useless," I commanded as firmly as I was able, ignoring the pull in my neck as I tried to look at her more clearly.

"Oh, don't do that," Alice moaned frustratedly, reappearing at my side to adjust my position to something more comfortable and leaving her arms around my neck to hug me gently. "You could have hurt yourself turning like that."

"Then make sure I don't," I demanded quietly, lacking any real authority as she pulled away and sat up facing me.

"I promise I won't leave anymore," she sighed sadly, rearranging my slightly messy hair. "I'm so sorry."

"Forgiven," I said simply, forcing myself not to shrug.

Inhaling deeply to calm herself, Alice nodded in response and reached for my hand. "Jasper has certainly stepped up."

"Yes, he has," I smiled genuinely. "I really appreciate all he's been doing for me. He's really thinking beyond his ability."

"I'm glad he is," the black-haired vampire smiled as well, "I was always afraid Jasper would think his ability was all he'd ever be good at. Which is horribly untrue, of course."

"How has he been holding up…?" I trailed off uncertainly, hoping she knew what I meant without me having to say it.

"Better than he's ever been," Alice answered quietly, but her smile widened into a grin. She had so rapidly become her old self that I felt enormous relief. "Your idea was just what he needed. It's constantly pushing him to new levels."

"I'm glad to hear it. And how is…"

Biting her lip out of nervousness, Alice shook her head negatively. "Not good at all. I swear I'll try to work with him. He has to get back to school on Monday, otherwise the consequences won't be good. But he's almost impossible to deal with right now. He's not even near the house tonight, if that helps you understand how badly he feels."

"I thought if I was sitting up, maybe he'd be more willing to listen," I told her hopefully, but the frown on her face told me my answer.

"Seeing you laid up at all will probably keep him on this run of depression even longer than he might otherwise be," Alice negated with a deep sigh. "I don't really even know what to say anymore. Everyone has said all that's possible to say, and he still won't budge. He feels even worse because he knew you were looking forward to the Charity Ball in a few days, and now you'll miss that as well."

Remembering the Charity Ball on Sunday sunk my spirits to an all-time low. I'd successfully pushed the ball out of my mind, knowing there was no way I'd be able to go. I hadn't even bothered talking about it, every pain and ache and sore spot telling me all too clearly I was unable to move enough to sit up, let alone walk and dance at a party of any kind.

"I'm sorry, Mir," Alice sighed for the umpteenth time since coming to see me. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

In spite of my disappointment, mention of the Charity Ball gave me an idea I couldn't let go of.

"Alice…" I let my words trail away, once more hoping the future-seeing vampire could understand without words.

Gasping in surprise at something only she could see, Alice allowed another grin on her elfin features, this one half borne of relief. "I'm so happy you know Edward as well as you do. It really gives a whole other world of possibilities when we deal with situations like this. Oh, that takes so much off my mind. I won't tell you what might happen, in case he comes close enough to check on all of us."

"Wonderful," I sighed as well, glad to have figured something out this time.

"Isn't it?" Alice exhaled in a more subdued way. "Thank goodness you thought of it."

"Mireille?" Esme spoke up, the new, lighter tone to her voice very obvious as she bustled into the room. "I've brought dinner for you."

"Thank you, Esme," I smiled more widely than usual, just as happy as Esme that one of her wayward children had stopped being stubborn.

"Oh, and don't forget Angela and her father will be visiting on Saturday," the motherly vampire reminded me warmly. "We'll be coming in more often the next couple of nights, so we can clear this room of anything questionable."

"I almost forgot about them visiting," I admitted sheepishly. "Will Carlisle be here with me?"

"Yes, we both will, sweetheart," Esme reassured me kindly, arranging the tray of food over me. "Don't worry about anything; just be yourself."

"She'll be fine," Alice assured us both, waving off the matter as trivial. In the moment, I was only too happy to agree.

But as the days dwindled, the Cullens arranged mine and Edward's room to their satisfaction, and the Webers' visit came nearer and nearer, I began to worry something would go wrong. Half-an-hour before the Webers were to arrive at two o'clock on Saturday, I was trying very hard not to panic, and Carlisle was trying very hard not to frown every five seconds.

"It will be _fine_ ," he firmly consoled me, confident in his belief. "Nothing is going to happen."

"Then why do I have such a bad feeling?" I moaned uncomfortably, doing my best not to twist too much. Sitting up was enough of a pain without twisting. "Oh, if only Alice were here right now. I just _know_ something's going to go wrong today."

Sighing in lieu of any actual response, Carlisle just shook his head and gave my hand one final squeeze of reassurance before heading downstairs to wait for the Webers with Esme. Jasper had foregone direct interaction with our company that day, profusely apologizing to me for not staying by my side. Alice – who joined Jasper in his leave – had actually seen it going much better without everyone there, but Jasper had felt personally responsible for leaving me on my own with the stress. Emmett and Rosalie decided it was better to stay in their room, and heaven only knew where Edward was.

The ring of the doorbell interrupted my musings and my stress spiked exponentially. Something was going to go wrong; there was no doubt on that point. I just couldn't imagine what.

I had no time to think of possibilities, however, because Carlisle stepped into my room a moment later, wearing the kind of expression he wore when one of his children behaved especially stubborn and impatient.

"The Webers are here," the doctor informed me unnecessarily, grasping my hand reassuringly for the fiftieth time that day. "Esme is walking them up now."

Unable to speak past the lump of anxiety in my throat, I merely nodded in acknowledgment.

Esme stepped in not thirty seconds later, tall Angela walking in beside her father, who stood the same height as Carlisle. Father and daughter looked strikingly similar with shared light brown hair and light brown eyes, and even the same brow and nose.

"This is my niece, Mireille Whitlock. Mireille, this is Mr. Weber and his daughter, Angela," Carlisle introduced the guests to me, coming to take a seat beside me on the bed. Esme took a seat on the storage bench at the end of the bed, clearly prepared to fetch whatever her guests might need.

"It's nice to meet you, Mireille," Mr. Weber spoke first, smiling warmly at me. "We're all sorry for what happened."

"Thank you. I'm glad to meet you, too," I replied with a smile of my own, the nerves melting away somewhat as I talked with my visitors. "It's nice to have more company."

"Angela thought we should come over," the minister continued, glancing over at his quiet daughter in a mixture of anticipation and encouragement, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Didn't you, Angie?"

"Yeah," Angela responded shyly, leaning into her father slightly. "I thought it would be nice for you."

"Thank you," I told her with deep gratitude, smiling warmly.

"Oh, I can see the resemblance," Mr. Weber said pleasantly and in all sincerity of a sudden. "Mireille certainly looks like the Cullen side of the family."

A beat of silence passed while Esme, Carlisle, and I processed that statement, until finally my lip twitched awkwardly. Unfortunately, Mr. Weber noticed.

"Did I say something wrong?" he wondered genuinely, appearing concerned.

"No, nothing wrong," Carlisle denied, shaking his head, but coming up with no excuses.

"Most people say I look just like my father," I added quickly, doing my best to save face. "I've never really heard anyone compare me to my mom's side of the family."

"I understand," Mr. Weber half-laughed. "Your smile and cheekbones are very much like Carlisle's, though… But how are you feeling, Mireille?"

"Better than I did," I admitted with ease, letting the resemblance issue slide away until I could process it further. "At least I don't have to lie flat all day anymore."

"A definite plus," the minister chuckled with Carlisle and Esme. "Will she be healed in time for school?"

"If she faces no setbacks," Carlisle confirmed, nodding. "We're being very careful, so I see no chance of that happening."

"Do you know your class schedule yet?" Angela asked me, seeming slightly uncomfortable cutting into the conversation. Mr. Weber looked pleased by her interaction, though.

"Yes. I got it just after Halloween, actually," I answered, looking to Carlisle and Esme for help. "I don't remember where it went, though."

"I put it in your desk, sweetheart," Esme explained, standing from the bench. "I'll get it for you."

"Thanks, Esme," I said with a smile as she walked around to get the school packet and brought it straight to my hands.

"You're welcome, sweetie," the motherly vampire told me gladly, retaking her seat on the bench.

Angela hesitated to move closer, but made tiny edging steps all the same.

"Come on," I waved her over heedlessly, patting the space beside me. Carlisle smiled with Mr. Weber at our interaction, and stood from the bed to allow us some space to talk, gently motioning Esme to come with them. As the three 'adults' left the room, the tall teenager finally stepped over, setting gingerly on the bed next to me.

"This is what I have," I explained, handing over the schedule. "Do you happen to know who's in any of my classes?"

"Um, well it looks like Jessica Stanley is in your Algebra class for first hour," Angela began thoughtfully. "I think Mike Newton is in your second hour gym class… Ben Cheney and Tyler Crowley are in Spanish with you during third hour… I'm not sure who's in your chemistry class… Oh! You and I have our last two classes together!"

"You're in advanced history and advanced English?" I wondered curiously. "Neat. It'll be good to know someone nice outside the family."

"Oh, it's nothing," Angela demurred quietly, going on to surmise, "It must be nice having such a large family, though. You all seem so close."

"We are," I nearly shrugged the answer, remembering at the last minute to avoid the twinge. "Everyone balances each other really well."

"I guess it's kind of the same in my family," she commented casually. "I have a lot of relatives, but none who live close, so I never really thought of it like that… Do you like Forks?"

"So far, I like it a lot."

"In spite of what happened?" Angela wondered tentatively.

Drawing in a breath for calm, I thought very carefully over my answer. It was quite a good question, and one that led me right back to the two biggest questions I had about my presence in the world of _Twilight_.

What am I doing here? Why me?

Two people I didn't even know had hurt me so badly I couldn't even sit up or walk for days; I lived in constant pain and restlessness, and a mark would scar my back for the rest of my life. The entire town had been filled with nasty rumors about my origins and my place with the Cullens. People would stare at me and people would continue to be jealous of the privilege Carlisle's money, occupation, and social status gave me. The Quileutes would view me as an enemy and the Denali coven would view me as a risk. If the Volturi ever learned of my fully-human presence in the vampire world, I would end up dead.

And yet… I had found something here in Forks, Washington that I'd never found anywhere else. My former 'reality' had never given the sense of cherished love and proud support the Cullens had given me. No one there would have read me to sleep or made me chamomile tea. No one there would have played my favorite piece of classical music even though it reminded them of a dark, sad past. No one ever played chess or checkers or Astro Pop with me, no one gave me nutty fashion quizzes or gave me designer purses because my 'need was greater than theirs'. No one would have given me a little stuffed animal or a soft blanket when I was hurting. My mother would never have thought to hold me up when I was sick, or make hot chocolate when I was cold. My father would never have sat at my side in a hospital for four straight days or taught me to waltz – even if he _had_ known how.

In spite of all the pain and uncertainty and fear, I had gained so much from my journey. And it had barely begun. Barely a month in and already I had been given the closest and truest friends I ever could have asked for.

"Even with what happened…" I finally spoke – confident and steady in my words, "even being stuck in bed with a thousand bruises and marks and pains, even lying out in the woods worrying I might die… I like Forks. Given the choice… I would come here all over again."

Angela seemed taken aback by the sudden barrage of words, but her eyes were kind. And seeing my wet eyes, the tall girl didn't try to make any more small talk about what had happened for the rest of the visit, instead telling me all the things she could about Forks. She never gossiped, but told me factual details like where the grocery store was, what kind of books the tiny library had, how far it was to the post office from the Cullen house, and our classmates' names and appearances. By the time Mr. Weber collected his daughter to leave, we had formed the foundations of a friendship and I hated to see her go.

"Maybe I'll see you again before school," Angela suggested hopefully. "You know, when you're up on your feet again."

"I hope so," I agreed with a wide smile. "It was fun talking with you. Thanks for explaining so much to me; that'll help a lot."

"You're welcome," she smiled back, "Bye, Mireille."

"Bye, Angela," I repeated, lifting my hand in a little wave as father and daughter moved to the door where Esme waited. "Bye, Mr. Weber."

"Have a good evening, Mireille, and good luck with your recovery. We'll keep you in our prayers," Mr. Weber smiled as well, stepping out into the hall with Angela.

I could hear Esme and Carlisle speaking with Mr. Weber all down the hallway, their voices and footsteps finally fading away as they headed downstairs.

What seemed mere seconds later, Carlisle returned with an expression of relief equal to my own.

"That went well, I think," he remarked with a small smile, sitting next to me on the bed.

"I think so, too," I echoed, happy with the way things had turned out. Sheepishly, I remembered my wild panic and reached out to grasp the doctor's cold hand. "Sorry I didn't trust you earlier."

"It's nothing," Carlisle chuckled lightly. "We all have moments of worry. What did you think of Angela?"

"I like her a lot," I replied easily. "She's thoughtful. And she didn't once stare at anything. I know it must have been pretty startling to see such an expensive home like this, but she never stared and she never questioned. That's a really nice thing to see."

"Yes, that is a nice quality of hers," Carlisle smiled. "She's very kind and—"

The doctor stopped speaking on dime, turning towards the front of the house with a frown.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly, wishing to heaven I could get up and move to check myself.

"Charlie is here," Carlisle inhaled through his teeth.

"Why do I have the bad feeling that it's not good news?" I commented, biting my lip anxiously.

"Perhaps your earlier misgivings were not wrong, after all," Carlisle sighed frustratedly. "I will go down now and see what the matter is."

Time passed at a tortoise speed while I waited for Carlisle to come back and explain what was going on. I stared mindlessly at the opposite wall, vainly praying for the news not to be bad. But when Carlisle entered the room with Charlie in tow, I knew there was no good news to be had.

As Charlie approached with his hands stuffed awkwardly in his pockets, he sounded exceedingly grave. "Afraid I have some news, Mireille."

"Charlie?" Carlisle prompted equally as gravely, his golden face abnormally severe.

"I'm sorry to tell you this…" Charlie sighed heavily, taking a deep breath before he explained, "The DNA samples we collected… I know Mireille was positive about there being two, but… Well, they only identified one attacker. We brought Greg Overman into custody this morning on assault charges."

The breath hitched in my throat as the words processed. Time slowed to a narrow pace as I tried to think past the bombshell Charlie Swan had just dropped. While I couldn't be entirely certain, it seemed completely feasible to me that I didn't even move after the shock of the news. That only one of my attackers had been caught, that I would forever wait for a second encounter with Vanessa Travis… it all seemed too unfair to be believed.

* * *


	26. Chapter 24: Immutable

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Previously** – Mireille couldn't sleep again and Rosalie  & Jasper came to help. Rosalie made chamomile tea and Jasper watched _High Noon_ with Mireille. Jasper discussed Alice and Edward's guilt/absence and decided to face Alice. Jasper used _The Prince_ to read Mireille to sleep. Jasper taught Mireille to play chess and Esme agreed to talk with Carlisle about tutoring again. Several days passed with Mireille spending time with Jasper, Esme, and Emmett. Jasper continued reading Mireille to sleep. Carlisle let Mireille start sitting up. Jasper explained his birthday and asking Alice to come back to the house as a gift. Alice and Mireille reconnect and Alice confessed her upset. Alice agreed not to leave again and explained Edward's guilt. Mireille sensed something would go wrong. The Webers visited, Mireille bonded with Angela, and Mireille's fear seemed pointless. Charlie explained Greg Overman's arrest and Mireille realized Vanessa was still free.

> **Chapter 24: Immutable**

Some nuance of Carlisle attempting to calm me did soak in, but only because I felt his cold hands on my face, trying to bring me back into focus. Everything else faded into the ether like cotton fluff drifting away into the wind; insubstantial and impossible to grasp. My own hands felt as chilled as Carlisle's had.

Charlie spoke to someone in the backdrop of my haze, his gruff and angry voice more easily distinguishable than anyone else, but I didn't understand the words. All I could understand was that my imprisonment had only just begun.

Even when I began to walk again, there would be no real freedom. Always looking over my shoulder and waiting for one of the Cullens to walk me everywhere. The mere thought nauseated me. As much as I cared about all of them, as much as I trusted them, no one wanted to be caught in a trap. No one wanted to be stuck because someone, somewhere, would be waiting in the wings to catch them unawares.

And yet… was that really true? Did they _have_ to catch me unawares? Did I _have_ to be trapped?

Shock faded as I began to plan. Determination reigned instead.

I refused to be trapped.

Esme and Charlie both jumped when I blinked and turned. Even Carlisle started when I suddenly looked the police chief straight in the eye, no shock left in my gaze.

"You did the best job you could, Charlie," I told the Chief of Police steadily. "I know you left no stone unturned in the investigation. Thank you for catching him."

"Oh, well, you're welcome," Charlie huffed uncomfortably at the praise, obviously taken aback by the surety in my voice. "Uh, I'm gonna have to get back to station. You get better, you hear?"

"Will do, Chief," I smiled slightly at him, watching Esme walk him towards the doorway. Carlisle remained, expression almost as worried as when he'd found me in the woods after the attack. Almost.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured sadly, taking a seat next to me and reaching for my hand. "This isn't fair to you."

"I'm going to be okay, Carlisle," I reassured him confidently, surer of that than I ever had been. "Trust me."

Sighing with some odd mixture of exasperation, worry, fondness, and hope, Carlisle just shook his head. "If you say so."

The next day, my confidence had taken a slight hit by the remembrance that I was incapable of attending the Charity Ball, but my ideas didn't waver. If anything, my incapability encouraged the ideas tenfold. Based on that fact, I took a little more delight in helping Esme match toeless shoes to her bronze strapless ball gown. Alice behaved surprisingly leniently when I helped with the shoes to match her single-shoulder gown as well, even when she didn't exactly agree with my decision regarding gray and gold heels to match the patterned hot pink creation. For a moment, as Rosalie asked Alice to tuck her golden curls into an elegantly messy updo, I even glimpsed Rosalie's rich blue and black halter gown before she left in a sweep of skirt and a flash of black suede heels.

Before Esme left with Carlisle – who looked quite dapper in a black tuxedo as he wished me goodnight – the Cullen matriarch went so far as to let me wrap her hair into a plain, side-swept updo. I wasn't too sure about the proficiency of it, but Alice didn't even scrunch her nose up when she saw, so I figured I did okay.

To my surprise, after all was said and done, Alice returned in full dress and pin curls with a garment bag to lay across my bed.

"What's that?" I wondered confusedly, gesturing blandly at the black bag.

"Something for you," Alice hesitantly explained. "Carlisle said it was all right. I thought, since you can't go with us to the Charity Ball, maybe we could bring a little of the ball to you."

"I don't quite understand," I blinked, halting in my speech and wary of whatever plans she had, despite her claim Carlisle had verified it. "What could you possibly—"

Before I could finish the question, Alice whipped open the garment bag and pulled out a black wrap dress. I couldn't help falling in love with the sparkling dress, the easy tie closure relaxing any tension I had built up.

"Alice, that's so lovely," I sighed pleasantly.

"Here, let me help you change into it," she enthusiastically offered.

Within all of fifteen minutes I had been dressed in the simple but beautiful piece, my feet slipped into black strappy heels with silver sequins, and my hair clasped in a curling sweep down the left side of my neck. Never once did I feel a twinge in my still-healing body.

"You really do think of everything, you know that?" I remarked contentedly after a few moments examining the curls against my shoulder.

Giggling slightly, clearly just as relieved that her gift was accepted, Alice replied, "Well, _almost_ everything. The one thing you need now is the one thing I didn't have to think of at all. No planning necessary to make it happen, even though you _did_ make a pretty good plan a few days ago. Anyway, it's here and you could say it came… ready-made."

"What are you talking about now?" I frowned, brows furrowed as she disappeared from the room. The Cullens did a lot of that lately, I had noticed.

To my utter surprise, the person who reappeared at the end of the bed all dressed up in a black suit and tie … was none other than Edward Cullen.

A pause stole over me as I took in the sight of the one Cullen I had neither seen nor heard from for sixteen days. The last time I saw Edward, we had argued and ended our day on ridiculous terms that had probably festered in his self-degenerative brain for all of those missing sixteen days.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," I finally teased him, voice quiet and welcoming. Whatever silly pressure Edward had been applying to his own conscience the past two weeks would have been plenty enough for him to take without me becoming angry with him. Not that I was, of course.

"You should be," the rather morose-looking vampire sighed at last in response to my thoughts. "But I know you won't be convinced of that, so let's skip the formality, shall we?"

"Don't do that," I scolded him irritably, scowling spectacularly over his sarcasm. "Don't try to give me a reason to be angry just because you think you deserve it. I won't accept that. …Edward?"

"I'm sorry," he murmured, eyes glued to the blankets where they tucked beside the footboard. "I just… I can't understand how you could fail to see the blame I carry."

"You are not to blame!" I exclaimed loudly, slamming my hand down on the bed against my better judgment. There was a twinge, as usual, but I was so frustrated with Edward I didn't pay it much attention. "Hear me, Edward… You are _not_ to blame for this! Do you understand me?"

Blinking more like an owl than should be possible, Edward stared at me as though he'd never seen me before. It was the first time he made real eye contact with me.

"What?" I asked self-consciously as much as agitatedly. I felt suddenly ridiculous in my gown, fancy hair, and high heels while still sitting in bed like an invalid. I wanted to stand up, to look him in the eye at my fullest height so he would make no nonsense of my words.

"You're so… still so… _you_ ," Edward muttered, astonished, quickly shaking his head to clear the cobwebs away. "You're unchanged. I didn't expect it, even after hearing… I thought you'd be..."

"Altered? Bitter? Hopeless?" I prompted the most probable words sitting in the back of his mind. "Yes, I suppose seeing Rosalie's bitterness, you might expect the same after I was attacked this way. But I refuse to let this control my life. And what do you mean, 'even after hearing'…? I thought you were away from the house all this time?"

"I wasn't that far," the bronze-haired vampire admitted cautiously, drumming his fingers gently against the footboard as he talked. "When Alice told me Angela was going to visit, I couldn't keep myself from seeing how you were. If you were well enough to receive visitors, clearly you had healed enough that you would be a little more yourself. And I would know how much the attack changed you."

"But it didn't," I informed him solidly. "You must have heard my thoughts after Angela asked how I liked Forks. Am I right?"

"Yes, that was what I heard," he confessed. "But I thought you were still in shock perhaps or… just still didn't understand how serious this all could be. Then Charlie came by, and… at first, I feared I was correct, that you would see how terrible this was and change for the worse. Yet you surprised me by feeling more determination that I thought possible."

"I told you, I won't change because of them or anyone else like them," I repeated firmly. "The only change will be that I take less for granted of my surroundings."

"Yes, I can see that now," Edward agreed tentatively, seeming to have lifted up a tiny amount after hearing my reassurances. "I shouldn't have doubted you, really. You're singularly resilient."

"Thanks," I accepted but barely, and couldn't help adding, "Although I prefer if I don't have to test that resilience every other day."

Edward seemed to nearly smile, but it was so fast I couldn't really tell. "I can't apologize enough for exploding the way I did in Seattle. Especially after Los Angeles."

"Did Alice get a chance to tell you what I asked her to?"

"No, she never told me anything after Seattle," he answered curiously, but a darkness pervaded his tone. "Jasper helped me to deal with my emotions for a time, and then the next thing we knew, Alice was running after us with news of your attack. All five of us ran back home and even left Rosalie's M3 at the market parking ramp. Esme was just waiting for Carlisle to call when we arrived at the house. Then Charlie called and the dual warning from him and Carlisle was barely enough to keep us home. Alice was the final nail, so to speak, but none of us were happy about it. I've never seen Emmett so serious. Even in most serious moments in the books, Emmett always seemed to have a joke on hand. But not that night."

"I could tell he was different when Carlisle brought me back from the hospital," I admitted quietly, feeling sad for the big vampire.

"He feels much better now that you're more engaged and energetic again," Edward consoled me.

"Good. I'm glad," I smiled, but soon brought the conversation back around. "Edward, about what Alice told me…"

"I know I shouldn't have held everything inside," the forever-teenage vampire sighed heavily. "It seemed so ungrateful of me to feel the way I did, so I held back. And I'm terribly sorry for what I said about you. It wasn't true. I just… I took one little moment and expanded it because I…"

"You were boiling over," I finished the sentence for him with ease. "And I was one of the most constant sources of your frustration because I spent the most time with you and thought so much about the future."

"Yes," Edward groaned disparagingly. "And it's not just you. Everyone has been so focused on this possible future with Bella Swan. Rosalie worries that I'll be too controlling, Esme worries I'll be rude and ungentlemanly, Alice worries I'll ignore Bella's personal choices… And I'm afraid they're going to be right because I rely so much on reading others' thoughts to react to them. But I can't read Bella's mind, and so even with the books to guide me, I'd still be going at it blind where she's concerned."

"You know," I commented wryly, "that _is_ how most of the population meets other people? People don't go reading minds generally speaking."

"Yes, but with Bella's recklessness and clumsiness," Edward began to vent more energetically, "how do I keep her safe? How can I possibly keep track of all her bad luck if I can't even get a hold on her mind? It may sound horrible to need my ability like this, but it's something I've learned to use for approximately ninety years."

"Alice has learned to use her ability in new and improved ways," I responded just as energetically. "I don't see why you couldn't do the same."

"I could try," he shrugged rather helplessly. "Yet I'm worried that not having the slightest idea of Bella's mind will leave me completely adrift when it comes to adapting and adjusting to her scent. She's my singer, and if I can't resist… Carlisle's main thoughts are that I should be as totally aware of my limits as I can be. And he's right, but if I can't do it…"

"You are _not_ going to kill Bella," I informed him staunchly. "You are _not_. I know it like I know my own face."

"But if I change her…" Edward insisted, but I immediately cut him off.

"No!" I interjected strongly, frowning at his persistence. "Not happening! You turning Bella will not harm her soul. Only her choices can do that!"

"Then I'll never see her after this existence ends," Edward pushed anyway, shaking his head darkly. "After what I've chosen in my life, there's no way I'm clean enough to join her or anyone else in any positive form of afterlife."

"That's simply not true!" I exhaled exasperatedly, slamming both hands on the mattress this time. "You obviously regret those choices from your past. That's what it takes, Edward. Remorse. Having a conscience and the will to change is all it takes to be given that kind of cleanliness. If you feel that, and you have truly changed from it, then you're going to be just as welcome as anyone else. In whatever afterlife is waiting, you'll be there with Bella."

"Let's say I accept that," the former Chicagoan put out there cautiously. "…What if I don't want my future planned out for me like this? What if I don't want to feel pressured to love someone I've never genuinely met? I feel like everyone is pushing me to love Bella, no matter what I may or may not actually feel after I get to know her."

There were no words I could offer in reply to that statement. My deepest hopes were that Edward would find his happiness with Bella regardless of my place in the Cullens' lives; that nothing would be so fundamentally different for them unless they found a way to avoid the Volturi or something similar. But imagining that Edward and Bella might not feel the same as in the books? It was practically unthinkable, and it hurt me to think that Edward could still end up alone.

"Even if we do feel that way after we meet," Edward continued, twisting his fingers in worrisome thought. "Bella's issues with marriage may not be so easily solved in this new reality we're living. And I don't think I could actually feel comfortable spending an eternity without marrying her. At some point it would start to disturb me. The need and the ethics are too deeply ingrained."

"If she loved you and truly understood you," I responded soothingly, "then she'll see marriage is important to you. Just as important as her wish to be turned will be."

"What if she doesn't want to be a vampire?"

The question caught me entirely off guard, I would admit. I hadn't considered that Bella would ever want anything other than Edward, and thereby anything other than being turned. In some ways, my mind still seemed to consider all of this simply a variation on the books and that nothing would really change much.

But it was reality now; not just a story to edit and revise, but real life that could change however it may. Just like Vanessa Travis and Greg Overman. They were not a part of the books at all, yet they had played a huge part so far. These thoughts frightened me and left me far more uncertain of some things than I previously felt.

"Exactly!" Edward insisted after listening to my thoughts, looking vindicated. He came to sit beside me eagerly as he continued, "The books were a _possible_ future. They're no longer set in stone. How can we be sure that Bella is meant to be with me? That we're meant to have the future laid out in those books? For all we know, Bella and Jacob might fall in love and she'll want to stay human to be with him."

"But Renesmee was the real reason Jacob cared about Bella," I negated immediately, frowning. "Well, not Renesmee specifically, I suppose, but a hybrid child anyway. Because Jacob will technically be the strongest wolf, he is meant to have the strongest possible mate. He can't be with a vampire or another wolf, so the only thing stronger than a human would be a half-vampire. That's why Renesmee was his imprint."

"But what if Renesmee doesn't exist?" Edward pushed on determinedly. "If Bella falls in love with Jacob and not me, then Renesmee will never be born. And Bella will be the best possible mate for Jacob Black."

"When you put it that way, I guess it has merit," I hesitated uncomfortably. "But I still think you and Bella are going to care about each other."

"That doesn't mean we'll _end up_ together," the bronze-haired vampire shook his head. "It's only realistic to expect the future might be very different from what we read."

"Then why would you get the books like this?" I exhaled frustratedly. "Why tell such a specific story if it isn't going to come true?"

"There are a lot of things about the books that could help us in this life," Edward shrugged. "Alice not being able to see the wolves or hybrids. Bella being my singer. Facing James, Victoria, and Laurent. The Volturi's secret dealings… There are many enormously significant things we can learn from the books, even if Bella isn't my mate. I'm not closing off the possibility, but…"

"It's only realistic to expect the future might be very different," I echoed his words back at him, seeing what he meant more clearly now.

"Yes," he nodded a bit worriedly. "And there are other factors to consider. Billy's influence on Jacob and Charlie, for instance. After what happened to you, after seeing the way our family handled your attack, Charlie may not be as easily affected by Billy Black's negativity regarding our family. Jacob might be even more frustrated by the so-called superstitions he has been told if he knows how we've taken care of you. Who knows what that might change? Maybe the Pack will feel better about us… or worse about us. We just don't _know_."

"I see what you mean," I frowned more sadly than agitatedly. "Here I thought we were all so nicely set and now… Now none of it is really certain."

"Nothing is immutable," Edward remarked gravely. "That's one thing I've learned."

"Renesmee, though," I commented sadly.

"I'd rather her not be born, than for our parenting to possibly be railroaded by Jacob," Edward declined with a sigh. "Or for him to potentially cause Charlie a heart attack in an attempt to keep us around Forks. And again, even if Bella is my mate and Renesmee is born… who is to say what she'll be like? Everyone has such high, specific expectations of how perfect she'll be. If she's different in any way, someone is going to be disappointed. While I'm not so worried about them being disappointed, I _am_ worried about how their disappointment might affect my child."

"Rosalie didn't seem too enthusiastic about Renesmee, come to think of it," I remarked with a deep frown. "I thought she'd be as excited as anybody."

"I still don't know why she isn't," Edward frowned just as deeply. "She's been keeping it tucked away very tightly. Believe me, when Rosalie tucks things away from me, she's very good at it."

"It's just odd," I said helplessly. "Brings Irina to mind, for some reason."

"There's another ingredient to be considered," Edward sighed heavily, leaning forward and pinching the bridge of his nose. "None of us has any idea how to approach the subject without one of Tanya's coven running off to the Volturi. Particularly Irina."

"Then there's Laurent," I added with a distasteful scrunch of my nose. "I'm not happy about that little situation. If things can change, then for all we know, Laurent could meet Irina some other way."

"I hope not," Edward grimaced, hand slipping away from the bridge of his nose. "That's not a circumstance we'll be able to handle well."

"I guess it's not all that likely, though," I commented thoughtfully. "Laurent was shocked when he noticed your golden eyes in _Twilight_. Running with James and Victoria probably keeps him out of 'social circles' so to speak."

"James and Victoria," the vampire youth groaned loudly, falling back to pinching his nose. "I can't even explain how worried they make me. James could very well come after Alice, not to mention Bella if that plays out the same. Even if we could destroy James the same way, Victoria creating an army doesn't sound any better."

Reminded of the southern armies, I felt a shiver pass over me. My estimation of meeting Maria popped into my mind with a vengeance.

"Yes, that too," Edward half growled. "I don't know why she would come after you, but I swear we're going to protect you."

"Thank you," I sighed worriedly. "I'm actually more worried about my interference when Bella does come here. If you are supposed to be together, I doubt me getting caught in the middle of it will make this any easier."

"I'm more worried that you'll feel left out," Edward admitted softly. His gentle confession once more caught me off guard.

"Oh, Edward, I'll be fine," I assured him with a slight laugh.

"Will you?" he retorted irritably, reaching for my hand with contrasting kindness. "Look at what happened with Vanessa and Greg because you were alone. And Vanessa is still free to hurt you. Selfish as this will sound… I can't take that again. I can't stand seeing you bleeding and broken while I'm stuck elsewhere, unable to help. Seeing your body bruise and battered. Watching you wince every time you so much as breathe… None of us can take that again, Mireille."

Genuine pain filtered through Edward's velvet tones, and I found my eyes watering for the thousandth time since coming to Forks.

"Edward," I firmly caught hold of both our imaginations, squeezing his hand. "I won't let something like that happen again. I won't be trapped by Vanessa's cruelty."

"What could you do?" he scoffed lightly, not condescendingly, but full of the same worry. My thoughts and ideas, however, shed light on everything I could do. Everything I _would_ do.

"Oh," Edward exclaimed suddenly, eyes widening to reveal the darkened gold of his eyes as he thought over my ideas. "You're sure of this?"

"Positive," I nodded without a shred of doubt. "I refuse to be anyone's pawn."

"Then I'll help you as soon as you're up on your feet," he agreed much more happily. "I would feel a thousand times better about everything."

"So would I," I agreed contentedly, glad to have his agreement.

"Not that you necessarily need help," Edward remarked slyly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, offended.

"Well, I'm not sure the paint job will ever be the same," he smirked truly for the first time since entering the room.

"Oh, _you_!" I half-laughed at him, swatting in the general direction of where he had been sitting mere seconds before.

"You can't deny it!" he laughed at my distant swat, standing at the foot of the bed again with a real smile on his face. The sight of it softened me entirely.

"No, I guess I can't," I replied ruefully, letting my hand fall back to the bed. "By the way… about what Alice was going to tell you?"

"Yes?" he prompted warily as my mind went remarkably still.

"If you ever need to talk – about anything," I began quietly but firmly. "And I mean _anything_ … I will be here. We can go in the middle of the woods somewhere and you can shout about whatever is bothering you. Uproot a tree if that will make you feel better. Like I said to Alice, I just want you to realize when you're making it more personal than it needs to be. "

Pausing for one significantly extended moment, Edward finally concluded, "I can do that."

When the Cullens returned to classes the next day, everyone's spirits had been lifted with Edward's much pleasanter involvement in family life. I doubted any of the other students had seen their peers so cheerful to be at school on a Monday.

My days passed much more quickly with Edward back in the swing of things. November came closer to its end with all the brisk chill Forks had to offer, and Carlisle insisted I use an extra blanket and warmer sleep clothes at night. Jasper still read to me, but it dropped to every other night because Edward would put on ' _Moonlight Sonata'_ on the nights in-between.

During the daytime, Esme would work on geometry and algebra lessons with me. After the others returned from school each day, Jasper would work with me on world history and chemistry, and Edward would help me with English and Spanish. Edward was more patient with me than ever, something I attributed to his finally having released all of the stress and fear his constant worries had brought him. Eliminated was too far a stretch, but at least he had vented about everything that built up after learning his possible future.

In the three days leading up to Thanksgiving, the time between dinner and bedtime usually ended up spent with Edward. An idea came to me that I couldn't resist, as usual, and he had begun helping me with a sense of enthusiasm that had been missing since the book reading.

"So you'd like this one?" Edward questioned me about the thirty-fourth image in a line of pictures he had shown me the day before Thanksgiving.

"I think so," I agreed amiably, already working on the first six pictures he'd printed for me over the previous two days. The last three Edward had to find were comparably simple to get, which was why I'd left them for last.

"All right, that one's printing now," he informed me, "I'll find those last three."

Find them he did, and the only hard part afterward was for me to complete my end of the project, which was a great deal of writing and revising. I had to get the words just right, something I barely achieved the day of the holiday; I finished just before Alice helped me to change into a simple outfit consisting of an oversized shirt in tan and white stripes, black leggings, and an oversized brown wrap sweater. It was one of the most comfortable things I'd ever worn, and I knew it cost Alice to see me forego fashion sense in favor of comfort. But she was learning to hold back her personal opinions on fashion, which was good for Bella's arrival in a year or so.

Carlisle came and told me I could be carried downstairs for the first time since returning to the house. Edward did the carrying, which really made the most sense because he could hear both Carlisle's mental instructions and concerns, and my own mental complaints about aches and pain as we moved. By the time Edward brought me downstairs to settle onto the sofa, I was amazed to realize I couldn't feel any major discomfort other than what my healing body normally produced of late.

"Thanks," I told him with a sigh as I finally sat still against a mound of pillows. "For this and for… the other. You wrapped them, right?"

"Of course," Edward reassured me patiently while Esme arranged my plush blue blanket over me. "They're all ready to go. Just say the word and I'll get them."

"Okay," I exhaled with some relief, causing Edward to chuckle as he took a seat on the floor beside me. My nerves had skyrocketed the closer I came to putting my Thanksgiving project on display.

"I'll bring dinner, Mir," Esme informed me warmly, kissing my forehead before whisking away to the kitchen again. It only took a few moments for her to fill a tray and return, arranging it over my legs.

"Happy Thanksgiving, everyone," I announced in my normal voice. They all sat close enough to hear without me being loud. A varying degree of energy greeted me when the others returned the greeting, Alice of course rounding out the top of the enthusiasm.

Emmett had thankfully been kind enough to put on the Detroit/Dallas football game while I ate, the noise making me feel more comfortable eating in front of seven people without conversation. Everyone seemed to be miraculously concerned with something else, not that I was complaining. Although by the time I finished two-thirds of Esme's wonderful meal of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and green beans, as well as paying attention to how the Lions were playing against the Cowboys, I was too satisfied to care.

Moments after I cleared the last bit of food I could hold and Esme took the tray to the kitchen, the Cullens instantly lost the concern they had been playing at before; Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice all pulled in closer around me.

"Mireille," Carlisle claimed my attention, taking a seat near my feet. "We each have something we would like to give you."

"Since when do we give gifts at Thanksgiving?" I wondered in surprise.

"With your project at hand, and you think we can't give gifts?" Alice remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Shh!" I hissed at her. "I haven't even gotten to show it yet!"

"Oh, Carlisle, let her go first," Alice sighed insistently. "She's worked pretty hard and I wouldn't want her nerves to get the better of her."

"Very well, Mireille, you go ahead," the doctor kindly informed me.

"Well, it's not a gift, per se," I hedged, biting my lip nervously. "Thanksgiving is about being grateful for the things and people your life has been blessed with. I wanted to make something that shows my gratitude for all of you. For this chance to be a part of your lives. Edward, would you…?"

Nodding his consent, Edward disappeared and reappeared with the items he'd helped me create. Handing them over, he stepped back and allowed me to have the floor.

"Every one of these is a postcard," I spoke more shyly, holding up the wrapped items and hoping I hadn't gone overboard. "On the front, there's a picture representing a particular location. And on the back I wrote the reasons why I'm grateful for that location… Carlisle, why don't I let you read this one?"

Smiling warmly, the blond-haired vampire accepted the first wrapped piece and pulled the simple tan wrapping away.

"London, England," he stated aloud, smile widening at the picture of Big Ben and Parliament before he flipped it over and read further, " _I am grateful that Carlisle Cullen was born in London and that he went on from that place to become a doctor, and a man of pure strength. Thank you for leading this family, and for never ceasing to be gentle and fair._ "

Carlisle appeared glassy-eyed for a moment, until he finally inhaled and set the card down very deliberately. In the midst of a heavy silence, I passed a card with bluebonnets for Jasper to read.

"Houston, Texas," Jasper smiled a little through the words. " _I am grateful that Jasper Whitlock was born in Houston, that he served his country with courage. I am grateful that he persevered in spite of great adversity and proved time and again that he was stronger than he thought. Thank you for your support and your wisdom, and for offering me the name of your first family._ "

Jasper, too, remained heavily silent in the wake of reading his card, and I decided to just pass out every card sooner rather than later. At least if everyone had the cards in hand, they could read them one after another without waiting for that too-long silence to pass over.

"Columbus, Ohio", Esme spoke next, laughing sweetly at the picture of the water's edge lined with blossoming cherry trees. " _I am grateful that Esme Anne Platt was born in Columbus and that she was bold enough to break convention and climb trees. If not for that boldness, this family would be motherless. Thank you for loving your family so richly and for constantly taking care of me._ "

Esme sniffed rather obviously after finishing the message on her postcard, the lack of actual tears not a factor in the grand scheme of things. With the silence once again pervading, Emmett cleared his throat unnecessarily and read the card in his hands.

"Gatlinburg, Tennessee," Emmett said louder than anyone else, yet gentling as he looked at the Appalachian Mountains in all their glory. " _I am grateful that Emmett McCarty was born in Gatlinburg and that he cared so deeply for his family that he would risk the threat hunting presented. I am grateful that Rosalie saved Emmett and he brought such brightness to his new family. Thank you for making me laugh and enjoy life for the simple things._ "

"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania," Alice picked up her card right after Emmett stopped, giggling at the picture of a Philadelphia diner Edward and I had worked so hard to find. " _I am grateful that Alice waited for days in a diner in Philadelphia, all so she could find her other half, so that Jasper could find the way home. Thank you for never giving up on your future and for keeping mine at heart._ "

Picking up on the rapid-paced reading cycle, Carlisle took up his second card immediately after Alice.

"Ashland, Wisconsin," the doctor spoke again, holding up the card with a antique picture of Ashland on it. " _I am grateful that Carlisle Cullen found Esme Platt again in Ashland. I am grateful that two souls healed each other and laid the foundations for an amazing family. Thank you for welcoming me in and showing me your unfailing kindness._ "

"Biloxi, Mississippi," Alice spoke instantly for the second time, with her picture of the Mississippi River in hand. " _I am grateful that Mary Alice Brandon was born in Biloxi and that she had the wherewithal to keep searching for her true home. Thank you for giving me everything you never needed to, and for making life so colorful._ "

"Chicago, Illinois," Edward began, sentimentality written all over his face as he examined the old drawing of bustling, penant-bedecked Chicago after the victory of World War I. It was the only card for which I'd found the picture personally. " _I am grateful that Edward Anthony Masen was born in Chicago and that his mother trusted a stranger to take care of her son. I am grateful that he became the friend Carlisle wished for and the son Esme needed. Thank you for helping me through each day and being my true friend._ "

The expression Edward turned my way would have melted steel it was so full of emotion. I could hardly hold his gaze, feeling all knotted up by the obvious reactions of the family I cared about.

"Rochester, New York," Rosalie voiced very quietly after her brother, seeming to barely examine the old picture of the city in question. " _I am grateful that Rosalie Hale was born in Rochester and that she held herself together even after life did its best to tear her apart. Thank you for accepting the intrusion of a stranger and for understanding without words._ "

As Rosalie read the last sentence, I was reminded of the chamomile tea that Jasper would show up with whenever he read to me. It had to be Rosalie; I had no doubts about that.

"Forks, Washington," Edward said quietly of the final postcard, looking over the image of a mysterious forest with a distant gaze I could not read. " _I am grateful that I was given the chance to come to this little place. This tiny, unknown town has given me strength I didn't know I was capable of, and the greatest friendships I never expected to have. Thank you for being my friends and making life so much brighter._ "

The last bout of silence fell across everyone as Edward's final word faded away into nothing. I was too afraid to look up at anyone, so I continued to stare at the blanket over my lap. Carlisle breathed in deeply and took the first step at breaking the awkward pause.

"Mireille, I will never cease to be surprised by you," the doctor commented softly. "Thank you. Your words mean more than you could possibly know."

"It's just the truth," I shrugged, quietly pleased by the accepting response.

"And so is what we have to give you," Carlisle continued, smile growing again, and stood from his seat. "Alice, would you like to begin?"

"You know I would," Alice agreed brightly, taking her father's place by my feet. "Like you, Mir, we decided to show our thankfulness in honor of the holiday. But more importantly, in honor of you. For coming into our lives and changing everything so fundamentally. We're all more grateful than we can express for the things you've brought to every one of us."

My face felt hot by the time Alice finished her little speech, and I was too embarrassed to speak myself.

"My gift," the psychic vampire continued with a knowing smile, offering up a small package wrapped in bright yellow paper, "is this."

Tentatively I began to unwrap the vibrant little package, finally revealing a small tree ornament. It was a beautiful green-jeweled piece that could stand on its own or hang from a hook in the back. Upon seeing the slight confusion on my features, Alice explained, "I'm grateful to have seen you in the woods; to have known you were going to be a part of our lives."

My throat closed in on me a little, but I was able to keep it mostly clear as Alice stepped away and Rosalie took her place, handing me a burgundy box with a clear lid and tissue paper beneath that; it was a box typically meant to hold flowers, I thought. Confused, I took the nod from Rosalie as my cue to open the box, only to find a square wreath composed of several natural elements I couldn't recognize, and one very familiar purple plant.

"It's made of wheat, bear grass, salal leaves… and thistles," the golden-haired vampire replied quietly to my unspoken question. "Thank you for understanding."

There was little else that needed to be said; I felt greatly overwhelmed that Rosalie, of all people, would feel grateful for my insight into her mind. The blonde vampire just as quietly and seamlessly melded into the background as she had appeared. In her stead, Jasper stepped forward, offering a gray suede box tied up with a simple black ribbon.

When the ribbon fell away and I opened the lid, inside sat a star-shaped medal made of bronze and engraved with what appeared to be Athena holding up a shield against an enemy. The ribbon of the medal displayed red and white stripes like the American flag and a blue patch representing the stars section. A bronze clasp at the top of the ribbon had been engraved with a shield surrounded by two images of the cornucopia. Attaching the medal to the other end of the ribbon was another bronze piece shaped into an eagle which sat on canons with its wings spread.

"The Medal of Honor," Jasper intoned, eyes serious as he gazed at me, "was first awarded during the Civil War. In 1861, President Lincoln signed this honor into legislation for the Navy. In 1862, it was also signed in for the Army. It was established to honor gallantry on the battlefield. This recovery is your battlefield, Mireille. And you have displayed gallantry in spades. Thank you for your courage."

For lack of adequate words to describe my complex emotions, I busied myself with looking over the entire medal, flipping it over to find my new name engraved on the middle of it. Above the name were the words ' _If I'm a man_ ' and below it the words ' _I must be brave_ ' completed the phrase. After a moment of thought, I recalled the sentence as a line in the ballad from _High Noon_.

Nothing could express my feelings, not a single thing. The sentiment in that single piece of metal hit me deep in the heart.

Edward moved forward next, his knowing expression almost too much to handle. But handle it I did, just in time to accept a moderately weighted box wrapped in heavy silver paper. Clearly the paper had come from more than the average roll of wrapping paper; it reminded me of something from a specialty shop.

More carefully unwrapping the high quality paper and opening the package, I found myself confronted by a beautiful box – partly gold engraved with a nature pattern, and partly a green facing with cream leaf patterns. The top beheld a gorgeous picture of two dancers from the colonial era surrounded with others in beautiful gowns in a forest clearing.

"This is a combination jewelry and musical box from the Victorian era," Edward explained softly. "I found it at a special shop in Seattle and thought you might appreciate a genuine antique. Open the top, and you'll understand when I thank you for your acceptance, advice, and friendship."

Doing as he told, I opened the lid of the box to the sound of tinkling music. Listening for a minute, I inhaled pleasantly as I recognized ' _Moonlight Sonata'_. In spite of Edward's past, in spite of his turmoil at times, I still accepted him as himself. The functional yet beautiful box had a dual purpose and a sentimental value I could not deny.

Edward moved away to allow Emmett to step forward. The big vampire had a somewhat sheepish expression on his face and I had to smile widely at the appearance of it.

"Well, I didn't get anything that special," he told me with a shrug. "But it fits. Here… this is my thank you because you always have fun. Even after this all happened, that didn't change. You're still the same fun person you were before."

The simple, polka-dotted aqua paper reminded me greatly of Emmett – fun and cheerful. Pleased for the lightheartedness of this particular gift, I opened it with more energy to reveal an adorable stuffed ewok from _Star Wars_.

"Emmett!" I was finally able to speak, through laugher though it was.

Shrugging again, the burly vampire moved so Esme could settle by me, a large square package in her hands wrapped with delicate peach paper.

"I'm grateful we welcomed you in, too, sweetheart," the motherly vampire smiled in a way that let me know she would have been crying as a human. "I'm so thankful you came here and made our lives so much lighter. This is my gift to you."

So saying, Esme placed the square package in my arms, leaving me to unfurl a three-inch thick book made of sturdy dark brown leather with a beautifully etched central design and edging, and my name etched onto the back cover.

Lifting the first thick page brought forth a gasp of surprise when I realized there was a picture of me walking out of a Seattle store with Carlisle. The doctor's hands were loaded with shopping bags while I carried my few.

"You took a picture that night?" I asked Alice in shock, looking up at her happy face.

"I wasn't going to forget the friend that kept disappearing," was her only response.

I spent some time glancing over various pages, amazed by the sheer volume of pictures the Cullens had snapped without me ever realizing it. In addition to events like Homecoming and Halloween, there were images of when Alice and Esme took me shopping, the reconstruction of Edward's room, when I registered for school, my dance lessons, shopping in Los Angeles, and even Carlisle and Esme's anniversary. Newer places had already been started for the time I had spent stuck at the house. Disbelief filled me even after reviewing the book a second time. Still blinking somewhat owlishly, I let the scrapbook rest on my lap.

Carlisle finally stepped back to his place by my feet, and the movement startled me into looking up at him. The smallest gift yet, his blue-wrapped package landed gently in my hands and I opened it easily. Beneath the pale wrapping was a small black velvet box, nestled in which was a delicate gold chain with a dark red gemstone hanging from it.

"The jewel is a garnet," the golden vampire said softly. "For your birth month of January. I am thankful you were brought into this world. That you live and are able to exist in _our_ world."

Truly I was incapable of stringing phrases together to express my deep affection and gratitude. Instead of trying to make something sound beautiful, I held up the necklace for Carlisle to take and simply asked, "Please?"

Surprised but pleased, Carlisle grasped the gold chain with gentle fingers and stepped behind me to drop the necklace about my throat. The very small garnet dropped slightly below my collar bone, a tiny reminder that seven people were grateful I had been born.

* * *


	27. Chapter 25: Improvement

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
We're halfway to the end, ladies and gents! There are approximately 25 more chapters left of FaR: Inauguration. Please keep hands and feet inside the cart at all times. ;)

**Previously** – Mireille refused to let Vanessa's freedom keep her trapped. The Cullens prepped for the Charity Ball and Alice offered Mireille an outfit to make her feel better. Edward returned and realized Mireille hadn't changed at all. Mireille and Edward discussed his fears/doubts about the future. Mireille realized the future can still change and convinced Edward to vent his issues. Fro Thanksgiving, Mireille gives the Cullens' postcards with reasons she is grateful for them all. The Cullens give Mireille gifts to show their gratitude for her.

> **Chapter 25: Improvement**

"You're doing wonderfully, sweetheart. Just a little further, all right?"

Carlisle's encouragement from beside me had become steadily happier and warmer as the hour progressed, something that never failed to make me more cheerful myself. It was lucky he had that effect; otherwise I would have given up on our exercises fifteen minutes earlier.

At the twenty-three-day mark since the attack, Carlisle had decided I was well enough to begin rehabbing my body. He called it a work in progress, since I still had to be extremely careful with my back, but the doctor felt all too sure I was perfectly fine to initiate a slow walk. The nature of my injuries had prevented too much exercise before then, since my back had taken such a hit, so Carlisle took a large step in having me stand up before doing much else.

"How long will it feel like this when I try to walk?" I had groaned aloud, leaning a little more heavily on Carlisle's supportive arms for a few minutes until he propelled me to taking small steps as long as I could.

"Only the first few days," he informed calmly and ruefully. "The first two will be the worst. But after that it should improve very quickly. You will be amazed how fast your body gets back up to speed."

Without Carlisle to hold me up, I would have fallen flat on my face those first two days. This, the third day of rehabilitation, felt infinitely better. Esme had to help me dress in dark boot cut jeans and a simple dark blue sweater, my tiny garnet necklace wavering just over the collar. My body ached more than ever, but at least I kept the ground beneath my feet all on my own and without too much hassle.

The fact that the first day of December was also the first day I could walk without assistance gave me a good feeling I couldn't exactly explain. After school got out, Edward noted my improved attitude with good cheer.

"You seem to be feeling a great deal more satisfied than the past two days," he commented pleasantly, offering his arm when I wobbled a little in my step down the hall.

Waving away the proffered arm with ease, I continued taking steps to the landing of the staircase. To save my strength, Edward carried me the rest of the way downstairs and settled me on the sofa while Esme gathered my outerwear and the light blue Michael Kors purse Alice had bought for me.

"I still don't know about this trip," the motherly vampire sighed nervously, stepping back with Edward while I slipped on my sturdy black ankle boots at a slow, careful speed, making sure not to bend my back overmuch. "Staying out all night… Are you sure she's ready for this, Edward?"

"Trust me, Esme," he chuckled richly. "Alice started searching futures in the wee hours of this morning and hasn't stopped since. She'll call the moment she sees anything going badly. Mireille will be fine, and if she seems to become overtired, I'll bring her home and let you or Alice finish the shopping. Does that make you feel better?"

"Oh, I suppose so," Esme agreed with a half-relieved sigh before turning to me. "Honey, don't let pride get in the way if you feel tired."

"Cross my heart, Esme," I smiled at her, slowly pulling on my black tweed coat, scarf, and gloves. "I don't feel like being stubborn today, anyway."

"All right then," she sighed for the third time, handing over the last piece of my outerwear – a slouchy black knit beret with a flower knitted onto the band. "Enjoy the trip, sweetheart."

"I will, Esme," I smiled again, letting Edward carry me to the car, again to reserve strength for our shopping trip. As Edward walked outside, I noticed a new car sitting in the drive and wondered who it belonged to.

"It's a Mazda," Edward informed me, evading the real question that had been in my mind. I'd never seen the dark gray vehicle in question and I wondered if we had visitors I didn't know about. Perhaps Edward didn't want to worry me.

"There are no visitors. It's mine," Edward said shortly, yet not unkindly.

"Why?" I asked, startled. "Where's the Volvo? You didn't sell it, did you?"

For a brief moment, I imagined the Twilight books without that silver Volvo, and blanched. One car didn't make such a huge difference, I supposed, but I was partial and sentimental enough to care.

"Of course I didn't sell it," Edward said exasperatedly, opening the passenger door of the gray Mazda in a lightning-fast movement without ever dropping me. "I'm just driving this around for a little while."

Before I could say anything more, Edward had me settled in the passenger seat and shut the door. Frowning, I thought over his behavior and realized he seemed more uncomfortable than angry. My frown deepened at the idea of him building up problems again.

"I'm fine, Mireille," Edward told me with a sigh when he slipped in the driver's side, turning the key in the ignition. "I'm just not ready to drive it yet, all right?"

"If you say so," I echoed Carlisle's words to me earlier that week. "Just don't let it build up until you explode again, please? I really hate it when we argue like that."

"I'll keep that at the forefront of my mind," the bronze-haired vampire promised quietly and sincerely, and I knew his thoughts turned to the night of my attack. "We'd better go or we won't be able to find everything we need."

'Everything' referred to the small assortment of decorations, food, and other items we were about to purchase for Carlisle's birthday the next day. He didn't like a lot of fuss; and since the Cullens counted years from their human birth, rather than the beginning of their vampire existence, this year wasn't an especially significant age for Carlisle. This left Esme to insist we keep it small, as the doctor wished. Because Alice's idea of small wasn't the same as anyone else's, the pixielike vampire had conceded to her mother's definition of the term for this specific day and allowed Esme to create the shopping list.

Realizing her tendency to go overboard and the difficulty she had reigning it in, Alice had also passed the duty of decorating into someone else's hands – mine, to be precise. Essentially, that meant I would sit and dictate what, where, and how everyone put up the décor Edward and I were going to buy. Esme wasn't about to take chances with me decorating the place myself and possibly damaging my recovery.

We took Highway 101 through Port Angeles first, just in case there was something unique there that wouldn't be found in a more mainstream store. There wasn't anything in particular I liked, so we continued on over to Olympia, avoiding the Seattle area, which would be far more tiring than I could manage only three days after beginning to walk again.

To be of use while her decorating skills were on hold, Alice had written up a list of all potential businesses in Olympia that might have what we needed. Indeed, that was where I ended up finding most of the common items.

"How many balloons and in what colors?" Edward prompted me before I could become too distracted by gift tags.

We had stopped in a stationery and party supply store – the last on the Olympia list, in fact. And it was a good thing, too, because I hadn't found anything else in the colors I wanted. After working on geometry with Esme in Carlisle's office that morning, a selection of mixed blue books bunched together on a nearby shelf had caught my attention and brought about the idea of a subtle, monochromatic scheme for the small celebration.

"Um… Esme said I could decide," I responded, quickly turning to pay better attention to the selection of solid balloons on the rack behind Edward's gray-clad form. "I was thinking maybe sixteen. That would be eight balloons weighted on each end table in Carlisle's office. Does that sound like too many?"

Shrugging a little helplessly, Edward replied cautiously. "Imagining eight balloons on those tables doesn't seem too bad, but I'm no expert."

Biting my lip for a moment in thought, I weighed the pros and cons of the amount and decided to go with it. "I think sixteen is good. Let's get… ten light blue and six medium blue. Oh, and get a spool of white ribbon and two of those darker blue weights on the bottom shelf."

"All right," Edward nodded once in affirmation, moving to the counter for the items in question. In the meantime, I picked up gift tags with blue hot air balloons and a small pack of light blue napkins, then slowly moved to examine streamers on the opposite wall. The only thing I knew about the streamers is that I didn't want crepe paper.

By chance I passed bolts of fabric further down the wall and took a fancy to gossamer, the sheer fabric similar to crepe with its light weight, but more elegant. The fact it came in two perfect shades of blue immediately made it my choice for streamers. Marking the location, I searched out decorative lights until Edward could help me with the heavy bolts of fabric. I almost left empty-handed when I noticed a tucked-away package of cotton ball string lights with a white and two-tone blue mix.

"Mireille," Edward let me know of his presence, reaching out and around my right shoulder to add two packs of the lights to his basket. "Do you know how much gossamer you'll need?"

"Not really," I frowned, trying to estimate, but failing. "I was going to take a piece of that white ribbon and tie it between the two bunches of balloons, then hang streamers off of it like a waterfall."

"How high were you planning to extend the balloons above the table tops?" he wondered, thankfully able to see the envisioned design in my head.

"Well, I wanted them to float well above Emmett's height," I began to figure, imagining the sight as best I could. "Probably about eight feet high, including the height of the table."

"I think I can estimate based on that and the length of the sofa," the bronze-haired vampire decided, taking the things I held. "Give me just a minute."

Again waiting for Edward to take care of something that was too heavy and strenuous for my healing back, I took a look at cake stands, but came away displeased. There was nothing blue or white that would suit.

By the time Edward had gotten the gossamer cut, I started feeling worn down and waited up by the checkout so it wouldn't be as long a walk to the car. The moment Edward recognized my tiredness, he began using his vampire nature to push the associate quicker. I wanted to laugh at the sudden ooze of charm Edward produced, but it sounded tiring.

"Come on," the forever-seventeen-year-old encouraged me after he had paid for everything, offering an arm for support, which I gladly latched onto. "You'll be able to rest decently on the way to Aberdeen. It's about an hour if I keep to the legal limits."

"And if you don't?" I inquired humorously, knowing he would do no such thing.

"Maybe half an hour," he admitted without any shame, smirking my way. That _did_ get a laugh out of me as I settled carefully into the Mazda.

Despite Edward's teasing, he actually followed the speed limit all the way to Aberdeen. The stores were few and small, but the third one I asked to stop at boasted unique dishes of all kinds. I walked out shortly thereafter with a set of four light blue glass tea cups with square saucers, as well as one white ceramic cake plate. Well, Edward walked out with them, anyway.

"What was the other thing you were looking for?" Edward asked me, brows furrowed thoughtfully as he glanced over the shopping list. "A centerpiece or…"

"Sort of a centerpiece," I hedged awkwardly. "Esme and I weren't precisely sure on specifics, but I was thinking some kind of lighted decoration for the bookshelf windows, since it'll be nighttime when Carlisle sees everything."

"Then let's skip the next store," he suggested. "There's another place further through town, and they carry special lighting for holidays and the like."

"Sounds good to me," I agreed, watching the scenery fly by. Or I was, until I noticed a sign for Hoquiam. "Hey, is Hoquiam really that close?"

"Yes, it's just across the river," Edward answered interestedly. "Would you like to see where we lived before? I think the house is still completely in tact. Weathered, of course, but standing strong."

"I'd love to see it!" I enthused. "And I feel pretty good after resting on the way from Olympia."

"Then we'll go," he stated decisively, "Let's finish up at this store and we'll head that way."

Edward was correct in guessing the specialty lighting store would have what I wanted. The black sculpted tree decoration boasted little blue LED cherry blossoms, a play on Carlisle and Esme's history I simply couldn't pass up.

Comparatively speaking, Hoquiam was a larger place than Forks, but it had the same small town feel to it that Forks did. Edward drove straight out of the main town, as I expected he might, and eventually drove down an even more winding path than the one leading to the Cullen home in Forks. At the end of the drive, the trees thinned to reveal a much less grandiose and beautiful house than the one in Forks. Nonetheless lovely, this smaller, gray-painted home didn't carry the same welcoming appeal as where the Cullens currently hung their hats.

"It served its purpose," Edward lifted one shoulder in acceptance. "We weren't crowded, exactly, but it wasn't the most freeing space we've ever lived in."

"I definitely like the current house better," I confessed plainly, "but I can see where this was functional."

Hoquiam wasn't nearly as exciting as we'd made it out to be, but it was a nice little diversion on the way home. Unfortunately, it took seeing the Forks welcome sign to remember things I had forgotten to buy in any of the places we'd been.

"Oh, Edward, I totally forgot the tea, the sugar cubes, and the candles," I moaned frustratedly.

"We can find those at the store here, I'm sure," the amused pianist told me calmly, driving to the local grocery store. "Are you okay to walk still?"

"I feel okay," I immediately replied. "We're almost home, anyway."

"Just be careful and stay with me," the mind-reader ordered not unkindly. "Vanessa is still free, after all."

"I know," I murmured worriedly now that he mentioned it.

Sighing at the way his words impacted me, Edward parked and rapidly came around to my side of the vehicle to help me out. To my pleasant surprise, no one else populated the store and the cashier appeared totally uninterested in us. In no time at all we had the items I forgot and were on our way home again.

As usual in the nighttime hours, Forks turned into a mysterious backdrop of darkness and shadowed heights. If not for Edward sitting beside me, the atmosphere would have frightened me after what happened at the gas station. Sensing my discomfort, the bronze-haired vampire reached out to grasp my tense fingers in his free hand.

"You're all right now," Edward murmured comfortingly, rubbing circles on the backs of my fingers. "We won't let that happen again. I promise you. Besides, remember how strong you are? With your courage, they should be afraid of coming after you."

Half laughing at the mild absurdity of that statement, I nevertheless felt soothed and protected by the time we pulled into the long drive up to the house, and by then the sight of the welcoming drive eased me even further.

Esme sat waiting with Carlisle on the porch when Edward and I pulled up, both of the Cullen parents looking relieved at out return. Their first son sighed with fond exasperation, but quickly came around my side to help me out and escort me up to the porch.

"I feel fine, Carlisle," I sighed myself, equally as exasperated as Edward in spite of my affection for the Cullen patriarch. "Achy, but it felt really nice to get out for a while."

"I know, my dear," the doctor sighed through a chuckle, coming to meet me at the steps. Esme stood back, unlike her usual mothering tendencies, but she winked at me as we passed and I realized this was planned to get Carlisle away from the car and the party supplies therein. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pressure you into staying here all day. I just worry; not only as a doctor, but as a friend."

"And I'm very grateful for that," I told him truthfully, squeezing the hand I held onto reassuringly and glancing back only once to see Edward and Esme sneaking shopping bags out of the Mazda.

The next morning, I woke earlier than I usually did during my recovery, although it was still after the others had left for school. Esme once again helped me dress, this time into a simple long-sleeved black tee and black jeans. The day had grown much colder than the one before it, however, so I ended up adding a tan infinity scarf and a beige cardigan with a tan and black pattern. After the previous day's outing, I could tell my body had worn itself out, and I was forced to sit back and let Esme fit my coppery brown boots.

Once she helped me downstairs, the two of us worked together to wrap Carlisle's seven gifts and make the birthday cake. Everything happened at a very human speed, something Esme usually did when we worked together. Being so worn, I appreciated the gesture ten times as much that day.

"Did you decide white or blue?" Esme asked just before the others were due home; we had finished everything except the frosting.

"Light blue," I answered. "The cake plate is white and I want the cake to stand out a little."

"We do have that darker blue ribbon to wrap around the base," Esme suggested.

"Can we do both?" I asked hopefully.

Laughing lightly, Esme nodded, "Yes, we can."

Esme and I just added the ribbon around the base of the fully-frosted cake when Edward appeared in the doorway.

"Ready to go up?" he asked me.

"I think so," I nodded, handing Esme the knife I had been using to frost the cake and allowing Edward to pick me up with careful movements.

"We'll bring everything up after you," Esme assured me with a smile as Edward left the room.

"Wait!" Alice called out from behind us at the foot of the stairs. Edward turned halfway to greet his sister, who flashed up beside us with a relieved look on her face. "Mir needs to change."

"Really, Alice?" Edward sighed in exasperation. "Can't your preparations wait until she's more recovered?"

"She'll like it better if she matches the theme," Alice insisted, and I realized she was right.

"Whatever you wish," the bronze-haired vampire sighed at my thoughts, this time in amusement.

Alice was quite careful as she helped me change, and the dress itself was nice and simple, essentially a pale blue pull-over with strips of white lace across it. It was very pretty and the sleeves puffed slightly, giving a further feminine vibe that I liked. Much as Alice and I both liked the dress on its own, I was too cold to wear it alone; the pixielike vampire sighed resignedly and grabbed a pair of skin-colored leggings, as well as a pair of tied white oxfords.

Returning to Carlisle's office after my change of costume, I directed the decoration and arrangements from the desk chair with greater ease now that I wasn't on my feet.

"One in each window, Emmett," I told the burly vampire, who set about placing the blue and black lighted cherry trees on the North wall behind me.

"Gotcha, Mir," he confirmed, winking widely at me and bringing a quiet giggle to my lips.

"Did you want spacing between the streamers, Mir?" Alice asked me, staring with a thoughtful twist of her lips at the area above the sofa.

"Only a little," I replied, turning to look in her direction. "Just enough to tell they're separate."

Nodding in understanding, the tiny vampire and her resigned husband set to work at a vampire pace, since Carlisle would soon be home from work.

"Would you like a few of the books for some extra color?" Esme wondered. "That was how you found the color scheme, after all."

"I don't know, really. I hadn't thought about it much." Mulling over the problem, I got an idea and excitedly continued, "Oh, why don't we pull all the blue books forward, so they're ahead of the other colors? That would be a cool way to have the colors everywhere."

"That's a lovely idea," the motherly vampire agreed happily. Edward took up the book-pulling process at his top speed and finished before I realized he was the one to do it.

"Been in this collection much over the years?" I commented wryly, half-smiling at his sheepishly smug face.

"Not much," the bronze-haired vampire teased back. "Only every year since 1918."

Emmett and Jasper snickered, leaving Esme to shake her head at their behavior and Rosalie – who had hung up the cotton ball string lights at the top of the East wall bookshelves – to roll her eyes heavenward.

The final touches were applied moments before Carlisle called out from the hallway, "Why are you all up here?"

The doctor didn't need an answer when he came through the door, stopping short at the sight of all the décor and the birthday cake sitting in front of me on the desk.

"Happy birthday, Carlisle!" the seven of us chimed in unison, a smile on every face compared to the look of exasperated surprise on the Cullen patriarch's face.

"What did I say about making a fuss?" he scolded us lightly, arms folded across his chest.

"This isn't a fuss," Esme contradicted him, coming up to kiss his cheek and unfold his arms. "This is our family celebrating a man who's spent over three-hundred years healing and saving lives. Now hush and enjoy it."

Lips twitching at the demand, Carlisle pulled his wife close as he moved forward, much to my sappy-hearted contentment.

"Well, what have we?" the doctor asked in a pleasantly resigned manner.

"Mireille arranged the entire thing," Esme smiled over at me, looking proud.

"With a lot of input from Esme," I threw in honestly, though her praise made me happy. "If you look around more broadly, I think you can tell where I got the theme from."

Taking a moment to look, Carlisle frowned thoughtfully as he tried to determine what I meant. It didn't become clear until he caught sight of the very same set of books I'd looked at the previous morning. Letting out a little laugh of understanding, the golden vampire turned to me. "The books. That's where you got the blue theme from, isn't it?"

"Right on target," I shrugged a little ruefully. "I just thought it was neat, since it's something you already have."

"You certainly matched everything well," said Carlisle, looking over the two-tone blue cake and the mini beeswax torch candles I'd forgotten about until the last second. Esme had seen them on the end table and hurriedly snatched them up to place them on the cake in my original design. Instead of attempting to put three-hundred-plus candles on our small cake or using literal number candles, I decided to put three medium blue torch candles, six light blue, and end with three darker blue; each represented a number of Carlisle's 363 years of age.

"Tea?" Carlisle wondered, brows lifted humorously as he took in the light blue cups and saucers, as well as the silver tea service Esme typically kept in the butler's pantry.

"I couldn't find any crumpets," I tentatively joked, rewarded by Carlisle's chuckling. "You're from England, so… I figure it might be kind of funny to have tea time."

"And since I worked in Columbus, there seem to be a number of cherry trees growing. I wonder if anyone has tried to climb them," Carlisle teased, glancing sideways at Esme, who looked as if she could blush when Emmett laughed out loud.

"Oh, just go open your gifts," Esme pushed her husband playfully, making us all laugh.

Once Carlisle opened his seven gifts (unsurprisingly all books), he smiled modestly at each one of us. "While I don't like to make a production out of dates like this, I do appreciate everything very much. Thank you."

Looking altogether warmed by her husband's softness, Esme embraced him around the neck. And if Carlisle's eyes seemed glassier than usual as he responded in kind, even Emmett didn't laugh.

For two and a half weeks following Carlisle's little birthday party, my life became routine down to the minute. Esme helped me get out of bed and get dressed, then after breakfast I walked around for an hour or so – for the strict purpose of rehabilitation.

My educational catch-up had been bumped to daily, hour-long lessons instead of weekends-only. Every day at ten-thirty, Esme worked with me on geometry until lunch, followed by algebra at one o'clock. Because Esme wasn't particularly fond of Chemistry, we had switched my algebra and chemistry lesson times so that Jasper could pick up the latter subject on weekdays after school, following up with Spanish. English remained at the seven-thirty slot, generally with Edward whenever Carlisle was at work, which turned out to be quite often. For World History, Jasper had taken to working with me an hour before my bedtime, putting the subject at the end of the day instead at the beginning as it was before. By mutual consensus, Carlisle and I decided to drop Italian lessons to a hobby exercise; meant for whenever we felt like it and had the free time.

Alice began clamoring about colors, outfits, and accessories on the fourteenth, something I didn't understand as she whirled by with Rosalie and Esme. At least until Jasper kindly explained that we were all invited to the hospital Christmas party on the twentieth of the month; I vaguely remembered Alice mentioning this particular Christmas party the night we went shopping with Esme.

Apparently, Dr. Gerandy had even hinted to Carlisle heavily on the subject of the party, hoping not only to see how well recovered I was, but to meet the close-knit family who had – by all accounts – rallied around me after the attack. Despite the clamor on Alice's part, and my own amazement that Christmas was just around the corner, I nevertheless ended up dealing very little in the subject of fashions for the party and remained in my routine.

It was to my surprise, therefore, when Carlisle came to me two nights before the party and asked me to take an outing the following morning to Seattle with him and Rosalie, who was 'out sick' for the day. Uncertain what we were doing, but trusting regardless, the next morning I woke up as if going to school and changed into an outfit consisting of black leggings and a salmon, indigo, tan, and brown striped tunic sweater. While no snow had yet fallen, December in Forks was bitter cold, so I pulled on a pair of buckled brown boots up to my knees, matching leather gloves, a gray scarf, and a solid tan coat with two columns of buttons before I headed down to the foyer at a slow, steady pace.

The others had just left for the high school, Emmett even leaving me a little note of farewell, but Rosalie walked downstairs several minutes afterward wearing slender black dress pants and a chic, off-white wrap blouse with a v-neck and black belt. Her outfit and wrapped braid weren't strange, but the fact she carried two purses was.

"What's with the two purses?" I wondered blatantly, pulling my brown and gray Coach bag higher on my shoulder when it started to slip.

"The red Versace is for me," she explained with atypical patience. "The indigo Marc Jacobs is for you."

"Another purse?" I wondered, raising a brow in surprise, watching Rosalie set the purses on the bench and pull on her own black and white checked coat at a vampire pace.

"Alice," Rosalie explained simply, straightening the high neck of her coat.

Looking at the purse, I could see why Alice suggested it for my outfit. Shrugging, I took both purses and sat down on the foyer bench to begin transferring items to the new indigo purse. We had a few minutes before Carlisle came to pick us up in the Mercedes, so I didn't worry about being slow.

"Where's Esme?" I wondered curiously. After making breakfast for me, the Cullen mother had disappeared. Rosalie was there, so I wasn't worried about being alone, but it had been curious to say the least.

"Christmas shopping," the blonde replied. "She's a little behind this year, actually. But then everyone's been busier this year."

"Because of me," I added hesitantly.

"Mostly," Rosalie confirmed bluntly, unbothered.

"Thank you," I couldn't help telling her quietly.

"For what?" she inquired, a single golden brow lifted slightly in confusion.

"For not making me feel like an intruder," I explained, keeping my eyes trained on the purse in my hands. "I know it couldn't have been easy to have me burst into your life like this."

"Your life was just as disrupted as mine," she plainly confessed. "And in spite of how you've turned our life on its ear, you've brought something to our family we've never truly had before."

"What's that?" I wondered softly, daring to look up at her inhumanly beautiful face for understanding.

"I think my answer might surprise you," she decided, gazing keenly at my earnest face.

"I can handle surprise pretty well now," I responded immediately.

"Well then," was her soft reply, "the thing you've brought us… is acceptance."

Frowning in mild confusion, I tried to work out what she meant by that. "I doubt my acceptance of you is that important, Rosalie."

"Not necessarily _your_ acceptance," she contradicted me calmly, not unkindly. "Although your understanding and acceptance of each of us _has_ had a very positive impact… But what I mean is you've given us an acceptance of our own lives and futures, of who we are as people, what we are as non-traditional vampires, and of how we must live in order to be safe from humans and other vampires alike."

This was the most Rosalie Hale had ever spoken to me in one sitting, and other than my discussions with Carlisle and Edward, it was probably the deepest material I had ever discussed with any of the Cullens.

"I never would have guessed you felt that way," I admitted with some shame. "After you brought that tea, I wondered just how much I needed to change my view of you, your personality, your room for growth… Now I see it's a lot more than I imagined. I'm sorry I was so narrow-minded."

Rosalie snorted loudly, startling me as she responded, "I doubt you're all that far off."

"Er…" I didn't quite know how to respond to that, feeling thrown by everything the blonde did or said that morning.

"You can laugh, Mireille," she told me dryly, features full of wry amusement.

A silent pause overtook us as I processed the words she'd spoken.

"You said my name," I finally commented blankly. To my knowledge, this was the first time Rosalie had ever called me by name, full or otherwise.

"Let's just say," Rosalie began cautiously, glancing away for a moment, "you wouldn't be the first – or worst – narrow mind in this house… But you are the first to admit it and apologize for it. While I'm not very good at apologies, my words at Thanksgiving were meant as something along that line."

"For me?" I wondered apprehensively. "Why would you need to apologize?"

"Can't you guess?" she asked with half of a smile. "I am as narrow-minded as they come. In your writing, your understanding of both my flaws and my strengths is remarkable for someone who never met me before. Take my relationship with Carlisle, for instance."

"But I wrote about how you hated him," I pressed in surprise.

"I did once," Rosalie admitted to my surprise, although some shame did grace her features, as well as a dash of ruefulness I didn't expect. "But as you wrote… it's impossible to hate someone like Carlisle Cullen. I tried for a brief time because of how drastically my life had changed, but it wasn't his fault. Not really… When I read your story, it was so strange to see that very situation play out. You never had to live through that kind of experience in order to understand mine. Your understanding came entirely from your imagination, from your thoughtfulness. I wish it had stayed that way for you."

"Why did you break that vase?" I asked, the strange question coming to mind completely out of the blue; something in Rosalie's words just hit me.

"Alice thought it would be nice to put flowers in your room, to cheer up the atmosphere a little. Esme happened to be changing your bandages when I finally brought the vase in," Rosalie explained remarkably gently. "Seeing that scar, seeing you now physically marked by the sins of others… It reminded me of Royce. And it made me furious that you should have come to live through a similar experience. Then Carlisle told us we couldn't track down your attackers with our own methods. As you well know, I'm not good at withholding my own brand of justice. I wasn't even conscious of the vase until I crushed it between my fingers."

Struck mute, I could find no response before Rosalie spoke up again, "Alice saw you would start awake and injure yourself. So she and Edward rushed back to make sure you didn't."

"Edward was here?" I asked incredulously. "While I was hurt?"

"Yes," Rosalie murmured softly, something simultaneously warm and icy in her golden eyes. "He couldn't bear the thought of you acquiring any more injury. But seeing your injuries firsthand drove him further away than he already had been."

My mind whirled away with all of the new information I had gained, drawing us into a long, unbroken silence until Rosalie heard something my weaker human ears could not.

"Carlisle's here," she informed me, moving to open the front door. Standing from the bench, I followed her out onto the porch and to the Mercedes with a slightly dumbfounded expression plastered on my face.

"Are you quite all right, Mireille?" Carlisle inquired with a frown. "You seem shell-shocked."

"I'm fine," I murmured, settling carefully into the back seat with Rosalie. "Just… fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked again, voice full of worry.

"She's fine, Carlisle," Rosalie assured him, distant amusement in her tone. "I left her with food for thought. It's taking time to process."

"Oh," Carlisle exhaled in relief, turning back around to face the windshield. "We'll be off, then."

My faculties returned to me enough to process that statement and question it. "But _where_ are we off to, Carlisle?"

"Just enjoy the ride," he stalled with a small smile, driving us out to the main highway and taking the road north. Every mile we drove, I became more and more curious, clamping down on the urge to ask 'are we there yet?' every five minutes. Port Angeles and Sequim passed us by, after which Carlisle moved from the 101 to the 104, and continued onto Kingston, where the doctor pulled in at the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry.

"Oh, come on, Carlisle. Won't you tell me?" I half pleaded and half whined to the Cullen patriarch as he helped me out of the car and Rosalie went to arrange our travel on the ferry.

"I'm afraid not," he chuckled, clearly enjoying the mystery. Sighing in resignation, I waited in total suspense as the journey began again, the lovely view of the water not dampening my curiosity at all.

After leaving the ferry at Edmonds, my stomach made itself known quite loudly and Carlisle laughingly asked where I would like to eat.

We ended up in a classy restaurant called 'Chanterelle' about three blocks away, mostly because I liked the well-kept exterior. I wasn't sure what they had to eat going in, but I was in no way disappointed with the crab avocado salad and tomato bisque soup I ended up ordering.

On our way again, my frustrated curiosity kept me anxious and impatient – right up until Carlisle pulled into the parking lot of a familiar type of business with equally familiar _bugs_ sitting in front.

"Are we car shopping?" I asked, abruptly excited after all the waiting I'd done, the Volkswagen sign only increasing the feeling.

"Yes, we are," Carlisle chuckled for the tenth time that day. "Rosalie is a better judge of quality than any of us, and she can determine what upgrades are able to be done for a given vehicle. So here we are. Are you ready to start looking?"

"You have to ask?" I replied with a smile, already putting my foot outside on the pavement.

All in all, in Seattle we visited two Volkswagen dealers, a Ferrari & Maserati dealer, and one each of Audi, Mazda, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Acura. I didn't see anything suitable for school, although I did see a lot of nice looking cars I could dream of driving.

Mainly I kept wishing I could have a Volkswagen bug, but Carlisle agreed that it was probably too obvious for school. Nevertheless, the Turbo Cabriolet convertible in powder blue wouldn't leave my mind alone. I loved the cute little car more than I could express, going so far as to give the hood a friendly pat goodbye when we walked away. Carlisle laughed over the gesture, shaking his head fondly at me as we left.

"If you had that car, you'd treat it just like a baby," he teased me, arm around my shoulder for support.

"Yep," I agreed without any shame, sighing sadly. "I love the bug. I think it's my favorite car."

"Maybe you can buy one in future," Rosalie consoled, smiling wryly at my behavior.

"But come along," Carlisle intervened kindly, "we have more dealers to visit before the day is over."

"More dealers?" I wondered amazedly, turning to look up at him in surprise.

"We'll be heading over to Bellevue," he informed me, no longer holding out with suspense.

In Bellevue, we visited another dealer each of Volkswagen, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Lexus, Porsche, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Saab, Aston Martin, and two Volvo dealers. My favorite vehicles were unfortunately not usable for school; an Aston Martin DB9 in a beautiful crimson color, and a dark gray Alfa Romeo 166.

It wasn't until the last dealer, Acura of Bellevue, that I found something beautiful and functional.

"Oh, I love this one," I sighed happily, smoothing my hand over the hood of an Acura RSX. "Won't this one be okay, Carlisle?"

"Hm, it does look more suitable than the rest we've seen," the doctor stalled, lips slightly pursed as he looked the car over with his daughter. "What do you think, Rosalie?"

"It's a good car," the blonde decided. "And I can add a lot of upgrades to it."

"All right," Carlisle nodded decisively. "Mireille, I do believe you've found your mode of transport."

"Yes!" I exclaimed happily, patting the car nicely.

"We can't have you driving it just yet," Carlisle warned me calmly, but pleasantly. "Not without your license… but I'll have one delivered for your supposed sixteenth birthday. That way Charlie won't have fits, hm?"

Giggling at the idea, I just nodded my consent and let my companions handle the arrangements of the vehicle. By the time we returned to Edmonds, it surprised me to find it was only four-thirty in the afternoon.

Carlisle stopped a block away from the docks where we'd first arrived, much to my confusion. Once he had stopped, Rosalie immediately got out of the Mercedes.

"Rosalie?" I queried with surprise when the blonde began walking away from us.

"You and Carlisle still have some business," the blonde vampire calmly explained, walking back and leaning down to my level. "I'm meeting Emmett in Kingston before we head out for Christmas shopping of our own."

"Oh, well, have a good time," I responded, confused by what other business Carlisle could have to talk about. Rosalie tilted her head minutely at me, seeming to scrutinize me for a moment before she walked away and headed towards the ferry docks without so much as a farewell.

Carlisle gave me a calming look when I turned to him with all my confusion present in my eyes.

"We're just discussing general, practical matters," the golden vampire explained easily, driving back out into traffic. "Things you need to know for general information. Nothing to worry about."

"Are we staying in Seattle?" I inquired with rampant curiosity.

"Yes, I thought it would be quicker and simpler to stay here," Carlisle replied, "in case we need access to businesses we don't have in Forks."

"What kind of businesses?"

"Libraries or banks, for instance," he answered, stopping for a red light. "I promise, Mireille, it's nothing to be so worried over."

"I trust you," I told him frankly. "I'm just a curious person, remember?"

"That you are," Carlisle agreed with a rich chuckle, taking off smoothly when the light turned green.

* * *


	28. Chapter 26: Insurance

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** Just want to point out to all my readers that Mir will **never** return to her "real life" in the nonfiction world. There is absolutely **no** possibility of that happening. Ever.

**Previously** – Mireille started rehab by walking and finally walked without help. Edward and Mireille went shopping for Carlisle's birthday. Mireille chose a blue theme based on books in Carlisle's office. Edward showed Mireille the Cullens old house in Hoquiam. The Cullens decorated and celebrated Carlisle's birthday. Mireille continued her tutoring lessons. Rosalie discussed how Mireille changed them all and used Mireille's name for the first time. Carlisle took Rosalie and Mireille car shopping and Mireille chose an Acura. Rosalie went to meet Emmett while Carlisle and Mireille stayed in Seattle for other business.

> **Chapter 26: Insurance**

Carlisle wasn't joking when he said we might need a library or a bank. The first turn he made after entering Seattle again was at a large, clean, crisp-looking bank all bedecked with windows.

"Is this a bank you use in this area?" was my intrigued question once we pulled into a parking space.

"The most common one," he nodded, getting out of the car and coming around my side to open the door for me and help me out onto the pavement. My back and legs had begun to protest while walking around those last few car dealerships, so his help was greatly appreciated.

"I added you onto our main account here, with full rights to anything of our finances or other assets," Carlisle stated as if rehearsing the weather, unaware of the enormous shock he gave me. "We're here today so you can choose designs for your debit card and checks. Tonight you can order a checkbook cover as well."

So saying, Carlisle opened the door of the bank and led me inside. I couldn't think of a thing to say. While it had become very clear how much the Cullens cared, particularly after the attack, there were times I still couldn't quite believe the unusual things that happened to me.

The bank manager handled our case personally – something I supposed was due to Carlisle's healthy account balance – and the woman seemed genuinely sympathetic when she heard my 'parents' had died. I didn't take long to decide on a debit card with a Seattle cityscape featuring the Space Needle, and checks with a close up of the veins on an extremely green leaf. Carlisle asked the manager to write all the account and routing information down for me on a little card, which I stashed with my new debit card in my wallet.

By the time we left the bank, my surprise had worn off enough to speak up. "Carlisle, this all seems so… I don't know, it's just a lot to take in."

"I know this may seem a great deal in excess to you, Mireille," the doctor said gently, squeezing my shoulder reassuringly. "But we all want you to have the best chance in this new life. That means ensuring you are given all the best tools and resources to have that chance. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it makes sense," I nodded tentatively. "But it's still a lot to take in."

"I can understand that," Carlisle agreed with a single nod, pulling open the passenger door and giving me a hand down into the seat. "You've come from a family of barriers and dead ends. Now you're with a family that can give you whatever you need at a moment's notice. That change isn't easy; the gap won't be simple to bridge. Just remember we want you to have these things we're giving you. It's not a matter of feeling guilty or obligated, but simply caring enough to do our utmost for you."

"I'll keep that in mind," I murmured, overwhelmed again by the sentiment in his words.

"Good," Carlisle smiled, shutting the door and heading around to the driver's side.

Our next stop was the library, just as the blond-haired vampire had said earlier. Within minutes, I gained a Seattle Public Library card with red on either side of another picture of the Space Needle, and the word 'imagination' printed over top. Quickly after that visit, Carlisle took us to a nearby wireless store inside a mall.

"Are you all right to walk on your own for a while?" he asked concernedly.

Taking a moment to assess my condition, I decided the bank visit had given me enough of a rest that I would be fine walking by myself. "I'll be okay for a bit."

"Then find a cell phone you like, all right?" he told me, gently pushing me towards the displays.

"Okay," was all I could slowly say, trying to remember what Carlisle had said about wanting me to have the best chance.

There were a lot of silver, red, and black phones out there, none of which caught my attention. After a while of searching and comparing, I narrowed the choices down to a purple phone and a two-tone light blue and gray with a dark blue keypad. Given the fact I didn't want to draw attention to myself any more than I had to, I decided the two-tone blue might be subtler.

Much as I still felt an ingrained need to protest the Cullens' generosity, I moved to where Carlisle stood talking with an associate a few feet away. The two of them looked up expectantly when I arrived.

"Found one you like?" the auburn-haired associate asked with a salesman's smile, her freckles showing in more obvious relief with the gesture.

"Yes, I did," I answered, turning to point at the chosen phone, which was directly in our line of sight. "That middle phone in the third row; the blue one."

"Oh, that's a wonderful choice," the associate smiled a little wider, already moving towards the checkout and leaving us to follow her. "Getting pretty popular, too."

As quickly as the auburn-haired woman moved, Carlisle had the phone and accessories ordered for a Christmas delivery within a few minutes.

"I'm really getting loaded with stuff, aren't I?" I joked while we walked out of the store and slowly through the mall hallway.

Chuckling lightly, Carlisle responded, "I should say so, my dear. And you're going to be more 'loaded' by the end of the night, so prepare yourself."

Groaning, I slumped as much as my back could safely handle, bringing a fuller laugh from the doctor.

"Well, at least we'll be heading home now," Carlisle commented, a laugh still in his voice. "The rest can easily be discussed back in Forks."

"Oh, good," I sighed tiredly. "I don't know if I could walk much more after this."

"I'm sorry I had to have you out all day today, but I thought you'd prefer having all this business dealt with before Christmas, so you can do any shopping you'd like to do," Carlisle admitted with a sigh of his own, glancing at his watch, which boasted seven o'clock. "Hm… I think we might discuss some of this over your dinner, actually. By the time we get home you'll be starving."

"Any place suits me fine, Carlisle," I let him know easily, looking down the mall for any restaurants and barely catching sight of an Asian place that we had almost walked past. "What about that one?"

The little Asian restaurant turned out to be an excellent option for talking; the retro dining space was empty except for one table right near the door, where an older gentleman sat eating his meal.

I took a few moments to look over the menu, but the day tired me out so much I needed to sit down at a nearby table. Carlisle had to order and carry the platter of crab puffs, chicken chow mein, and fried rice, as well as grab a Coke for me.

"I didn't realize you would need to walk quite as much as you have," the Cullen patriarch sighed heavily when he joined me at the table and settled my meal before me. "Proof enough that being a doctor makes one neither experienced nor omniscient."

"Heavy wisdom for a mall eatery," I smirked a little bit before taking my first bite, although I did worry Edward might be rubbing off on me.

"Smart mouth," Carlisle teased lightly. "I suppose it is a bit heavy for the situation. At any rate, I'd better start talking before it gets too late… First of all, I want you to have this."

Having said that, Carlisle pulled something dark out of his wallet and extended it for my fingers to grasp. Looking more closely at the item, I was astonished to find a black AmEx card waiting for me.

"But… I already… the bank card, Carlisle!" I exhaled in exasperation, finally able to voice some of my denial over his generosity.

"This is already printed with your new name on it," he protested calmly, understandingly, but firmly. "I want you to have every resource available, as I already told you. Our money is your money from here on out, Mireille."

A groan slipped out before I could stop it, but I finally set my fork down and plucked the little black card from Carlisle's chilled grasp. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," he smiled, letting me get back to eating. "The next thing I'd like to talk about is your car and all the details on that point. I've already talked with the insurance company about adding you in January and your registration will be in the glove box when you 'open' your gift. Did you want a customized license plate?"

"The normal one is fine," I answered around a crab puff.

"All right," he nodded once, making a note on the little pad of paper he always carried. "Now, you already have your passport, which brings me to a very vital subject. Emergency situations. Particularly vampire ones, but normal human emergencies, too… First, you will need to create an alias or two, with all the related details. I know you like to create stories like that, so I'll leave you to make them on your own, using your first passport as a framework. Just let me know when you finish and we'll have a family meeting to check them over and ensure all the details work out together."

Nodding my understanding, and feeling a bit of excitement that I would be able to have a little fun with such a serious subject, I let Carlisle keep talking.

"I have compiled a complete list of every phone number you might possibly need," the doctor continued, "including all our cell phones, my office, other hospital numbers, and Charlie asked us to have his number at hand in case there is trouble. I will have that list waiting when your new phone arrives and you can put them in yourself."

"Also on the subject of emergencies, one thing I require of you – for your own sake – is that you have an emergency bag and an overnight bag in the trunk at all times," Carlisle informed. "For the overnight bag, pick out two outfits you could wear for most anything. Include shoes, a coat, sunglasses, gloves, a pair of boots, a scarf, and sample size hygiene products. We'll also compile the emergency bag with things like matches, an umbrella, water, some dry goods, and other necessities. It's just a safety precaution, because you never know what we might need to escape. Look at what happened in _Twilight_ , when James came after Bella. She was lucky enough to be at a hotel, but you may not be, so we need to be prepared. I'll also show you how to manage all of your accounts and resources, so you'll be able to do it yourself if you end up alone for any stretch of time."

While on the outside it seemed like a lot to take in, I knew well enough how to prepare an emergency kit and overnight bag, so I didn't get too overwhelmed. The idea of having to run sounded frightening, though, and I laid my fork down anxiously.

"I don't know how likely that is, Mireille," Carlisle gently explained, "but I would rather you be as prepared as possible for it."

"I understand," I replied sincerely. "I just hope it doesn't come to that."

"As do I," Carlisle agreed firmly, patting my hand and inhaling deeply before he spoke again, "Another precaution I have thought of is something in case you have to run to the Denali coven."

Wincing at the idea of approaching the extremely law abiding vampires, I really hoped that never happened either.

"I know, I know," Carlisle assured me again. "It's not ideal, but if a situation occurred where that might be necessary, I would give you my signet ring when you left, to show as a sign that you could be trusted. Eleazar and Carmen would accept that, at the least, and neither Tanya nor her sisters would betray the couple's faith by reporting your presence."

"There's nothing else that would be a sign to them?" I wondered a little desperately. "They're so set on following the Volturi's laws…"

"That truly is the best symbol I could give them," Carlisle shook his head. "I know it seems very little, but I promise you it would work."

"I have to trust you, then," I decided, though I still worried. Such a situation would be so unpredictable.

"Let's try not to think of it now," he sighed more deeply at my upset. "You don't even have your car yet… On a pleasanter topic, I have set up college and retirement funds for you. And before you protest, it would look rather silly if I didn't arrange such things for you as I have the others."

"Okay, not arguing," I lifted my hands in placation, trying to push my worry away for Carlisle's sake.

"You're also on medical, dental, optical, and life insurance plans," he pressed on quickly, almost afraid I would fight him on it. "And once more, before you argue, I know it seems ridiculous for vampires to have insurance, but you are not a vampire and you do need these at least available for use. Now, my last topic is more informative than discussion-worthy. For one, I have a list of all financial institutions we have placed assets in, and their phone numbers. It's at the house, along with a book of all the assets our family has accrued in any vault or safe, at any institution. That includes not only monetary assets, but jewelry, paintings, vehicles, and other valuables."

"Why would I need to know all that?" I asked incredulously, pausing over a bite of fried rice. "I won't be using any of those other assets, only money."

"Again, you never know what you might need," Carlisle soothed my excitable nerves. "It's just in case."

With that parting word, Carlisle let me eat in thoughtful peace for the rest of my meal, sitting back to write notes of some kind on his writing pad. Silence pervaded the Mercedes on the way back to the Cullen house, that brief phrase 'just in case' driving me utterly crazy for some reason I couldn't pinpoint.

"We're back," Carlisle called me from my quiet thoughts, coming around to my side in a flash and helping me out of my seat.

Lost in thought as I was, it took a moment for me to realize the light around me wasn't the car lights. Looking up curiously through the dark, I gasped in happy shock to find the entire home had been decorated like a gingerbread house.

Every color of Christmas light bedecked the white structure; the porch studded with clear, the windows framed with red, the house outlined with green, the roof lined with blue, lit candles in silver stands flickering in every window, and lighted garland spiraling around every porch post. The porch itself boasted an array of red square lanterns with clear Christmas lights stuffed inside. Some of the evergreen trees nearest the house had been expertly covered in multicolor light strands, encircling the property like enormous pieces of candy.

Speaking of candy, lighted candy cane arches lined both sides of the driveway. The two long walkways between the driveway and the wraparound porch had been lined up and down with lighted red candle decorations, and the garage matched the house all framed in green lights. Somehow, green wreaths wrapped with multicolor lights and a big gold bow had been hung every several feet on the garage walls.

"It's so beautiful," I sighed adoringly, but changed pace in all of a minute to nearly shout at Carlisle, "That's why we did all of this so soon!"

"Yes, silly girl," Carlisle laughed, hugging me with fondness as the rest of the family came into the front yard with us, all smiling at my reaction.

"You sneaks!" I laughingly squealed at all seven of them, making everyone laugh.

"We're very talented at that!" Alice giggled.

"But why? How?" I wanted to know, looking at each of their pleasant faces with happiness.

"It was in your mind yesterday," Edward confessed a bit sheepishly. "When you realized how close Christmas was. I told everyone."

"That's what you were shopping for, wasn't it?" I deduced, casting a look in Esme's direction.

With a warm smile, Esme nodded her agreement, "Yes, I couldn't let you go without something you love so much."

"Oh, you're all wonderful," I praised the Cullens rather shyly. "Thank you so much. This is the best."

"You're welcome," Emmett led the chorus from the family, his booming voice making me laugh again for no reason at all as we headed inside the warmth of the festive house.

Just beneath the staircase railing hung green fir garland, and the hallway towards the main bathroom had been lined with little evergreens in rustic yet elegant brown pedestal pots. In the conservatory, another little potted evergreen sat on the piano. In the dining room, two similar little evergreens had been placed on the table. The greatest – and my favorite – decoration was the enormous live Douglas Fir tree, bare though it was, standing in the middle of the floor in front of the computer area.

Inside was just as beautiful as the outside, albeit less covered. There were no lights as yet, and something about the interior looked almost empty in spite of all its décor.

"I thought you might like to direct the rest of the decorating in here," Esme said softly from behind me, her hand coming to rest on my shoulder. "What do you think?"

"I'd love to," I told her warmly, turning under her hand to wrap my arms around her in a tight hug. "Thank you so much."

Esme sniffed unnecessarily, rubbing my back in comforting circles. "You're very welcome, sweetie."

After leaving Esme's motherly hug, I headed up to my room and changed out of my boots and into a cushy pair of flats. Even just sitting down for our decorating, the boots would be a little too uncomfortable. Edward came up to escort me down the stairs the moment I thought about it, and by time we hit the bottom I definitely appreciated it.

"Thank you," I told him gratefully, taking a seat on the rolling desk chair Jasper wheeled over. The empathic vampire didn't need my verbal thanks, he simply smiled in acknowledgment of the gratitude I felt.

"All right," Alice clapped excitedly, appearing before me in a gust. "We'll work at vampire speed so you can see everything and fix anything as quickly as possible."

"And so you don't fall asleep on us," Emmett remarked with a booming laugh, making me shake my head and Rosalie roll her eyes.

"Lead on with the decorating, Mir," Alice continued in spite of Emmett, gesturing towards me with her hands out, palms up.

"Well, first thing," I began thoughtfully, giggling when Emmett rolled me playfully around to face the undecorated Christmas tree, and incidentally the entire family. "The first thing is more garland. It would be neat if we had garland around every doorway and window."

"Check that," Alice confirmed, disappearing with everyone to begin placing garland around the aforementioned places. I couldn't believe my eyes as garland flew and floated into place everywhere, seeming to move as if by magnets, but for the glimpse of each vampire blurring in my sights.

When the Cullens finished and returned to where I sat in awe, they laughed collectively.

"What do you think?" Esme prompted me curiously, and I had to take a few moments to look around before I could answer.

"All good," I shrugged easily, happily. "Could we also put some on the fireplace mantle, the computer hutch, the shelves in the conservatory, the room divider, and the butler's pantry?"

Reappearing with Esme to put it all in place at the speed of light, Alice finally consented cheerily, "Done, done, and done."

"I like it," I smiled pleasantly. "Say, do you have any more of those little potted evergreens?"

"Oh, yes," Esme nodded, "I have quite a few left over."

"Hm… let me think," I murmured to myself, looking carefully around the house for bare spots to put trees. It took a little bit to figure it all out, but I finally found the best places. "Okay, so… how about one tree on either side of the mantle and one either side of the back doors and one in each corner by the front doors. And I was thinking one on either side of the plant display in the kitchen. Is that too much?"

"Oh, no, sweetheart," Esme happily eased my mind. "This house is so large, it won't approach the cluttered look unless you literally fill the room."

"It's going to smell so wonderful and homey in here," I sighed contentedly, breathing in the lovely brisk pine scent that already started to permeate the room.

"Did you have live evergreen when you decorated your old home?" Emmett asked curiously, and with sincere innocence for once in his life. He, along with Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice, didn't know all that much about my past and my family. I wondered if I could ease past the question with a simple yes or no, but Edward cast me a sympathetic expression that put comfort entirely out of mind.

"We just had the cheap, fake stuff," I shrugged, deciding with resignation to let the conversation lead where it would, much as I wasn't fond of the possible topics.

"Oh," Emmett said simply, and for a second I thought he changed his mind about whatever he was interested in.

Of course I couldn't be that lucky.

"How did you celebrate Christmas with your parents?" the burly vampire asked bluntly. Esme, Carlisle, and Edward were kind enough to start moving the extra potted trees into place rather than add to my audience. Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett all sat as a rapt group in anticipation of my response.

Taking a deep, calming breath, I felt less prepared than the first time I'd discussed my history. "Honestly, Em? …It wasn't all that great. My parents weren't very… amiable people."

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked, frowning at the low feelings I emitted.

With a sigh, I explained as plainly as possible, "My parents were materialistic and selfish. They both had to keep up with the Joneses, if you will. My father was lazy, self-interested, had a bad temper… didn't even want to see me after my mother died. And my mother, she was… I hate to speak ill of the dead, but she really was two-faced; she would put on this powerful, friendly façade in front of others, then at home she criticized everyone and complained about how much she wanted but didn't have."

"Both of my parents were vengeful people," I went on uncomfortably, "I never really felt comfortable with the way they reacted to most situations. They were impatient with me, usually, and cared more about what our appearances and our house looked like to other people than how it felt to live with it all. We never had real trees at Christmas because it was too expensive for their overspent budgets, and my mother hated the house to look imperfect in any way for company. I had to look as nice and as trendy as possible for company, too. We had lots of company because my parents had to make themselves look good and generous; that could mean a leg up in the social world, after all."

The rant became bitterer with every word as I described my past, and it took someone grasping my hand to snap me from the melancholy feeling. Looking over in surprise, I found Rosalie holding my fingers in a gentle grip.

"I know," was all she said, quiet and truly understanding of what I had been through. Her own human family had treated her like a show dog or an auction piece, after all, prepared to sell her to the highest bidder for their own social status.

Inhaling to relieve myself of the frustration and upset, I explained a little further for my audience, "My parents were totally against my going to college for the degrees I really enjoyed. It was all about making more money. Christmas was really just another showpiece for the money my parents wanted it to _look_ like we had. So, celebrating Christmas with my parents was more a pain than a joy."

"Then where did you get your love for it?" Alice asked wonderingly, head tilted in interest.

"I really gained my love of Christmas at my grandparents' house," I responded more pleasantly. "My father's parents were the warmest and most welcoming people I knew. Their house was an escape the few times I was allowed to stay with them. I remember only four Christmases we spent together, but they left an impression I never want to forget. After Black Friday, I would spend the weekend over there, helping set up Christmas lights and the characters in their lighted Nativity. Two of my favorite things, though, were hanging ornaments on the tree and adding little nickname tags to the stockings. On Christmas Eve, we wrapped presents and made sugar cookies, singing Christmas songs."

Laughing suddenly, I added wistfully, "Grandpa was always off-key. But Grandma would shush me about it and try not to laugh. Just before we went to bed, we'd drink peppermint hot chocolate and watch _Scrooge_ with Alistair Sim. I always fell asleep as the second ghost came on screen, and then I'd wake up to find that horrible ghost of Christmas yet-to-come. That creepy thing never failed to make me bury my head…"

"What happened?" Edward asked softly when I didn't continue.

"Grandpa died when I was nine," I answered just as softly, sad but fond. "Grandma was never the same. Two years after it happened, she fell and damaged her hip. My father and uncle were too busy with their own lives to take care of her, so they put her in a nursing home. She lived right up to a year before my mother died, but I only got to see her once a year on her birthday. And that only because the nursing home sent a card reminding the family of it. My father wouldn't even visit otherwise. That was probably what really made me pull away from him, that cruelty to such a loving person as my grandmother."

As vampires were wont to do in times of extreme emotion, the Cullens remained silent and still as my words hung in the atmosphere. Feeling awkward, and hoping to stop feeling so down, I talked about a lighter topic, "Grandma's wedding ring set was one thing I hoped to find when we searched the house. The engagement ring was passed down through four generations. I'm glad I have it."

"Yes, that's a wonderful thing to have found," Jasper agreed gently, sensing my discomfort with ease.

"You have many fond traditions, Mireille," Carlisle quietly interjected, laying a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Why don't we keep them going?"

"I'd love to," I replied mistily, swallowing so I wouldn't start crying. "Thank you for letting me ramble."

Chuckling as a unit, the Cullens rose from whatever positions they had remained in during my tale and stood ready to work.

"How about we decorate all those little trees?" Alice suggested brightly.

"With pearls and all colors of tinsel?" I recommended hesitantly.

"The more the merrier," Emmett grinned widely, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically. "You just pick the color and we'll wrap 'em up like mummies if you want."

"Maybe not quite that tightly," I giggled at his high energy, and did my best to make the little trees all throughout the house look like a rainbow of tinsel.

"Could we make popcorn garland for the Christmas tree?" I asked once that job was finished.

"I bought cranberries especially. Unless you'd just like to have popcorn on its own?" Esme inquired.

"I was actually going to suggest both," I happily agreed.

"I'll get to work making that," the motherly vampire announced. "Meanwhile, why don't you all bring the decorations for Mireille to look through and choose from?"

The stash of Christmas decorations the rest of the family brought down was absolutely enormous, and I had to take it one box at a time to really comprehend what each item was. Atop the mantle and around the base of the fireplace, Rosalie arranged an artful selection of greenery, pinecones, holly berry sprigs, and small gold ornaments. On the dining table over a crimson runner, Alice organized a central vase of natural décor like cranberries, evergreen sprigs, pinecones, and unshelled nuts, as well as distributing those natural elements with colored ornaments and ivory candles all along the table.

Jasper put a variety of mini ornaments on all the little potted trees in matching themes, Emmett hung strands of garland and tinsel all the way down the window wall in the back, and Edward placed red and white poinsettia plants on the conservatory shelves, the dining room table, and atop the living room coffee table. Carlisle began to help Esme color the popcorn and string it so it could be put up on the Christmas tree, the speed they added the popped kernels on the line making me shake my head.

Edward and Jasper worked together to set up the family's collection of Nutcrackers throughout the house. While Emmett put a beautiful gold damask tree skirt under the Christmas tree and topped the gigantic evergreen with a golden crown, Alice and Rosalie helped me pick and choose ornaments for the big tree. Crystal icicles, red and green glass bulbs, baby's breath, gold tinsel, candy canes, and bird nests filled out the collection of decorations nicely.

What really made it fun decorating the tree were the numerous unique and unusual things the Cullens had collected over the years. Aside from the sets of similar decorations they'd bought specifically for my benefit, these other unique ornaments were all individualized. Some vintage, some even antique, some from different houses the Cullens had lived in and celebrated Christmas at.

"This was the first ornament I bought as a vampire," Esme told me as we looked over a small bronze bell hanging from a satin lavender ribbon. "It's nothing special to look at and it has no real monetary value, but it reminded me of the Church bells we could always hear in town. When it rings, I always remember Ashland. I remember the first true home I ever lived in. Even my childhood home wasn't so close to my heart."

Carlisle came over to embrace his caramel-haired wife and Edward reached for his mother's hand with abiding affection. Struck by the sentimentality of their moment, I had to clear my throat to not get too choked up.

Emmett had an ornament he loved, too, and I had to laugh when I saw the miniature ceramic grizzly bear hanging from a piece of twine.

"Edward thought it was pretty funny," the burly vampire grinned at me. "He got it for a gag, but I always liked it."

Still giggling quietly a few minutes later, I turned and found Alice waiting with my little tree ornament in hand – the one she'd given me for Thanksgiving.

"Right there, please?" I suggested quietly, laughter falling away as I pointed to a spot right in the middle of the tree. Alice smiled and placed it exactly as I'd wanted; it was the last ornament to hang.

"Now that the first level is fully decorated," Esme spoke up afterwards, a warm smile on her face, "why don't we continue decorating the other levels the day after the party? I want you to be well rested, Mireille."

"That's okay, Esme," I agreed, feeling a little tired. "And… well, since we have so little time before Christmas to enjoy the decorations… do you think we could leave them up until my birthday? It's only a couple days after New Year's…"

Sharing a significant glance with Carlisle, Esme turned and smiled. "Of course, sweetheart. I think that's a lovely idea."

Just before bed, I remembered I had yet to order the checkbook cover Carlisle mentioned earlier in the day. Having heard the thought in my mind, Edward brought my laptop over and showed me how to do so, sending me on a search through hoards of interesting designs. Considering my green leaf printed checks, I finally decided on a tree pattern for the checkbook cover; ironically it was called 'aspen trees' and I knew I'd made the right choice.

That night I slept more soundly than I had in a long time, my dreams pleasant and comforting, full of warm memories and possibilities. When I woke in the morning, it was to a pale sunny day and the sound of ' _Moonlight Sonata'_ still playing gently in the background like a lullaby. Breathing in the fresh, woodsy scent of pine and the air of welcome that pervaded everything, I felt truly, sincerely, completely comfortable for the first time since my arrival in Forks, Washington.

"Good morning," Edward murmured, and I turned my head to find him leaning against the wall of the hallway leading to our closets, a CD case in hand.

"Morning, Edward," I murmured in return, stretching with careful consideration of my back.

"Alice is chomping at the bit," he smirked, jerking his head towards the main hallway.

"For what?" I wondered confusedly, slowly pulling myself into a sitting position.

"To start prepping for the Christmas party tonight," he sighed amusedly.

"It's morning!" I exclaimed in disbelief, staring at him. "There's no way I'll need all day to get ready!"

"You know my over-excitable sister," he replied, holding his hands up in placation. "She has something planned every time there's an event."

"Alice, what in the world?" I exhaled in utter exasperation. Said vampire appeared in my room at astronomical speed, looking patiently stubborn.

"Everything will go slower with your body still healing," Alice explained without any doubt. "And you'll want time to eat at a normal pace, play the piano a little, do your hour walk, and work on a little tutoring. I'm only starting now because I'm trying to fit around all the things you'll be doing today."

Remarkably, it was a kind and conciliatory gesture on the pixielike vampire's part. I couldn't really deny the facts in what she said.

"Okay, I can go for that," I agreed with a nod, bringing a smile on Alice's elfin features.

"Let get started, then!" she enthusiastically announced.

Everything went a great deal smoother the way Alice had planned it all, and I didn't once regret letting her arrange the day. From hygiene prep to eating breakfast to my first shortened lesson with Esme, and beyond that until the last hour before the party, the time went just quickly enough without overcrowding me or stressing me out.

"I have to give you credit for planning, Alice," I told her while she painted my toenails a shimmering medium gray.

"Thank you, Mir," the small vampire said brightly. "The last things to do are change into your outfit, and do your hair and makeup. I decided against jewelry until you really feel up to it."

"Thanks," I sighed with genuine gratitude. "It does sound annoying right now. Say, Alice, where is the party being held, anyway? No offense to any of you, but I figured you wouldn't be comfortable if it was at the hospital itself."

"No offense taken by anyone," Alice assured me with a little laugh. "It's actually being held in the church fellowship hall. Angela's father was happy to oblige for the occasion."

"So we'll see Angela again," I deduced pleasantly.

"Yes, she'll be there," Alice answered with a smile. "She's very nice, isn't she?"

"Easy to talk with," I nodded, hair slipping down my shoulder with the movement.

"How would you like your hair, by the way?" Alice wondered interestedly, moving to paint my fingernails.

I pursed my lips in thought as I replied, "Maybe a braid down the right side of my neck?"

"That'll look cute with your blouse and skirt," she agreed, nodding happily. "Oh, maybe I should have put my hair in pin curls…"

"No, your dress is too sleek and simple," I disagreed. "If it was frilly, I'd say yes."

"That does make sense," the pixielike vampire nodded, tipping up my last fingernail. "There! I'll get your outfit so you can change."

It wasn't exactly easy getting into my outfit while Alice went to change into hers. My knee-length, black satin skirt with silver flower decal was no issue, of course, but the shiny ivory blouse was; the neck settled right around the base of my throat and the three-quarter length sleeves draped in my way when I reached for the back buttons. A pull in my upper back forced me to stop.

"Alice, could you help me button this blouse?"

"Sure thing," the tiny vampire said as she appeared before me, already dressed in silver-sequined Jimmy Choos and her ladylike oxblood dress with a silver-sequined Peter Pan collar.

Although I knew Alice did as I asked, it amazed me that I felt no movement while she worked at the buttons.

"There you are, Mir," Alice informed me, patting the shoulders of my blouse in a final way. "Can you get the shoes, or do you need me to tie them?"

"Uh, I probably need you to do that," I remembered suddenly. "I don't think I can bend like that."

Without another word, Alice retrieved the shiny cream and black oxford flats, tying the black laces in tidy little bows at record speed.

"Okay, on to makeup," she announced perfunctorily, picking up the blush and beginning her little ritual.

I wondered if Alice would ever teach me her techniques so I could do the makeup myself one day, but I left that inquiry for another time when she started braiding my hair as I'd asked.

"Are you two ready now?" Esme popped in, hair in a simple twist bun behind her head, as Alice finished off the end of my braid with a little curl.

"Yep," we replied in unison, smiling over at Esme in her green and black dress and pointed black heels as she left the room. Alice helped me stand slowly and easily.

"I'll carry you out," Edward announced upon arriving in the room in his black slacks and gray dress shirt. "Save your energy for the party."

"Okay," I agreed easily and in a blur we stood in the foyer, where Carlisle stood helping Esme into her simple black coat with a tied belt. Edward set me on my feet and helped me into my new cream winter dress coat. Granted, I would never really have just one of any type of coat with Alice planning half my wardrobe, but it was the one I intended to wear for the night.

Rosalie's bright red tartan print dress caught my eyes quite vividly where taupe-clad Emmett helped his wife into an equally bright red coat with fringe all along the hem. By contrast, Rosalie's nude Christian Louboutin pumps and loose hairstyle – half twisted into a band around her head – were positively tame. The coat Alice had chosen to wear was a neutral light gray to match the silvery sequins on her shoes and collar, and Jasper had dressed in charcoal to complement his wife.

"Are we all ready?" Carlisle asked, looking somehow calm and upbeat at the same time.

"Oh, picture!" Alice reminded everyone, stopping Edward from lifting me up into his grasp.

"Quickly, before we're late," Esme told her black-haired daughter, who certainly moved as fast as ever when she set up the tripod and camera timer, lining us up with the garland-framed front doors as our backdrop and rushing into place just before the camera snapped a picture.

"All right, we'll take more at the hospital," Alice assured whoever was listening, putting the camera away. "Let's get to that party."

* * *


	29. Chapter 27: Inadvertent

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** This chapter was a study in complicated dialogue for me, since I don't usually include a bunch of people in one conversation unless I have to. It just gets messy. But here we are anyway, so enjoy!

**Previously** – Carlisle arranged banking, library card, cell phone, and a credit card for Mireille. Carlisle and Mireille discussed emergency procedures. The Cullens decorated the house in Christmas lights for Mireille. Mireille led decorating in the house and described Christmas with her parents and grandparents. The Cullens prepped for the hospital Christmas party.

> **Chapter 27: Inadvertent**

The Lutheran church where Pastor Weber usually held services looked nothing like Forks General Hospital; its brown roof and tan brick structure looked more like houses than a hospital.

Yet something about it reminded me keenly of the recent past as Carlisle pulled into a parking spot near the door. Perhaps it was the idea that I would once again be surrounded by a great deal of the hospital staff or the fact I would be facing the nursing staff I had apparently 'traumatized' during my stay.

Edward sighed over my thoughts, quickly exiting the car to reach back and offer me a hand onto the pavement. Rosalie pulled the Mazda into the parking space beside the Mercedes at the same moment Edward half lifted me to my oxford-clad feet.

The other Cullen 'children' popped out of the Mazda with conversation already flowing between them, the chatter soothing much of my retroactive emotional state. Gratitude spread through me for the immediate distraction while we headed through the doors of the church, Carlisle and Esme leading us all inside the mildly decorated structure. It was festive despite its simplicity, with garland and red bows around the doorways, a number of red poinsettia plants, and several green-potted evergreen trees decorated with colorful bulbs and tinsel.

It didn't occur to me at first, but when we stopped at the front table so Carlisle could make a donation, I realized the Cullens had surrounded me quite effectively from anyone approaching.

"Stop being a detective for a little while," Edward teased me, lean features light in contrast to his wary eyes. Those freshly golden eyes rolled heavenward at my constant observation, but the gesture was done all in fondness.

"If we surrounded you, it wasn't intentional," the bronze-haired vampire told me genuinely. "I believe it's merely an instinctive maneuver after what happened to you. Not that I think it's necessarily a bad idea, mind you."

"For now, I suppose that's true," I sighed in return.

"We can put our coats in that room over there," Carlisle explained just loud enough for me to understand, pointing in the intended direction. Edward grasped my elbow to lead me along with the rest of the family to the aforementioned room, where he took my coat and hung it up beside his own.

"Feeling all right, Mireille?" Carlisle asked me concernedly, laying a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"I'm okay, Carlisle," I assured him calmly, looking up at his golden features with sincerity. "The church brought back memories at first, but that's gone now. I feel a lot better. The Christmas decorations helped a little."

"I'm glad to hear that," the doctor smiled gently at me, squeezing my shoulder with kindness.

"Why don't we walk around with you and Esme?" Edward suggested quietly from my other side. Glancing around nervously, I realized no one else was in the room with all of us.

"You can introduce Mireille to everyone and she won't have to make much small talk," Jasper added thoughtfully.

"It will cut down on awkward inconsistencies in our stories, at the very least," Carlisle agreed with a nod. "Good idea."

"Come on, sweetie," Esme smiled at me, putting a cold arm around my shoulders and pulling me to walk next to her as we left the coats behind. Carlisle and Edward walked side by side behind us as we headed through the hallways to wherever the Santa signs pointed.

In a couple of minutes we stood just outside of the fellowship hall. Looking into the room I felt a sudden influx of nervousness at the amount of people there.

"It'll be all right," Esme comforted me, hand at my back.

"Nothing is going to happen," Alice insisted calmly, backed up by the touch of confidence Jasper gave when he grasped my hand for a moment.

"We're all here with you," Edward added kindly, Emmett and Rosalie nodding solemnly along with him.

"Come along, sweetheart," Carlisle quietly insisted, moving up to my side and gently ushering me into the room with him and Esme.

Trying my best not to worry, I glanced around at the festive, red and green decorated space rather than at the variety of people who clearly stared as we entered. From the corner of my eye, I recognized black-clothed Mr. Weber near the punch table, talking with a black-suited Dr. Snow and Charlie Swan – amazingly dressed up a bit in brown slacks and a tan plaid shirt. Being the only one facing us, the police chief gave a wave and alerted his companions to our presence, both of whom smiled and waved also. Finding a smile much easier than I thought possible, I gave a tiny wave back when Carlisle did.

"Carlisle!" a pleasant voice intruded on the moment, and we turned as one to find gray-haired Dr. Gerandy walking up with an equally gray-haired woman in wide black trousers, a black and red print blouse, and a red blazer with a large ruffle on either side of the collar. "I'm glad you and your family were able to come."

"I'm glad we didn't miss it," Carlisle responded, a slight teasing quality in his voice. "After all that hounding from you, I would never have lived it down."

Laughing at the rib, Dr. Gerandy turned to the woman at his side and introduced her. "This is my wife, Melissa. Honey, this is Carlisle Cullen and his wife, Esme."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Mrs. Gerandy smiled warmly and genuinely, reaching out to shake Carlisle's hand and then Esme's. "Robert's been all praises for the way you care for your family, Dr. Cullen."

"Esme and I love our children very much," Carlisle replied more softly, his sincerity shining through the simple words. "I don't think you've met them. Edward, Emmett, Alice…"

"My niece and nephew, Rosalie and Jasper," Esme took up, smiling at the two in question. For each name they spoke, Carlisle and Esme gestured at each of their children in turn, all five of whom had spread out to either side of their parents.

"And of course the newest member of our family. You've already met my niece, Mireille," Carlisle introduced me, giving my shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"Yes, and I'm glad to see you on your feet, young lady," Dr. Gerandy nodded with a mixture of sympathy and solemnity.

"How are you feeling?" Mrs. Gerandy inquired, hazel eyes filled with kindness.

"Much better," I answered surely. "Thank you for asking."

"You're welcome, dear," the older woman smiled again. "Well, we'd better let you mingle."

"Yes, we'll let you get around the room," Dr. Gerandy smiled as well. "Enjoy the evening."

"You as well," Carlisle said as they walked away.

"Well that was easier than I expected," I murmured under my breath.

"Nothing should be very difficult tonight," Esme informed me knowingly.

Dr. Snow and his wife, Kelly, were the next to greet us, the latter dressed in a fashionable purple peplum dress. Their two young daughters, introduced as Jordan and Morgan, stood patiently waiting with their parents, but anyone nearby could sense their desire to run a little more freely.

I recognized Jill Peyton, the nurse who wore too-tight scrubs, now wearing a too-tight red, cowl-neck dress with a lime green top beneath it. Diane Wyatt, the only nurse during my stay whom I actually liked, came dressed in a black and ivory sheath dress with hot pink flowers printed on it, and looked quite content to be with her husband, Aaron, when they said hello.

Charlie Swan stepped up not long after the Wyatt couple to offer a brief word of greeting.

"Good to see you up and about, Mireille," the chief of police smiled a little. "You look better."

"Thank you, Charlie," I replied. "I feel a lot better than I did."

"Did you all put my number in your phones?" Charlie made sure sternly.

"Yes, we did," I spoke for everyone, though I expected they nodded anyway.

"Good," Charlie nodded once, firm and decisive. "You call me if there's any problems, okay?"

"Will do, Chief," I mock saluted, bringing a larger smile to Charlie's face and a sparkle in his eyes. I wondered if this was what Bella meant about her father's 'crinkly-eyed smile' from his wedding photo.

"You keep taking care," were Charlie's last words before he headed off.

After the initial greetings and introductions with some of Carlisle's other coworkers and their spouses, the Cullens spread out in smaller groups throughout the party. To look a little less like couples and avoid fueling the rumor mill any more, the husbands and wives had split from each other. Edward and Emmett walked away talking about a baseball game they had not only watched already, but remembered with perfect clarity. Alice headed off with Carlisle and Esme looking excitable, leaving Jasper and Rosalie as my quiet companions. They didn't follow right beside me, instead walking slightly nearby so I had ready help without looking imprisoned by them.

The one person I had yet to greet was Angela in a plain crimson dress with elbow-length sleeves; she always seemed to be somewhere helping out when I saw her, and unavailable to talk. Finally, on a pass by the dessert table to examine its contents, I ran into Angela completely by chance.

"Hi, Mireille!" Angela smiled, grabbing a paper plate from the table. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to say hello yet. I've been helping my mom and the other ladies set up some things."

The tall teen gestured towards an average-height, sandy-haired woman wearing a navy, tee-sleeved shift dress with a black damask print.

"Hi, Angela," I greeted the younger girl in return, following her lead and picking up a plate. "That's nice of you to help out."

"I just always have," Angela shrugged casually, happening to glance down and see my oxfords. "I really like your shoes."

"Thanks. I can't really handle heels yet, so I wore these. But I like them a lot."

"Hey, Angela, what's that stuff?" someone interrupted from behind Angela. Looking around the taller girl, I saw a boy about Angela's age with mousy brown hair and brown eyes focused on some blob of yellowish-orange that I thought might be gelatin with fruit pieces. The teenage boy seemed familiar, though I couldn't quite place him.

"It's one of Mrs. Bodkin's jelly desserts," Angela informed him readily enough, although the hesitation in her voice told me the dish was a common frustration. "She decided on tropical this year – mango, pineapple, and banana."

"Aw, not that again," the boy groaned quietly, obviously aware of prying ears. "Last time I had to eat that junk, it was cherry jelly with banana pieces and marshmallows. My stomach was messed up for days. Dr. Gerandy even made a house call."

"When I was ten, I ended up eating orange jelly with watermelon and pineapple chunks," Angela visibly shuddered at the memory. "I've never eaten it since."

Inadvertently, I found myself giggling at the reminiscences of the two teenagers; it reminded me of when a relative had cooked up a new recipe and butchered it, but no one in the family wanted to tell them so.

The two teens looked at me as though they hadn't realized I was there, which made the situation funnier.

"Sorry," I giggled, amused by their faces. "Your faces are priceless."

"Sorry, Mireille. This is Lee Kirkland," Angela apologized, looking embarrassed, and I remembered abruptly why the boy seemed familiar; Angela had described him to me during her visit a month earlier. "He's in our year. Lee, this is Dr. Cullen's niece, Mireille Whitlock."

"Yeah, uh, my mom might've… er… mentioned that." Lee said awkwardly, not quite looking me in the eye. It was odd meeting Lee in person; Bella barely mentioned him in the books. "Um, hi, Mireille. Sorry about uh… well, I hope things are okay."

"Things are better now," I told him honestly. "Thanks, Lee."

"Sure," he uttered uncomfortably, but he appeared a bit easier in his manner as he walked away with a plate of assorted desserts.

"I guess that went okay," Angela decided, biting her lip nervously and glancing after Lee.

"It's as good as I'll probably get," I shrugged, returning my interest to the dessert table with more focus than strictly necessary.

"I hope not," Angela sighed.

"Don't worry about it," I assured her with far more confidence than I actually felt. Inside, my body was a mess of nerves and worry. Was this how everyone would treat me from here on out? I fidgeted at the thought of it.

Out of nowhere, a cold hand grasped mine, and I turned to find Jasper half-glancing my way with understanding. He poured a small amount of calm and assuredness into me with his special ability, leaving me with a pleasanter outlook.

"Thanks," I murmured just at Jasper's hearing level, and he smiled.

"Oh, Mireille," Angela caught my attention, and I remembered suddenly we were at the Christmas party, not back in the Cullen's strange and fascinating world in the privacy of their home. "Here come Conner Packham and Katie Marshall. Remember I told you about them?"

"I think so," I answered, wary to face another meeting mishap as I had with Lee Kirkland. Jasper squeezed my hand and let go again, another wave of assurance passing through me. Looking the direction Angela faced, I saw redheaded Katie Marshall in a blue and green plaid dress with a blue turtleneck underneath, and brown-haired Conner Packham in a red polo and khakis.

"Hi, Angela," Katie greeted the tall girl with a small smile, slightly nervous.

"Hey," Conner said quietly, looking less nervous than Katie.

"Hi, guys," Angela responded, leading the five of us away from the dessert table so others could get there. "You haven't met Mireille, have you? Dr. Cullen's niece?"

"Lee pointed you out," Conner told me directly. He had more confidence than Lee, I thought.

"I saw you at Homecoming, actually," Katie added. "Your dress was two colors of purple, right?"

"It was," I tried to stay simple and short with my answers. Despite Jasper's presence, and Rosalie standing just off the side of the dessert table, I had every possibility of messing things up if I gave too many details. Granted, Edward and Alice looked perfectly content on the opposite side of the room, which I doubted would be the case if I might mess up.

"So are you starting school in January?" Conner asked curiously, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Yes, I already have my schedule," I replied, glad of a question that did not directly remind me of Vanessa Travis' hateful plans.

"What classes do you have?" Katie wondered with genuine interest.

The conversation progressed in the same vein for some time, talk of school and class work and school sports taking up most of my evening. Conner wasn't too bad to talk with, and Katie was quite nice. Lee came over at one point, plainly more comfortable with Conner there as well. Quite inadvertently, I became the center of operations for the teenagers at the Christmas party and found myself speaking freely in spite of my prior reservations.

All four of the sophomores told me which of the residents in Forks were the best and worst cooks, which of the foods at this particular party were the most edible, and which to walk right past without a second glance. Despite their warnings, I took one wary bite of Mrs. Bodkin's jelly dessert. Everyone seemed to think I was crazy when I decided this party's tropical version wasn't all that bad.

Jasper stayed at my side throughout the entirety of my discussions with the other students, never once adding his own thoughts nor being asked for them. It was strange the way everyone seemed capable of totally ignoring the Cullens' vampire presences when they were standing right there, but no one ever seemed suspicious that Jasper stood near and yet distant.

"It's too bad we don't have any classes together," Katie suggested disappointedly.

"There's always lunch," Lee interceded optimistically.

"Yeah, but Mireille probably wants to sit with her family," Angela disagreed, and I couldn't help taking her side of things. "She hasn't been with the Cullens all that long."

"I really would like to sit with them," I agreed kindly. "Not that I wouldn't like to talk with you guys…"

"That's cool," Conner nodded, and all of them did seem to understand.

"Hi, Mireille," Alice's voice chirped in my right ear just as her arm slipped amiably through mine. Turning around, I found that Jasper had stepped away with Rosalie, presumably to fake a chat with Emmett and Edward, both of whom had closed in on our location unbeknownst to me.

Catching Edward's eye, I lifted one brow in challenge. Surely he couldn't tell me this was 'unintentional' like before? Grinning slightly, Edward winked teasingly at me and continued his conversation with his brothers.

"Hey, Alice," I spoke to the smallest Cullen, giving up on mentally scolding Edward. "Been having fun?"

"Of course!" she smiled less jubilantly than usual, trying not to scare the students around us with her threatening teeth. "Esme introduced me to all the moms over there."

Our little group looked in the direction Alice jabbed her thumb, finding a group of seven women standing in a messy circle and chatting it up. Esme had moved on with Carlisle, talking with Charlie Swan by the drink table, leaving Mrs. Gerandy, Mrs. Snow, Diane Wyatt, and four women I didn't know talking with each other.

"Oh, that's my mom in the black and white print dress," Katie announced, gesturing at the auburn-haired woman beside Mrs. Snow.

"My mom's in black and white, too," Conner added nonchalantly. "Looks like a shirt."

"What about your mom, Lee?" I inquired, noting Conner's mother between Mrs. Gerandy and Diane.

"The other black dress," he responded. "Talking with Mrs. Emerson."

"That's Samantha's mom," Angela told me helpfully. "Samantha's the one in the green sweater dress who just walked over."

"Her mom is wearing the dress with the geometric print on the skirt," Alice explained to me, but I could have recognized Mrs. Emerson without the description. She and her green-clothed daughter shared the same dark sandy hair and pinched expression while they talked with Lee's mother.

"So all of your moms work here at the hospital?" I wondered curiously.

"Not my mom," Lee negated. "It's my dad. He's a lab tech. He's over there, talking with Dr. Gerandy right now."

"How's the night going?" Edward's voice sounded near me, the bronze-haired vampire appearing on my other side out of the blue. If I hadn't known better, I would have said he used his natural vampire speed to show up.

"Good," I replied sincerely. "Everyone's been nice."

"They'd better be," Edward said teasingly, but there was an underlying hint of chilly warning I could hear all too well. Judging by the startled expression on the other students' faces, I wagered they could hear it just as clearly.

"Mireille's been nice, too," Katie tentatively ventured, and Edward looked amused by her attempt to prove she wasn't going to mistreat me in any way.

"That's her most common trait," Alice stated confidently.

"Huh. And here I thought sarcasm was," I joked, surprising even myself. The group laughed and I shrugged sheepishly in return.

"It looks like they're setting up for Bingo," Angela informed everyone, looking behind us where the white-clothed tables were set up on the other half of the room, each round table holding a centerpiece of red carnations in a vase wrapped with a roll of candy canes.

Conner, Katie, and Lee shared a long-suffering look that made me raise an eyebrow. "You guys don't like to play?"

"I thought most everyone liked Bingo," Alice added curiously. "Easy, quick, fun…"

"It _could_ be fun…" Angela agreed with a great deal of hesitation.

"If we didn't play it every single year," Conner sighed.

"At every single party," Katie included tiredly. "Not just at Christmas."

"It's always the same cards and the same calls," Lee continued disparagingly. "Instead of calling letters and numbers, they ask questions about Forks and if you have the answer on your card, you put a bingo chip on it. It's never about anything _but_ Forks, either."

"They never switch it up," Katie agreed again with a tentative shrug. "After a while it just gets boring."

"I guess I can see where they would get really boring, really fast," I decided with pursed lips.

"But none of us have ever played it before," Edward tacked onto my statement knowingly.

Tamping down a smile, I concluded, "So I think it might be fun just this once."

"We won't spoil it for you, then," Conner offered.

All seven of us headed over as one group, each person to their respective family. In the Cullens' case, that meant two tables; one for Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Jasper; and one for Rosalie, Alice, Edward, and me.

I may not have lived in Forks before and I may not have gotten that many historical details about it from Bella's perspective, but by the end of three games I knew enough to fully agree with my future year-mates on one very important point.

Bingo was boring.

When the thought crossed my mind, Edward covered a laugh as best he could, but every Cullen heard it perfectly clearly; it wasn't difficult to know what made the bronze-haired vampire so amused.

It wouldn't have been such a bad game if there were prizes or at least more of a variety in the questions, answers, cards, or... _something_. But none of that happened and it turned stale more quickly than I imagined it might.

Once Rosalie and Alice stood from our table to find their husbands to talk to, Angela, Conner, Lee, and Katie all congregated at my table with Edward to gain my opinion.

"Well?" Katie prompted with a knowing grin.

"What'd you think?" Conner asked with the same expectant grin on his face.

"Boring," I admitted with the same long-suffering look they had worn earlier. The four students laughed and shook their heads in agreement.

"Uh oh," said Lee, laughter ending abruptly as he looked away. "I think my parents are ready to go."

"See you sometime, Lee," I bid the boy farewell as he walked off in a hurry.

Shortly after Lee's departure and a short discussion of the teachers at Forks High, my body started to ache against my wishes, and I wondered if it was too early for the Cullens to leave as well.

"We probably should get going ourselves," Edward suggested as soon as the thought crossed my mind, and I felt very grateful for his ability. Carlisle's head turned minutely in our direction as the words escaped his son's mouth, and I could tell he hurried his conversation with Dr. Snow so as to get us out of the party as soon as possible.

"I guess we'll see you all sometime at school," was my parting comment.

"We'll see each other at school rallies and dances, at least," Katie suggested optimistically.

"Yeah, we'll see you around," Conner smiled a little.

"Bye, guys," I greeted the three teens as Edward and I rose from the tan padded chairs to leave. A breath left me when the aches and soreness in my body made itself even further known. "Oh. Ow."

"Bye, Mireille," Angela waved a little, sympathy on her features. "Feel better."

"I'll do my best," I responded dryly, drawing another laugh from my new acquaintances.

"See you," Edward tacked on as an afterthought to the students, his main focus on my progress away from the table. He didn't have to worry long; Carlisle appeared beside me with a supportive arm around my shoulders before I'd gone five feet.

"I'm sorry, my dear," he told me, looking upset with himself. "I should have checked on you before now."

"I'm okay," I shook my head in disagreement. "It wasn't really until I got up that all my aches made themselves known. I feel like a little granny with arthritis."

Covering a laugh with a fake cough, Carlisle and Edward said nothing in reply, but the grins barely remained hidden on their faces while we joined the rest of the family in the coat room.

"Have you had fun?" Esme inquired, handing over my coat for Carlisle to help me into.

"I have, actually," I answered pleasantly, if a bit wearily, slipping my arms into the sleeves of the coat. "It was nice meeting some of my soon-to-be peers."

"They're growing quite fond of you," Edward told me with a small smile, offering an arm to help me out to the Mercedes.

"I said she was charismatic," Jasper put in nonchalantly, as if merely discussing the weather.

"Ah, we knew it anyway," Emmett waved Jasper away like an annoying pest, offering me a grin.

"You guys don't talk much at these things, do you?" I mentioned on the way outside.

"It generally keeps tensions lower," Rosalie spoke for the first time in my presence that night, quickly slipping into the driver's seat of the Mazda.

"The sound of our voices is too unusual," Carlisle explained further, taking care to keep his voice low so we were not overheard. "When we speak a great deal in one sitting, it makes humans uncomfortable to hear that unusual quality in our voice."

"That's strange," I frowned in thought. "I've never felt that way."

"You and Bella are the exceptions, clearly," Alice interceded with fondly exasperated shake of her head just before she hopped into the back of the Mazda with Jasper.

Somehow, in those few minutes between settling into the back of the Mercedes with a seat belt and our arrival at the house, I had already dozed off on Edward's shoulder.

"Mireille," his velvet voice woke me, along with a little shake. "We're back."

"Oh," I started slightly, surprised by my own weariness. "I didn't know I was that tired."

"It did hit you all of sudden," Esme worried, turning in her seat to look at me. "Carlisle, is she all right, do you think?"

"She's just fine, Esme," the doctor chuckled. "It's normal after becoming so tired for the body to fall asleep the moment it is in a relaxed position."

"I'm not going to argue that at all," I said wryly, yawning to unintentionally make the point. Carlisle, Esme, and Edward all laughed while the bronze-haired vampire helped me out of the car and into the house.

The following day became a whirlwind of Christmas decorating, me once again sitting in a desk chair and deciding where everything went on most of the second and third floor. Garland and more potted evergreens took priority, filling the whole house with even richer Christmas scent than before. I had a bit of a giggle fit after creating themes for some of the rooms.

Carlisle's vaguely baroque and rococo themed office, for instance, amused me because of its connotations for the doctor. All in all, though, the beauty of the gold-gilded and pine-filled design overrode my amusement, the bookshelves laden with golden cherubs and other unique knick-knacks, and aged gold and silver ornaments hanging in front of the windows. Every tabletop was covered in a multitude of mismatched gold and silver candlesticks surrounded by antique golden ornaments, and in the corners we settled a variety of décor such as a basket full of golden-dusted pinecones and large iron lanterns in a variety of heights.

Then there was Esme's brightly-colored arts-and-crafts decorated work room, which took up the largest part of our decorating day. It was pretty much the only room in which we were able to have a truly free creative experience. Esme allowed anything we wanted to do in the room, which included a multitude of colorful and crafty ideas from all concerned. Flower pots became brightly colored, uniquely decorated Christmas trees, and in Esme's case they became silver bells hung from red ribbons; the former setting on work tables and the latter hanging from the corners of Esme's storage units. On empty floor areas, branches painted silver with a multicolored selection of pom poms all over had been placed in large, clear glass vases filled with glitter-painted C9 bulbs.

Edward strung miniature bronze bells all across the windows and Emmett made a 'Merry Christmas' banner with every letter a different color to hang amidst the tiny bells. Rosalie hung multihued ornaments from colorful mismatched ribbons far above the top of the storage units and Carlisle created wooden trees painted all different colors that stood atop the units themselves. Alice wrapped bright yarn trees with snowflake toppers and pom pom 'ornaments' for the drafting table, and Jasper took up the task of ornamenting a large pine tree with the same rainbow of colors as Emmett had used in his banner.

In line with the many bright colors, Esme painted a huge assortment of pinecones to match and placed them in a big glass dish on the centermost work table. My project, since I was somewhat confined to my seated position, was to glue a wreath of colorful ornaments like Rosalie had used above the storage units; Emmett hung the wreath in the middle window, above his joyful Christmas banner.

For my shared space with Edward, I went with a musical Christmas theme, and probably a little overboard on the 'theme' of it all – from bows, paper flowers, and table runners to ornaments and candleholders, practically every Christmas decoration boasted sheet music in some form or another. No one minded, though, and Edward actually enjoyed printing out copies of actual sheet music from songs we both loved in order for us to create some of the artsy pieces of decoration.

For the others' rooms I stuck with the colors of their individual room design and simply helped decorate a large evergreen tree of some kind. Even Alice's closet got a slight overhaul – decked out in all manner of pink ornaments and pearls, a pretty pink tree, pink lights, and a matching ornament wreath. Alice had even been nice enough to allow me a little fun clothing her dress form in a skirt made of garland and a girly pink blouse Alice reluctantly donated for the occasion.

It wasn't too long after we'd put up the clear lights and silver tinsel garland in the last room – Forgery Central – that Carlisle was reminded of and mentioned the alternate identities I needed to work on.

"Do you feel up to doing that now?" the doctor asked me kindly, settling his hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "It's been a long couple of days, I know."

"I'm up for it," I agreed despite my lingering tiredness. The idea of having a little creative fun with names and information gave me some renewed energy, so I let Carlisle carry me to my shared room and set me at my side of the desk, where I quickly went to work. I took a great deal of care to think up names and information that would not be immediately recognized, yet still had enough significance for the Cullens to easily notice and remember.

While the others completed the simple design for the 'library' area, Alice came to sit at Edward's space at our desk, fascinated by my bit of fun and the process through which I reached it. As I listed all the notable dates and events I knew about the Cullens, I wondered about a small issue I'd never really considered before.

"Alice, why did you pick February 18th for your birthday?"

"That was when I met Jasper at the diner," Alice explained thoughtfully, leaning on her left hand as she watched me write out dates and names. "I would have chosen that for our wedding date, too, but the weather was too harsh where we all lived at the time. We were married April 30th instead since it was the first nice day that year, so I decided to use our first meeting for my birthday."

"That's sweet," I smiled at her, loving the cute little anecdotes the Cullens often gave me.

"I think so, too," she giggled with me, but turned wistful in a blink. "I loved that day. As much as I always knew I'd meet Jasper, it was a totally unique experience for a vision thirty years in the making to come true. The same with finding Carlisle and the others in 1950."

"When was that?" I inquired, setting aside my pen for the time being. "And where?"

"March 10, in North Dakota," the small vampire recalled easily. "Carlisle was actually thinking about moving again at the time; Emmett slipped up and someone at the hospital was asking too many questions about the body they found."

"How did you teach yourself to hunt animals?" I asked curiously, amazed that I didn't feel horrified by the talk of bodies and slip-ups. I hated that someone had died, but I knew Emmett didn't do it intentionally.

"I always seemed to see Carlisle when I most needed help," Alice smiled joyfully. "I won't say it was easy, but watching him stroll along with humans and never fear he might attack them… It was a goal I focused on almost as strongly as I focused on finding Jasper. I wanted to be a part of something in the same way Carlisle is able to be a part of society. Probably a product of being so isolated and not remembering my human life."

"I would guess so," I murmured sadly.

"Oh, cheer up!" Alice exclaimed in surprise, half-laughing at my teary-eyed expression. "I have something to be a part of now!"

Joining the tiny vampire in laughing over my sentimentality, I forced myself back to work, letting Alice lead conversation while I completed my two identities. The first I called Elizabeth Colleen Aspen born on October 13, 1983 in Chicago, Illinois.

"Born on the day you arrived in Forks," Alice grinned happily. "I like it. And everything holds a particular meaning for us. Chicago for Edward, Aspen because of your fake mother, and Elizabeth Colleen because of Edward's human mother. What's the other one?"

"Marianne Cynthia Keating," I responded, looking back at my sheet. "I took Mary from your name and Anne from Esme's name. So I got Marianne. Then Cynthia for your human sister. And I figured… well, I figured March 10, 1986 for the birth date. I hope you don't mind?"

"Of course not," the dark-haired vampire shook her head, looking happy. "I love using special dates this way. Oh, where did you have her born?"

"In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania," I replied shyly, looking down at my paper.

"Thank you!" Alice chirped pleasantly, hugging me gently around the neck. "That's so cute, Mir!"

By the time the night ended, the whole house had been fully decorated and Jasper had made two entire sets of birth certificates, passports, licenses, and the like for Elizabeth Aspen and Marianne Keating. I practically fell into bed without even changing into pajamas. I barely felt the covers being pulled up around me as my mind slipped into oblivion, 'Moonlight Sonata' playing gently in the background.

In the morning, I woke with an ache in what seemed like every part of my body. Thankfully my head and my feet were two of the few places that didn't have any aches as I showered and changed into flared black jeans and a white and black striped top. Feeling chilled in the early morning air, I added an olive cardigan over that, and a pair of similarly colored T-strap heels Carlisle had given me permission to test out now that my back had healed so much. My hair I left to dry on its own; I was not nearly up to designing my dark golden-brown locks that morning. By the time I had combed through my hair and exited the bathroom, Esme had breakfast waiting on the table.

"Ooh, my favorite," I grinned a little in spite of my aches as I saw Belgian waffles with syrup, strawberries, and whipped cream.

"I thought you deserved something special for a change of pace," Esme smiled warmly, crossing over to kiss my forehead before reappearing again beside the dishes she was drying.

"You always make something special, Esme," I shook my head at the motherly vampire.

"Well, thank you, sweetheart," she laughed.

"When do the others have off school?" I asked as I took a seat.

"Christmas break begins after classes get out tomorrow," Esme responded over her shoulder. "I thought you and I might do a little Christmas shopping while everyone is still occupied. What do you think?"

"I'm up for it," I agreed, happy to be getting outside again. "Although I guess I'd better get a pair of flats to take with me."

"Yes, I think so," the caramel-haired woman nodded. "Make sure it's a thick-soled pair. Or even a pair of boots, perhaps."

"Those really plain black suede boots, then, I suppose," I murmured thoughtfully, more slowly chewing on my bite of waffle and strawberry.

It didn't take long to finish my meal and grab the gray, brown, and black Coach purse Alice had once given me, along with the aforementioned boots. Esme was already dressed in a rich navy wool coat with a high neck and a tie waist by the time I put all of my things in the other purse and came back downstairs.

Esme was kind enough to overlook my wearing the same tweed coat I had weeks before. Alice probably would have flipped out if she'd been there, and the thought of her expression as she saw the vision in class made me grin.

"What is it?" Esme smiled curiously, obviously happy to see me smiling.

"I'm just imagining Alice's face when she knows I'm wearing the same coat again," I giggled a little, joined by Esme's warm, airy laughter.

"Mireille, you're just a bit devilish," she teased me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders to lead me outside.

Only once we'd arrived at the garage did I wonder which vehicle we could take. The Volvo was still out of commission somewhere unknown, Carlisle had the Mercedes at work, the others had gone to school in the Mazda, and I absolutely refused to drive in Emmett's jeep.

"What car are we driving, Esme?"

"The M3," the caramel-haired vampire answered promptly. "Rosalie knew I planned to go shopping and offered for me to use it today."

Swallowing a little awkwardly, I followed the Cullen mother to the vehicle in question, its brilliant red paint job giving me pause three feet away. Granted, Rosalie and I had reached a strange understanding, but…

"Oh, don't be silly, sweetie," Esme laughed again, nudging me forward to the passenger door. "Rosalie knows you're coming with me."

"Okay," I tried to sound relieved, but I still felt wary as I slid carefully into the fine leather interior and shut the door. Esme shook her head amusedly at my expression as she began to back away from the garage.

"I do wish we had a lovely bench seat of some kind up on the porch," Esme sighed a moment later, gazing at the front of the house wistfully. "I love benches with ornate arms and curved shapes. They're so elegant."

"The porch would look a little less lonely with a bench up there, that's for sure," I agreed interestedly. "Maybe we can get one in the near future."

"I'll have to look into them," the motherly vampire decided with one firm nod, more happily driving off towards Seattle.

Our conversation along the highway and throughout Seattle consisted mostly of what kinds of things I might buy for the others for Christmas. Few possibilities came to mind, and by the end of the day I had only bought presents for Rosalie, Alice, and Carlisle. Esme had mostly found what she was looking for at the time, meaning gifts for Jasper and Carlisle, as well as some foods and drinks I decided on for Christmas dinner. No matter how little I would actually eat or drink, Esme wanted to fill out the table and make it look lovely, so I helped her go for it.

While I paid for the gift I found for Carlisle – using my new credit card for the first time, I might add – Esme also stopped to pick something up from a jeweler across the road. I wondered if Rosalie's gift was to be jewelry, but the motherly vampire rushed as we left since it was so close to school getting out, so I never asked her and never saw what she bought.

We arrived at the house thirty minutes before the others did, during which time Esme rapidly hid the gifts we'd bought and set about making lunch for me. Having walked quite a bit in the chilly December air, I was all too happy to eat a warm meal while I got cozy in front of the fireplace, which Esme gladly lit instead of turning on the forced air heating. Esme loved the fire almost as much as I did, sitting beside me while I ate to enjoy the ambience of the house.

One thing that somewhat ruined my enjoyment of the moment was the steadily growing ache in my back and feet from all the walking. Foolishly, I'd never changed into my flat boots as I'd thought to do earlier that day. Esme had reminded me, but stubborn as I could be at times, I claimed I was fine when I knew I wasn't all that wonderful. I just felt so frustrated by the problems with my movement and the constant aches when I tried walking for a long time.

Not that I told Esme that. She worried enough as it was, so I let it be and continued the day as planned. She probably knew otherwise, but the caramel-haired vampire never said a word to force the issue, a fact for which I was grateful. Even as I slipped off the little heels I'd worn and purposely put on the fluffiest pair of socks I had in order to cushion my steps, I still felt happier being up and around rather than stifled on bed rest.

When the others returned home, Edward's eyes instantly reproached me with great exasperation for my choice that day, but hearing the happiness I'd taken from my freedom, he just shook his head and let the issue go.

Despite his silence, Edward apparently couldn't resist one last comment before I laid down that night.

"Maybe you should avoid heels while you're on this stubborn streak."

Scowling at Edward's repressed grin, I turned away from him and refused to reply. The bronze-haired vampire's only reaction was to chuckle to himself and let 'Moonlight Sonata' play for the night.

* * *


	30. Chapter 28: Isolation

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Previously** – The Cullens attended the hospital Christmas party. Mireille met Mrs. Gerandy, Dr. Snow and family, Lee Kirkland, Conner Packham, and Katie Marshall. Mireille and the other students discussed school and Forks. Everyone played Forks-themed Bingo and agreed it was boring. The Cullens finished Christmas decorating and Mireille created two aliases for herself. Esme and Mireille went Christmas shopping and Mireille was too stubborn to change out of her heels.

> **Chapter 28: Isolation**

Upon waking up the morning after my ill-thought-out adventure shopping in heels, the length of my spine took to a deep ache I knew was my own fault. Yet in spite of my troubles, I still had enjoyed being on my own two feet with Esme out in Seattle. With a sigh, I decided to just live with the discomfort and enjoy the day as best I could until the others came home. Until that time, I also decided I would pretty much sit around watching TV in a gray robe and a fun set of owl-printed gray pajamas.

The television was one thing in the house I had never had much to do with. Much as I would have liked to watch a show or two occasionally, there was always something else to do or see. With seven people around me, there were typically no shortages in activity.

To my misfortune, everything on television was entirely boring, the same as most mornings and early afternoons I remembered before arriving in Forks. Sighing at the thirtieth useless channel or so that I had looked through, I settled on letting the least pointless remain on as a kind of background noise.

"Mir?" Esme called to me curiously, and I turned to find her standing at the other end of the couch with a worried frown. "Are you all right?"

"TV is extremely boring this time of day, Esme," I sighed again, letting the remote fall with a soft thump beside my leg on the couch cushion. "There are soap operas, which are just plain stupid. Then there are those jewelry channels; what is the purpose of those anyway? Sports are so overwhelmingly publicized and idolized it's disgusting. And of course there are all the cooking shows, which just give me the munchies for food I don't really need. Blah."

Laughing with relief at my rather pathetic little plight, Esme took a seat beside me and squeezed my arm reassuringly. "I don't entirely know what the purpose of those jewelry channels is, but I do know that television at this time of day is atrociously mind-numbing. Why don't you watch a movie instead, sweetheart?"

"I can't really think of one I want to watch right now," I admitted with a shrug.

"What about a Christmas show?" she suggested thoughtfully. "We have several you can choose from in our film collection. _The Bishop's Wife_ , _It's A Wonderful Life_ , or _Miracle on 34th Street_ …"

"I don't mind _The Bishop's Wife_ ," I admitted in surprise. "I'd forgotten about it. I don't really like Loretta Young, but she's tolerable enough. Cary Grant and David Niven are both really good in it, though."

"I always loved Cary Grant," Esme sighed pleasantly. "He's very sleek, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's pretty suave," I agreed with a smile. "Why don't you watch the movie with me, Esme? I'd love some company."

"All right, I will," Esme concurred happily. "I'll go get the movie."

We had such a fun time watching _The Bishop's Wife_ that I actually agreed to watch _Miracle on 34th Street_ after Esme made me lunch. It wasn't my favorite movie, but having someone to watch it with made it more fun than usual.

"Thanks, Esme,'" I smiled at the motherly vampire. "That was much better than the morning TV shows."

"It was a good change of pace," Esme agreed, kissing my forehead as she rose to put away the films. "I haven't watched a film in some time, so thank you, too."

Ringing interrupted whatever response I might have had, and Esme reappeared across the room to answer her phone, "Alice?"

Startled, I looked to the clock and saw it was already twenty after two o'clock. Time certainly flew when you enjoyed yourself.

"Yes, I see," Esme was saying into the phone. "Mm-hm. I'm sure she'll be all right with that."

Curious, I waited until Esme hung up to question, "Are we going somewhere?"

"Alice wants to know if you'll be ready to go shopping," the caramel-haired vampire explained.

"I guess I better get moving," I responded wryly. "Alice waits for no one."

Laughing, Esme conceded, "That's true enough."

In the time it took me to change into black jeans and a tan sweater with black dots, Alice had arrived at the house and in the bedroom with two large luggage bags in tow.

"What's that for?" I wondered curiously, drawing the pixielike vampire's gaze up from her magazine.

"Your overnight and emergency bags," Alice informed me with mild cheer. "Ready to put them together?"

"Yep," I agreed simply, letting her lead me in gathering outfits, accessories, and the other items I would need 'just in case' a bad situation occurred. Full with a long-sleeved emerald blouse, black slacks, a long-sleeved light gray pullover, and olive slacks, as well as a pair of simple, sturdy black knee boots and black flats, my overnight bag was complete in an amazingly short time. The emergency bag went even more quickly than the overnight bag had, Alice moving at vampire speed to collect everything except the foodstuff I needed to pick out.

"Finished!" Alice finally announced with a little sigh as I slipped one last pack of almonds in the bag and zipped it up. "Think you're able to do more Christmas shopping like we planned?"

Judging my physical condition after the previous day's shopping jaunts and the ache that persisted, I figured it would nonetheless be the best possible time what with Christmas only two days away.

"Yeah, I think I'm good," I replied with a shrug.

"These will be pretty comfortable for it," Alice suggested, passing me a pair of white flats with black trim and toe. After wearing heels most of the previous day, regardless how small, I definitely needed a break for both my feet and my back.

"Thank you," I smiled gratefully at the small vampire, slipping into the flats and rising to accept yet another new purse, this one a black leather cross-body bag with a big bow flap.

"I switched everything while you were changing," Alice explained, looking slightly hesitant.

"That's okay," I allowed, biting back a tiny grin when Alice exhaled a bit in relief. "Thanks."

"It'll be you, me, and Rosalie. Jasper's trying his hardest to surprise me at least once this Christmas, so he's going shopping with Esme, Carlisle, Emmett, and Edward."

"I'm fascinated to know if he can pull it off," I half-laughed, imagining the poor man trying to surprise his psychic wife with a gift.

"So am I!" Alice laughed with me, disappearing with my emergency bags – probably into the closet – before we headed down to the main level.

Waiting near the front door, Rosalie already wore a jade green fur coat with matching gloves. She nodded at us as we approached and offered up a solid black coat and accessories for me to put on. Alice dipped into her own dark gold coat and accessories and led the way to the M3 with a distinct hop in her step. While Rosalie took the driver's seat, Alice hopped into the back and let me slip in the front passenger seat for easier movement in and out of the vehicle.

Rosalie drove a wild speed to Seattle, leaving me with my eyes shut half the time and blinking open in fear the other half. Arriving at the first stop on our shopping schedule was a great relief.

I found my gifts for Edward and Emmett in that very store, also the same place in which Alice and Rosalie found their gifts for Carlisle.

"And you _really_ think Carlisle will like this one better?" Rosalie asked me for the third time as we stood in the checkout line, staring at her final two gift options with far too much focus.

"Yes, Rosalie," I repeated as patiently as possible, a bit stumped by her apparent need for reassurance. I'd never known the blonde to go begging someone's opinion before, which left me a little puzzled as to the reason behind it. Not worried, but definitely puzzled. "I am absolutely positive that _this_ one will be more to his liking."

For emphasis, I tapped my finger on the gift in question, the choice seeming a bit obvious to me. Nevertheless, it wasn't as obvious for Rosalie, so I saw no need to be condescending about my own clarity on the matter. A valid question deserved a valid answer.

Finally nodding with a definitive air, Rosalie deliberately set down the other gift she'd been holding and waited to pay without anymore second-guessing.

At that point, the three of us split into separate establishments. There was something special Alice and I had in mind for both Jasper and Esme, meaning the gifts weren't your average find. While we settled our special gifts, Rosalie slipped away to a store she wouldn't name, but when she came back she looked pleased as pie.

At the end of the trip, Rosalie and Alice each insisted that I eat dinner before we leave Seattle.

"You'll end up starving by the time we get back," Alice persisted firmly. "Trust me on this, Mir, you will be much happier if you've eaten. I really don't want to deal with your irritability on the drive home. So please? Eat?"

Rolling my eyes at Alice's remarks on my agitation when I was hungry, I nevertheless agreed to dinner. A Mexican place caught my attention as we passed it, leading Rosalie to take the one way streets until she could turn around and head back. It was an authentic little restaurant with one wall of adobe and lots of bright colors. The food was good and the atmosphere relaxed, and on the way out of Seattle I really did feel much better for having eaten and sat down awhile.

"Stop looking smug, Alice," I calmly informed the small vampire without even looking at her in the back seat. "It was Rosalie's idea in the first place."

"Yes, but I'm the one who convinced you," Alice retorted confidently.

Rosalie rolled her golden eyes, but otherwise continued to drive in silence. Shaking my head in amusement, I let the matter drop completely.

We were almost past Port Angeles when I noticed something I'd been half-excited about and half dreading ever since winding up with Cullens.

"It's snowing," I quietly announced, watching delicate white flakes tentatively drift down from the sky.

"Yes," Alice confirmed, and I could tell from her voice she had shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't worry about it. It isn't going to be too heavy tonight."

"It's pretty," I said simply as the snow began to thicken slightly, still staring out of my window in a surprised quiet.

"It is," Rosalie agreed in the same kind of placid quiet.

No more words were exchanged on the rest of the drive to the house, a fact I became grateful for. Something soon after pushed me into a melancholy mindset. Not depressed by any means, but I felt slightly sad and distant for reasons I couldn't explain – not even in my own head.

The garage was empty except for the Vanquish when we pulled up. Taking a breath of relief that Edward wasn't there to hear my thoughts, I allowed my shoulders to relax only minutely.

I barely grabbed my things from the car before heading through the continuing light snow and into the house. Rosalie took a sudden breath, fully prepared to speak, but Alice shushed her at a volume almost too quiet for me to hear. Heading upstairs as though I hadn't heard, I completely isolated myself in the dark bedroom with my blue plush blanket for the rest of the night.

No one ever approached from what my human ears could tell. I also never felt any presence in the room, even after I heard the Jeep tearing its way up the driveway, but I knew Edward had to be listening in on my mind long enough to know I wasn't quite right. Still no one came up, and I wondered how long the Cullens would let me lay there in silent disquiet. For Esme to stay away meant something was going to happen whether I liked it or not. Whether it was Alice bouncing along to drag me from bed or Jasper coaxing me with his charismatic ways or Edward being blunt to the point of rudeness, someone would eventually fear I needed to get up to save my emotional health and they would encourage me to do so.

And I loved the Cullens for that. Really I did. It was just that… well, I still had no idea what it _was_ and I doubted I would find out by continuing to lay there wallowing, but I didn't want to get up and examine it. The feeling all on its own was frustrating and a huge downer on my enthusiasm for anything; if I figured it out, the problem would likely be an even bigger downer. Besides that, I wasn't sure I wanted to know what bothered me underneath it all. So I laid there with the blanket pulled up almost completely over my head and didn't move except to breathe.

It should have come as no surprise that my eventual interruption came from the one Cullen I couldn't really say no to.

The gentle dip of weight on the bed barely moved me, and it took a brief tug on the blanket for me to actually let go and show my face.

"What is it, Mireille?" Carlisle asked softly, his concerned voice infused with such gentleness it made me teary-eyed. Something was definitely up with my emotions, if only I could understand what. "You've spent the last four hours up here without eating, speaking, or even moving. I've never seen you this way, even after the attack. Is something troubling you?"

Declining to speak, I just shrugged my right shoulder.

"Mireille?" he pressed kindly, quietly, yet real worry hung in his tone. Carlisle reached out to grasp my hand through the blanket before he continued, "I know something troubles you, although I don't know what made it come on so suddenly… Won't you tell me?"

Realizing I could not let him feel that kind of worry without some kind of response, I sighed very quietly and finally mumbled, "I don't know."

"You don't know what upset you?" Carlisle verified, still in that gentle, concerned voice.

"No," I confirmed in the same mumble, glad the doctor could hear me regardless. I didn't feel like talking much.

"When did it start?" he inquired, brushing the hair back from my face in repetitive, therapeutic movements; the cold of his hand didn't even disturb my comfort.

"Way back," I answered, not bothering with full sentences.

"On the way back home?" Carlisle clarified.

Hesitating for some strange reason over the word 'home' and all its connotations, I just nodded.

"What's wrong now?" Carlisle astutely assumed, pausing in his stroking of my hair. Chancing a tiny peek at what I could see of his face, I knew he wasn't fooled by my attempt to push forward.

"Still don't know," I admitted, shrugging again.

The doctor sighed worriedly, beginning to smooth my hair back in soft movements again. For a stretch of time, Carlisle remained silent, his brushing hand soothing me almost to sleep. Whatever ran through his mind, he did not want to put it into words out loud, although I wished fervently that he would do so.

Instead of speaking, however, Carlisle's eventual response was wordless. Carefully and kindly, the blond-haired vampire lifted me up from the pillow and into the waiting circle of his arms. Startled for only a moment, I wondered what he was trying to accomplish, but the longer he hugged me with such patient care, the closer I came to crying. While I never reached outright crying, a few tears did find their way down my face. Yet still I didn't understand what troubled me.

"You are all right," Carlisle reassured me quietly, patting my back very gently. "Everything is all right. I promise."

Sniffling softly, I nodded once against his shoulder and squeezed his arms in thanks. There seemed little else I could do unless I suddenly realized what bothered me, and in another half-hour I mercifully fell asleep.

Morning brought with it the brilliance of light reflecting off of snow, and with the beaming reflection one would have thought my mood might lift, but the melancholy remained. I laid there for some time in a funk, realizing only dimly that Moonlight Sonata played in the alcove.

The mood of that melancholy tune, so full of isolation and heartache, made me think of Edward and all the things I had connected between the song and the vampire weeks earlier as he played it specifically for me. Such reminiscence did nothing to soothe my moody behavior; if anything, it made it exponentially worse.

At some point, in spite of my best efforts not to move from bed, my body disagreed and forced me to scratch my first human minutes off a nonexistent to-do list. Looking into the bathroom mirror before I turned to leave, I cringed away from my haggard reflection in shock. My hair had become mussed to the point of knotted, the tear-dusted makeup from the previous evening made my features appear more like a mask than a face, and the little bit of crying I'd done had left my eyes puffy and bloodshot.

Cringing a second time, I turned away without bothering to fix the surprising appearance, intending only to stay in bed again until by some miracle my down-turned emotions changed. Armed with such a useless, hopeless plan, I should have known the Cullens would choose that time to move me out of this isolation and back into life before I felt prepared to do so.

"Mir, time to get up and ready," Alice called steadily as she appeared in the room, sounding as though it was just another day and I had merely overslept. "I already pulled an outfit for you. Actually, I pulled it a few days ago. I guessed you'd want a little Christmas inspiration, but comfortable as well. It's just a simple green sweater and these amazing aged silver jeans. And those flats there, of course."

Rolling my eyes half-heartedly as I eyed the pine green ankle-strap flats by the closet, I didn't bother replying.

"It's Christmas Eve," the tiny vampire continued as though I were completely enthralled in our one-way conversation. "You know how busy Christmas Eve gets. We have to start wrapping presents and filling stockings and you have to help Esme make the desserts for tomorrow. And you'll have to get to sleep earlier tonight so you can pop up and open presents. We can't do that without you there, for goodness' sake. And after that you need to help Esme start making Christmas dinner, because God knows the rest of us are fairly useless in that regard, well minus Carlisle. Mostly, anyway. Rose is better than I am, I'll say that. Mir, are you even listening?"

Were it not for the note of worry threading through Alice's voice, I might have fallen for the playacted sound of annoyance which otherwise overrode it.

Heaving a sigh, Alice moved of a sudden to sit on the bed beside me, the dip of weight on the mattress my only clue.

"Mireille, I know you're having a hard time," Rosalie's remarkably normal – albeit understanding – voice greeted me instead, much to my surprise.

"Rosalie?" I wondered in confusion, startled into speaking.

"You may not know what's bothering you," the blonde continued knowingly, an almost imperceptible sigh escaping her as well, "but I do."

"What?" I asked blankly.

"You miss your grandparents," Rosalie stated plainly, "The warm Christmases you had together and the things you shared. Things you never found with your parents."

"I've had twelve years of missing those times," I uttered a little petulantly. "Twelve years to remember Christmas time with my grandparents. And you think it's just going to pop up now?"

"I think it's only appearing now," Rosalie pressed calmly in spite of my slightly pretentious attitude, "because it's the first Christmas in twelve years where you've been with someone who actually cares. About Christmas, about family… about you."

Struck mute by the realistically simple yet emotionally complicated explanation, I had no words with which to respond. While it made sense, I didn't want to accept such an explanation. There was no recovering from it; nothing to ease the pain of which Rosalie spoke.

There weren't going to be anymore Christmas traditions, no more Christmas Eve nights with my grandfather singing off-key or my grandmother hiding her laugh. My grandparents were gone for the rest of my life, buried six feet underground, and there was nothing I could do about it.

"I miss them," I fairly burst with, squeezing my eyes against sudden tears. The onslaught was impossible to stem, however, and tears fell down my face. "I miss spending Christmas with them and knowing they loved me for _me_ , and not for a person I didn't want to be. I know everyone's lost someone they care about; all of you have lost people you loved. I'm not the only person who misses somebody… But I…"

"But it still hurts," Rosalie murmured in her distant way, memories clouding her voice as thickly as heavy rain. "It hurts to lose people who loved you as yourself and only wanted what made you truly happy."

"Yes," I choked on the single syllable, finally pulling the covers away and turning to face my visitor.

"It may not seem as though I had someone like that," the beautiful vampire added quietly. "My family only wanted what my looks and figure could bring, to hell with what would have really made me happy… But I had Vera. She was the one girl in hundreds of so-called friends who really knew me, knew that I wanted more than merely money and possessions. I wanted them, I won't lie, but you know my greatest desires. In my first life, only Vera ever understood that; she was the only one who truly knew me and still cared. And when I died, she was lost to me."

"You miss her," I sniffed unattractively, but I had gotten to the point of not caring.

"All the time," Rosalie half-laughed, a depressing sound I didn't like. "Esme always reminded me of Vera, though. I think it made me feel safe around her. Knowing I had someone who understood me and still cared."

"I'm sorry," I murmured in response, wiping the wetness from my face.

"So am I," she smiled dimly, laying two fingers on my now-exposed hands in an oddly comforting gesture. "All I can tell you, Mireille, is that it never stops hurting, even when some of the details have become blurred along the way. But even I, with all my stubborn clutching, was able to step forward somehow with a new family. It's not perfect, and I don't know how to completely let go of what I lost, but I know _you_ can."

"How do you know?" I whispered, the helplessness creeping in at the edges.

"You already have," she answered simply. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be here with us right now."

Silently, Rosalie stood from the bed and left me to myself, her last words clinging with the strength of ivy.

Was it true? Was my presence with the Cullens an indicator that I had moved forward from some of my past? I wanted to deny it, knowing how much it all still affected my choices and decisions in life, and how much I still didn't want to let my grandparents go. Yet, Rosalie said she knew I could do it.

Why did her belief mean so much?

I couldn't answer that question.

I only knew she had made me feel like a much stronger person than I had always felt like in the past. Whether or not it was enough to live for more than those rare warm times with my deceased grandparents, I didn't know.

What I did know was that I didn't want to sit and wait for life to find me, as my parents had always done.

When I thought finding out what troubled me would be an even bigger downer than the feelings themselves, I was right. But I was wrong, too. As much as the real problem hurt, I _did_ want to know what it was. It was the only way I could stand on my feet.

"Ready?" Alice asked quietly, and this time I wasn't startled by her entrance.

Looking at the small vampire and the tiny smile gracing her features, I nodded. "Time to get up."

Smiling more widely, Alice helped me up with an easy pull on my hands and gave me a careful push towards the bathroom. I had never savored a shower so much, and regretted leaving the warmth as soon as my feet hit the thick rug. Nevertheless, I continued to prepare for my day until I was squeaky clean and fully ready, even taking time to put my hair half up.

Alice waited for me as I exited the bathroom, in her hands a small white bag with green printed leaves.

"I have been informed that, unlike Bella Swan, you are probably just as capable with makeup as you are with fashion," Alice sighed forlornly. "So, I'm giving you a trial run."

Trying very hard to hold back a smile, I nevertheless felt my lip twitching as I reached for the proffered bag. "Thanks, Alice."

"Trial run," she emphasized flatly. "Pass this, and I'll actually let you keep it."

Shaking my head and sighing with resignation, I finally grabbed the bag from her fingers and walked back into the bathroom with it.

By the time I finished applying my basic makeup skills with a neutral palette, I decided Alice might not label my face a total disaster, but then she would probably still take back the bag for lack of artistry. Shrugging, I returned everything into the leaf-print bag and headed back out to the bedroom.

"Why do you do this to me?" Alice exhaled in a huff, and I found her standing cross-armed in the middle of the room, staring hard at my cosmetic-brushed face and tapping one foot impatiently. "I would never call that finished. Unfortunately, I also would never call it terrible. And I promised Esme I wouldn't take it back unless you _were_ terrible. Literally terrible. Not bad, not slightly below average, but specifically _terrible_. Take your bag and go."

Repressing another smile at Alice's dramatic pointing arm, I simply set the bag on the bed and left the room to head downstairs.

All of the Cullens were engaged in one activity or another, each to his own corner, when I came into the main living area. At some point, Alice had sped past me in a gust of air and presently sat beside Jasper as he played chess with Rosalie.

"Good afternoon, Mireille," Edward greeted me with a small, subdued smile and a nod, his hand moving across the sheet music in front of him even as he turned my way.

"Afternoon, everyone," I greeted the whole of the household in response, adding a smile in return for Edward's initial greeting.

"Hey, Mir," Emmett repeated absentmindedly where he sat in front of the Playstation, his eyes glued to the television as he battled some magical enemy on the screen.

"I'm glad to see you up, sweetie," Esme smiled warmly, stepping away from the dining table to give me a hug.

"As am I," Carlisle chimed in more seriously from the computer area, his eyes skimming my features for any sign that I was faking it. "Do you feel better?"

"I really do," I admitted cautiously, remembering Carlisle's visit the previous night and wincing away from it for reasons I couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Hm," the doctor hummed noncommittally, and I cursed the wince I had emitted.

Carlisle finally sighed and turned away, but as a testament of his understanding nature, the doctor did not push the matter further. I wished I could explain it to him, so he wouldn't feel so badly, but I truly didn't understand my feelings on the matter. Until I could gain that understanding – and I resolved to make a great effort in that regard – I would keep it to myself.

"Come and eat, Mir," Esme encouraged me, setting a breakfast of milk, eggs, bacon, and French toast at the dining table. Famished after going for so long without eating, I didn't hesitate to take her offer and make good work on the meal she cooked.

Uncertain what to do with myself once the meal was gone, I thanked the Cullen mother as she spirited away my dishes. That left me with nothing to do, but for the time being I made my way with arms crossed towards the windows to see the light snow Alice had said would fall the previous night. My expectation was sorely tested by the sheer mass of white that actually covered the ground outside the house.

"You said it wouldn't be too heavy!" I exclaimed in shock, my mouth falling open just slightly as Alice reappeared beside me.

"I said _last night_ wouldn't be too heavy," the small vampire corrected with an amused smile. "I didn't say anything about today."

"Didn't you even look?" I wondered with a furrowed brow, turning to show her my confusion.

Sighing a little awkwardly, Alice quietly admitted, "Well, I _was_ a little preoccupied…"

When the dark-haired vampire refrained from continuing, I frowned, realizing it wasn't just a joke. Considering everything that had happened since Alice last discussed the weather with me, I made an educated guess as to what she truly referred to.

"In other words," I spoke quietly, turning to look at her again, "my state last night and this morning had you too worried to watch for anything else… Am I right?"

Offering a slightly sad quirk of her lips, Alice only nodded her agreement, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder before slipping back to Jasper's side.

For a stretch of minutes I couldn't say anything else, my thoughts stuck on the deep worry my emotional condition had caused the Cullens. My earlier decision to keep quiet about my reaction towards Carlisle's visit in the night became rather senseless, another point of worry for the family.

Steeling myself against my instinctive need to keep it bottled up, I took a deep breath and walked over to Carlisle, who still worked at the computer.

Hearing and sensing my approach, the doctor set down his paperwork and turned to face me with a lightly concerned expression that only enforced my choice to talk to him.

"Yes, Mireille?"

"About last night," I began nervously, arms still crossed in discomfort, "I may have found out what bothered me on the whole, but there was that one time… Even after I realized what was wrong overall, I couldn't figure out what bothered me in that single moment. I wasn't going to say anything until I did figure it out, but I know it's been worrying you, so I wanted you to know it was nothing you did. And that I'm… I'm trying to understand it. When I do, I'll tell you."

Carlisle smiled warmly for my explanation, and his posture seemed to relax from the tension he must have been carrying all night and morning. "Thank you, Mireille. I feel better knowing you aren't sweeping it under the rug and hurting yourself more. Don't rush yourself to understand, all right?"

"I'll try," I agreed carefully. "You know I can kind of jump in headfirst, so… Trying is about a good as I can promise you."

Laughing lightly at my response, Carlisle nodded, "All right, Mireille. I can accept that."

Smiling more easily now, I nodded and somewhat awkwardly turned to go back to windows and my view of the snow that had jumpstarted all of my unexpected troubles the past day.

"Mireille," Edward spoke up, and in spite of his quiet tone I jumped at the interruption to my observations, albeit quickly reviving myself and turning to face his sheepish face. "Sorry to startle you, but I wondered about something."

"What would that be?" I asked, stepping closer to the piano where the bronze-haired vampire had been working.

Taking a breath, Edward paused hesitantly, but then pushed forward with another question, "Why don't you take a break from trying to understand for right now?"

Taken aback from the suggestion out of the blue, I had to think for a minute before I answered him, "What kind of break? Most everything else I usually do will get me thinking."

"Then let's do something you don't usually do," he countered with ease, but there was something in his eyes that seemed off.

"Let me guess," I started more suspiciously, uncrossing my arms only to put my hands on my hips, "Alice saw a vision of some activity and you're trying to convince me without coercing a set path, but in the end you're still convincing me to agree to an activity you already know will happen."

After taking a few seconds to consider the convoluted words I'd spewed, Edward just smirked. "Well…"

"What do you want to do?" I asked him with a resigned sigh, back to crossing my arms.

"Join us for a snow fight," Edward said simply, now smiling a little.

"A snow fight?" I repeated, blinking with surprise.

"It's certainly something that will distract you," Esme suggested from the kitchen, and I could hear the contentment in her voice at that idea.

"Okay…" was all I could say, the word drawn out in lingering bewilderment.

"We'll all go out, Mir," Emmett commented, drawing my eyes to where he had put away the Playstation. The idea of a snow fight thrilled him, that much I could tell.

"Carlisle?" I asked the doctor curiously, half-hoping he didn't think me well enough to go out.

"I don't see why not," he dashed my small hopes with a light smile. "Just dress in warm layers. You don't need to get sick as well as recovering from your injuries."

"Sure, Carlisle," I sighed a little, but moved to go get my winter gear from my closet. Alice beat me to it, though, settling a pile of clothing on the sofa for me to worm my way into.

"Everything's there," the little vampire grinned.

Shaking my head exasperatedly, I just started dressing in all of my layers without another word. It didn't take too long, but by the time I was fully dressed, everyone save Carlisle and Esme had gone out into the yard.

"Don't move too erratically," the doctor gave me one last piece of advice. "I want to make certain your body is completely healed before you do any stunts."

"I'm no stuntwoman, Carlisle," I denied with a shake of my head. "Trust me."

"Good," he chuckled at my reply. "Go on out, then."

"Have fun," Esme called from her work on the dishes, an action she had taken to doing at human speed lately.

"I'll try," I called back at a normal volume and made my way out on the porch, wondering how many times I had said those very words that day.

"That's the sixth time," Edward remarked from the steps, which one of the vampires obviously had cleared.

"Not so bad, then," I commented in return, accepting his helping hand down the front steps. "You know, I don't think I'm a very good aim."

"That's fine," Edward chuckled. "We'll throw. You plan the attack."

"Not so hot at that, either," I confessed with a mild frown.

"Think of it like one of your stories, then," Alice responded in her brother's stead, bounding up to us to pull me towards what had quickly become two castle forts of snow and ice. "Imagine what would happen if you wrote this fight into the plot."

"The problem is that I'm not writing and brainstorming on paper," I half-laughed. "I'm living and breathing this right now."

"Try," Edward teased from behind us, and I turned to offer him a playful glare, to which he laughed.

"Besides, Mir," Alice continued happily, "right now we're just putting the finishing touches on our forts."

Sure enough, Rosalie worked away at her corner of the fort she'd built with Emmett and Jasper, rapid fingers putting intricate details most snow forts didn't have in such astounding accuracy.

"Oh, fine," I gave in, throwing my hands up in the air resignedly. "Where's our fort entrance?"

"That one," Alice pointed to a narrow 'doorway' on the side of our untended block of snow and ice. So well built was the fort that I could hardly tell there was an opening in it at all.

"I would whistle while I work, but I don't think you two will give me enough time to actually whistle a tune before you're done," I said aloud, rolling my eyes as the five siblings laughed at my trivial misfortune.

Regardless the quick movements of my two partners in crime, however, I still had plenty of time to design my own ideas into the fort, all decorative and useless, but completely fun to design.

"All right, Mir," Alice called out from the other side of the snow fort, before appearing beside me with a smile. "Rules are simple here. First fort to drop a wall is the losing team. No crossing the dividing wall between the forts, and no double-stacking."

"Double stacking?" I questioned, raising an incredulous eyebrow at the silly term and checking the low barrier between forts. A good distance between each fort and the barrier left ample room for a free shot outside the walls without crossing the dividing wall in the middle.

"It means standing on other people's shoulders," Jasper explained from across the way, amused by my confusion.

"Yeah, because I am just made for those kind of shenanigans right now," I scowled playfully at the five siblings.

"Rules are rules, Mir," Emmett boomed with a laugh.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked me, and I just nodded with the knowledge I wouldn't be doing much while the Cullens horsed around. Still, watching a vampire snow fight was a one-of-a-kind experience, so I would at least be watching something entertaining.

"Stay back here," Alice advised me, guiding my feet up steps – actual _steps_ of snow – into a protected 'turret' of our fort, one that had a little window opening to watch from. "You don't want to get hit by one of these. Trust me."

"I kind of suspected as much," I said dryly, and Alice laughed.

"On your mark…" Rosalie called the start in a clear voice, and Jasper, Emmett, Edward, and Alice all ducked behind the main barriers to prepare their first rounds. "Take Aim… Fire!"

In mere milliseconds, a hail of flurried missiles and projectiles flew through the air like a sudden hurricane roaring over the sandy coast, bringing with it all the debris of its damaging winds.

In the midst of the long-standing even keel of the game, I wondered if I might freeze in my safe little tower before either side won. As it was, I tried to think of some plan of attack or distraction that would help somebody win. Alice and Edward could see actions ahead of time, but Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie were increasingly exceptional at throwing random directions at unexpected times without alerting their two gifted siblings beforehand.

Even as I looked, Rosalie lobbed a smooth lump of snow without even looking in the direction it ended up flying, leaving Alice and Edward to duck the incoming projectile.

Watching still through the window of my turreted place of safety as Jasper followed his blond sister's move, I began to get an idea that would certainly help us win and get us inside with some hot chocolate – well, me anyway – before my body matched the temperature of my vampire comrades. It was kind of cheating, if I looked at it from a technical standpoint, but at the same time it wasn't in the Cullens' battle rules, which meant a cunning mind could use it as a loophole.

Edward appeared at my side with a vindicated smile, and I smiled at my success.

"Didn't I say you would plan the attack?" he teased with a growing smirk of victory, and I rolled my eyes with a sigh of exasperation for his gloating.

"Come on," I made a soft play at shoving his arm, doing my best not to damage my own hand.

Half-laughing, Edward helped me down the stairs, which had gained a dangerous layer of ice since its creation.

"I always like your plans," Alice sighed happily at me, looping our arms and pulling both me and Edward out into the freedom just beyond our fortress walls.

"What are you doing?" Emmett whined irritably. "You're not supposed to cross the barrier!"

"Who said we were crossing the barrier?" I tossed back more pleasantly than I'd felt the previous night.

"Then what are you doing outside your fort?" Jasper threw out with a tiny grin. "Looks like a white flag to me."

Trading a mischievous expression with Alice and Edward, I didn't answer, but began to grin myself as the moment presented itself and the three of us took stances in front of our fort wall. This was one moment I would want recorded for a long while, so I could look back and laugh.

* * *


	31. Chapter 29: Inveterate

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** My other grandma died in January and it's been even more of a rollercoaster because I was much closer to her. She didn't live far, so we saw her often. She was a beautiful lady with a great sense of humor and the biggest, kindest heart.

The chapter title "inveterate" means to become deep-rooted over time. Thank you to everyone who keeps staying with this story. It's taking time, but I still feel this story in my heart and it's not going to go anywhere as long I have something to say about it. Thanks for stopping by!

**Previously** – Mireille regretted wearing heels the previous day. Esme and Mireille watched _The Bishop's Wife_ and _Miracle on 34th Street_. Alice and Mireille put together emergency bags. Mireille went shopping with Alice and Rosalie. Snow began falling and Mireille became depressed for unknown reasons. Mireille isolated herself in her room and didn't know what was wrong. Carlisle comforted Mireille and Alice tried to cheer Mireille up. Rosalie understood what Mireille felt and Mireille admitted it. Mireille finally got up and Edward convinced Mireille to join a snow fight. The Cullen 'kids' built forts and battled it out. Mireille made a plan to help her side win.

> **Chapter 29: Inveterate**

"That was cheating if I ever saw it!" Emmett shouted with a scowl on his face as he followed Edward and me inside the house, the former holding in laughter with little grace while his burly brother continued to rant about the ending to the snowball fight.

"Not technically, Emmett," Alice debated laughingly, dancing arm-in-arm with Jasper through the door behind the biggest Cullen and then disappearing upstairs to change into dry clothes.

"It was still cheating!" Emmett fumed more quietly, his voice a heavy rumble in his chest as he tossed a wet sweatshirt with unerring accuracy onto the appropriate hook and stomped to the stairs.

"Emmett, you're being petulant, you know," I commented with mild enjoyment to the big vampire just as he sped up to change. Edward laughed, helping me out of my thoroughly cold, wet winter gear and hanging it up on the wall hooks to dry.

"We all just participated in a child's game," Rosalie snipped from behind all of us, albeit with a certain humor in her voice I couldn't quite pinpoint. "It was nothing _but_ petulance."

"It was nothing but _cheating_ ," Emmett called once again – this time from a sudden new perch on the sofa facing the fireplace, his thick, muscled arms crossed in stubborn agitation. Rosalie rolled her eyes at her husband's repetitive responses and disappeared upstairs as well.

"All we did was use Mireille as a moving target, Emmett," Edward rebutted, chuckling still as he hung my hat up last for me and turned to walk towards the living area.

Following behind him as I reached for my pine green flats, I smiled still over Emmett's constant need to win and Edward's stealthy description of my plan of attack.

"Moving target?" Emmett repeated incredulously, uncrossing his arms and turning to glare at his brother. "Every time we tried to throw something at your fort, you moved Mir so she almost got hit. So we had to start _thinking_ about where we were throwing, _planning_ our moves ahead of time. You knew none of us would dare hit Mir with anything we threw!"

"Of course _I_ knew that, Emmett," I giggled at his pouting features.

That pouting turned incredulous as the burly vampire turned his fuming eyes on me. "You mean… _you_ planned it?"

"Of course she did," Alice confirmed with a scoff, reappearing with Jasper in fresh clothes. "Mir always has the best plans."

"While I might argue the term 'always' in that particular context…" I remarked, giving Alice an amused eyeroll. "Yes, Emmett, I did plan it."

"Now that's… that's just… you…" Emmett sputtered, trying to think up a response and leaving everyone laughing at his open-mouthed surprise. Finally, he finished his thoughts, "That's… cool!"

The Cullens and I stopped laughing in shock as the last word left Emmett's lips in a wave of enthusiasm.

"What!" Edward spit out in shock, staring at his large brother with wide eyes. "You _approve_ of Mireille doing what you consider _cheating_?"

"Well, yeah," Emmett shrugged, a boyish grin growing on his face. "Mir's gotta have some skills around all of us cheaters, doesn't she?"

A round of laughter escaped everyone again, not least of all because Emmett admitted he would also be a cheater if he wanted to win.

"I give up," Edward muttered to himself, shaking his head as he walked upstairs for his own dry clothing.

Huffing a bit of a laugh at his feelings on the matter, I headed into the kitchen to find Esme just topping off a steaming cup of hot chocolate that smelled absolutely amazing.

"How are you feeling, Mir?" the motherly vampire wondered with a warm smile as she handed over light blue mug to my chilled fingers.

"I'm good, actually," I answered with smile of my own, inhaling the aromatic chocolate with a contented sigh. "This makes me pretty much perfect now. Thanks, Esme."

"You're welcome," Esme laughed lightly, squeezing my shoulder as she passed to the island. "Now, when do you want to start working on some desserts for tomorrow?"

"Oh, I almost forgot about cooking for tomorrow," I responded in surprise, taking a seat at one of the island stools. "In the wake of our snow fight, it totally slipped my mind."

"What do you think you'd like to make?" the caramel-haired vampire inquired interestedly, settling beside me at the island.

"I don't know," I hesitated thoughtfully, stealing another sip of hot chocolate before I finally replied, "I always loved the usual decorated sugar cookies. My grandma would make all kinds of pies, I know, but for some reason apple, pecan, and pumpkin stand out the most. Pecan smelled good, but I wasn't a huge fan of it. Too sweet and gooey… Ick."

My face scrunched with the innate disgust I felt for that particular dessert, making Esme laugh. "Well, how about we make a pecan pie for Christmas' sake and then give it away? That way you can smell it, but you aren't stuck eating it yourself."

"I could go for that," I agreed emphatically, only too happy to give it away. Esme laughed again at my reaction, rising from the stool to pull out ingredients from the pantry, items which I was only mildly surprised she had on hand.

"Why don't I make this one while you drink your hot chocolate?" Esme suggested a bit wryly, and I half-laughed at the offer.

"Thanks, Esme," I agreed easily. "I can't help thinking that's a perfect plan."

Shaking her head amusedly, the caramel-haired vampire started the pie without another word, my eyes following her movement with interest as she prepared, arranged, and cooked a pecan pie to what appeared to be absolute perfection. Not that I was going to offer myself as a test subject for that particular dessert.

The scent of the sweet treat wafting through the air warmed me inside and out, reminding me all too easily of my grandparents and those few Christmas Eve nights we shared together in my childhood. To my surprise, the memory didn't hurt like I expected it to. It was fond, pleasant… something that made me comfortable.

After Esme put away her finished creation in the refrigerator, she lifted the empty mug from my hands and placed it in the sink.

"Well, that one is done," she announced, turning to me happily. "Would you like to make anything yourself, Mireille?"

"I never made these kinds of desserts very often," I admitted. "Maybe you could help me out?"

"I'd love to, sweetheart," Esme gladly agreed, "Why don't we start with pumpkin pie? It's relatively simple, especially with a pre-made pumpkin mix."

"Okay," I nodded, taking a breath and rising from the stool to join the motherly vampire at the counter for a pie-making experience.

"Do you want that apple pie as well?" Esme wondered curiously, disappearing into the pantry and back for a can of pumpkin mix. "Or perhaps something different?"

"I'm not sure," I answered thoughtfully, half-looking at the recipe Esme had opened up in one of her cookbooks. "How much can we give away?"

"Oh, whatever you'd like," Esme assured me. "Many churches will hold a dinner tonight or tomorrow night and they welcome whatever food people can bring. I always check on those types of food services before we move somewhere. It helps when we buy food for a family of seven and it never gets eaten. There's always someone else who could use it well."

"Then let's have some fun!" I suggested with new energy. "We could make frosted sugar cookies, Jell-O shapes, decorate a Christmas cake… Rock candy! That's neat to make and you can get all kinds of flavors for it."

"I used to make that all the time," Esme remarked in surprise. "Years ago, it was very popular. Now it tends to be seen as fairly old-fashioned."

"Grandma made it once, I remember," I sighed humorously at the memory. "I wanted to try every flavor I could see, but she had to put her foot down. It would have been so expensive."

"I have a lot of oils, so that would be very fun," Esme smiled. "Let's get your pumpkin pie done, then we'll make a list of what desserts to make and which ingredients we'll need."

In the subsequent actions of creating the list in question, I realized very quickly that I couldn't seem to truly decide what I would end up making. The desserts kept growing by the ounce and Esme ended up biting her lip amusedly every time I thought up a new one to consider. I wasn't trying to make a horde of food, it just sounded so fun and exciting to make everything.

"Mir," the motherly vampire interrupted after a while, laying a gentle hand on mine. "Why don't you just write down whatever you can think of? Then we'll see what ingredients are in the house right now and compare to what we need for a given recipe. If we have to buy the entire recipe of ingredients, we probably won't find them all on Christmas Eve."

"That's true," I replied, turning slightly pink with embarrassment as I added more quietly, "I didn't mean to go so overboard, Esme."

"Oh, sweetheart, you're just excited and enjoying yourself," the caramel-haired mother assured me kindly, smiling. "It makes me happy to see you feel this way."

Warming from the inside out, I turned back to my list and added the last few things roaming my head with a lingering sense of embarrassed gratitude. "Thanks, but… well, let's cut it down anyway. It's a bit too much."

Even after narrowing down the selections based on what ingredients Esme had in the house and the final cut I had made mere minutes before, the amount of desserts to make had still become quite a job. Esme could only shrug with me as we perused the number of choices.

"We can do these," the Cullen matriarch smiled. "After we take out all of the ingredients, why don't we start on the cake batter?"

I just nodded and watched as the caramel-haired vampire rapidly pulled out all the ingredients we needed for the list of desserts to be made. A little group of eggs sat huddled on the island and around the grouping I placed cups full of the ingredients each dessert required. Coconut cake, sugar cookies, rock candy, peppermint bark, and – of course – Jell-O shapes filled out our selection in addition to the pies we already made.

"What would you say to the middle layer being custard?" Esme suggested of the coconut cake when I set up the mixer.

Looking over at the motherly vampire where she stood contemplating the recipe book, I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "Well, what is coconut cake supposed to taste like? I've never actually eaten it."

"It's supposed to be a very sweet cake," Esme replied thoughtfully. "Depending on how much coconut you decide to add to various parts of the cake, it can be incredibly rich."

"Then I think custard sounds pretty good," I decided easily. "The tartness will counter the sweet flavor of the rest of the cake."

"Yes, I think that's a good idea," she nodded in agreement. "All right, I'll get to work on that while you make the batter."

"Okay," I concluded, turning back to the mixer and snapping the beaters into place.

For a long while it was fairly quiet in the house, most resulting noise coming from our combined cooking and baking efforts, and the occasional word of advice or inquiry breaking the comfortable silence. From where I stood mixing batter at the island, I could just see Emmett and Rosalie sitting together at the computer. Every minute or two, Emmett would point at something on the screen and Rosalie would bat his hand away with indulgent annoyance. Biting back a grin at the antics of the couple, I returned to my mixing.

In a gust of air, Carlisle appeared in the kitchen with a book in hand and a crease in his brow, "Esme, did you ever decide about donating for the Woodcroft Center? It is supposed to open after the new year."

"Oh, no, I didn't!" Esme inhaled in surprise, turning away from the custard she had been creating to face her husband with a startled expression. "Thank you for reminding me. What did you think of the program when we visited?"

"I'm not entirely sure I want to support it," the doctor pursed his lips in curious contemplation. "Their procedures and policies – and the original intention of the program – seemed quite genuine, but after meeting the co-chair… Well, I'm not certain she cares about the program as much as I would like."

Sighing heavily, Esme nodded reluctantly, "Yes, I do have to agree on that. Tammy seems more preoccupied with her own image than the program itself. But she's not the sole chair, remember. Hannah has an equal say in the running of things."

"That's true," Carlisle nodded hesitantly. "I'm just worried she'll become tired of constantly fighting Tammy over every little thing and eventually give up, leaving the program dysfunctional."

"I still wonder why they became business partners," Esme released a tiny laugh, then sighed again. "Two people that opposite…"

"That's exactly what worries me," the Cullen patriarch half-sighed, half-laughed. "You still want to support it, then?"

"Yes, I really do," Esme concluded confidently. "I still think Hannah will make it all work somehow. I've wound the donation down to somewhere between four and six thousand."

"Well, if they're to make this work," Carlisle decided understandingly, "let's make it six thousand."

"Good," Esme smiled at him, the matter obviously settled.

Carlisle swept over to kiss his wife's cheek, then disappeared again, presumably to handle the aforementioned donation.

"What's the Woodcroft Center?" I asked Esme after moment, done at last with my batter and beginning to pour it into the appropriate pans.

"Oh, it's a small children's center that's just opened in New York," Esme explained patiently. "It's meant to give a home to children who've been passed in and out of foster homes. The center is supposed to give them a more solid place to grow and develop."

"That's a great gesture," I nodded positively, "Hopefully Carlisle's worries about it don't come true."

"On that we're agreed," she smiled. "But I don't think it'll come to that… All right, the custard is finished. How is the frosting coming?"

So saying, the caramel-haired vampire walked to my side and picked up the cake pans to slip them into the oven and set the timer.

"I'm just about done," I answered with distracted concentration, stirring a few clumps to smoothness before considering my work truly finished. "Okay, that's done. What should we work on next?"

"Well, since the oven is in use," Esme suggested thoughtfully, lips pursed in concentration as she glanced over our recipe list. "Let's work on the rock candy and Jell-O. We can make the peppermint bark and sugar cookies last."

"Okay, that sounds good," I agreed, turning to our remaining ingredients with interest. "This is fun to make."

"Rock candy can be very fun, actually," Esme smiled, patting my shoulder warmly, "but it can be time consuming, too, so you have to be patient."

"I'll try to be," I sighed, accepting the offered ingredients and letting Esme lead me in how to make the confection I'd chosen.

It was a rather complicated process for someone who never made it before, but the motherly vampire at my side made it more fun than frustrating. At least until I tried to color the different flavors of rock candy.

"You know," I grumbled irritably as I tried to make a dark pink representing black cherry, "Food coloring didn't used to act like this for me. I've made enough sugar cookies in my life to be sure of that."

Withholding a laugh with great difficulty, Esme still made a soft snorting sound that startled me into looking up at her, spoon still buried in stubbornly light pink candy oil.

"Would you like me to do it?" the caramel-haired vampire wondered amusedly, smiling at me indulgently and setting her perfectly-peachy peach candy liquid beside colorless Clove and the other fourteen flavors Esme already put together. No matter which flavor, Esme always found the perfect balance of food coloring; dark red Apple, cream-colored Vanilla, bright purple Grape, pure white Peppermint, bright yellow Lemon, black Licorice, the brightest orange of Orange Peel, brown Root Beer, bright pink Strawberry, dark green Spearmint, tan Toffee, bright red Raspberry, and dark blue Wintergreen.

"Well…" I hesitated to confer, but after biting my lip with a stern look into the first and only liquid candy mess I had created so far, eventually I sighed in resignation and tilted the spoon handle in Esme's direction with a tired expression. "Please."

Laughing more lightly at my situation, Esme took the offered spoon and set about correcting whatever failed for me in my own attempts.

"You can start on the sugar cookies and frosting, if you like," Esme smiled consolingly, now working on the dark pink I originally wanted. There were still four flavors left after the black cherry. Deciding Esme was far more qualified to make bright green Lime, light green Granny Smith Apple, bright blue Blueberry, and light pink Watermelon, I then glanced over at the suggested dessert.

With pursed lips, I looked long and hard at the pile of ingredients and finally realized I was actually quite tired. Whatever happened between my initial excitement and the frustration of not coloring the candy correctly, it tuckered me out completely.

"Esme, I'm tired," I admitted honestly to the motherly vampire. "And making those seems…"

"Tiring?" she finished understandingly for me, to which I nodded. "But you still really want to say you helped make them, am I right?"

Her knowing face made me blush a little. "Sorry. I know that's silly."

"It's not silly at all," Esme assured me kindly, then took a moment to think. Finally, she turned back to me with a curious look and asked, "How about we all work on it? While I work on the peppermint bark and rock candy, and set the Jell-O, the others can help to bake and frost the cookies. We've done it before, actually."

"We could… sort of have a contest," I chimed in, fascinated by the idea. "Who can do the best frosting job. What do you think?"

"I'm in!" Emmett's deep, booming voice burst in before Esme could reply, the big vampire in his red t-shirt appearing in the room with an excited grin.

"Oh, dear," Esme shook her head with a tightly suppressed smile. "This _might_ get messy."

Grinning myself over Emmett's boyish face, I shrugged with renewed enthusiasm. "That's cooking, I guess."

"All right, who's going to join us?" Esme called out to the rest of the Cullens, to which all five of the others joined us promptly in the kitchen – even Carlisle joined in with us. Grinning more widely at their competitive and amused faces, I prepared myself for a long battle in flour, sugar, and food coloring.

By the time the candy, cake, and peppermint bark were done, we had shaped and baked so many cookies in so many different shapes that I gave up even counting them. Stockings, candy canes, stars, bells, Christmas trees, elf hats, wreaths, ornaments, holly, presents, sleighs, and snowmen filled the island and half the counters besides. With her vampire speed, Esme sorted out the many shapes so that everyone had a similar selection to start frosting.

"All right, you can each take all the time you need to frost a batch of cookies," Esme announced to everyone, giving a particularly stern eye towards Emmett, Jasper, and Alice as she added, "And no one will do or say anything – physically _or_ with their powers! – to ruin someone else's batch. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Esme," came twin sighs of resignation from Alice and Emmett, bringing a muffled snigger from Edward and me. Jasper nodded as expected.

"All right, let's get started then!" the Cullen matriarch clapped happily and turned to start mixing Jell-O.

Despite Esme's warning, Alice and Emmett ended up trying on several separate, mostly silent, occasions to ruin each other's frosting job. From between Carlisle and Edward as I worked on a bell I was trying to color in shades of blue, I felt all too happy to be far enough away that my own cookies didn't get knocked by the red frosting Alice slyly flung at Emmett's green and white stocking.

Not to be outdone by his sister's opening move, Emmett knocked his green-covered frosting knife sideways in an attempt to sabotage Alice's red and blue present. The knife bounced off of the pixielike vampire's forearm and left a bright green smear on the sleeve of her cream blouse. In retaliation for the near-miss, the glaring fashionista waited until she had moved on to frost a pink ornament, then swiped the green from her arm (with a little on the side, it must be said) to smack right in the middle of a yellow and red elf hat Emmett already completed.

Staring at his once-perfectly-frosted cookie hat in shock, Emmett instead turned to glaring and took a gob of purple frosting from Alice's own mixings to slop onto her idyllic green wreath with a red bow. Making a definite sound of strangled dismay and frustration, the small woman grabbed the entire mixture of purple frosting and prepared to dip it right onto Emmett's entire stock of completed cookies.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Esme cut in at the perfect moment, reprimand and amusement both taking sway in her warm voice. "You both agreed."

Grumbling in mutual irritation with their agreement, and with each other, Alice and Emmett returned to their cookies for a moment.

If only a moment.

Given another glance at the cookies they each ruined for the other, the tallest and shortest of the Cullen family turned simultaneously to glare at each other. Hands on her hips and chin tipped up irritably, Alice gazed at the larger of her two brothers unflinchingly. Returning the gesture, Emmett crossed arms over his broad muscled chest and dipped down to share an undaunted stare with the little vampire.

Half a minute later, Alice whipped around to grasp a blue-covered spoon she had used on a sleigh, while Emmett reached for an orange-plastered fork with which he created the three buttons on a snowman. At the exact same moment, a blurb of orange and a blot of blue flung through the air, passing mid-fling before they finally landed in loud _splat_ and a _plop_.

Judging Alice and Emmett's equally horrified faces, their intended targets were not the same as the end-result they achieved.

On Emmett's other side, Rosalie stared for a long moment at the vibrant royal blue mess on her perfectly-persimmon sleeve, before finally lifting her head to the right. From the other side of Alice, Jasper slowly turned the orange-splattered side of his features to his left.

The kitchen went very, very quiet, not a soul moving in the wake of what just took place. Anticipation built up in the silence, everyone staring intermittently between Rosalie and Jasper to see just what they would do.

The two supposed 'blood siblings' eventually turned back to their frosting with surprising ambivalence, leaving the rest of us to exhale softly in the wake of potential catastrophe. Back to frosting, Carlisle, Edward, and I made headway on a few more cookies each before the dam finally broke.

It was just a little smattering sound, but seven heads turned as one to track the source of the little noise.

Alice stared at her cream blouse in shock, then up at Jasper, then back down at her blouse. A blot of blue now adorned her right shoulder, in addition to the green smear on her left sleeve. Jasper didn't bother to hide his raised brow, a blue-lined spoon hanging from his left hand.

Another smattering sound hit our ears and Emmett looked down at his left shoulder in surprised confusion to find a large blob of light pink settled there. At his side, Rosalie calmly continued to frost a very definite light pink stocking.

Sharing a look, Edward and I sighed in unison at what we both knew was coming. Setting our frosting tools down on the counter, the two of us waited patiently for the inevitable battle.

Sure enough, Alice and Emmett separately decided to begin the war anew, the former reaching for a dollop of brown while the latter reached for a spread of yellow. But Rosalie and Jasper didn't bother to let them retaliate first; the two blond-haired vampires grasped green and white, respectively, and went straight for the hair.

"Duck," Edward warned me suddenly, and I followed his lead, along with a half-smiling Carlisle to my right. Over our heads, three colored smears plastered themselves to the kitchen cupboards. Speckles of color glazed the counter and some of Edward's cookie batch, as well. Sighing in a mixture of amusement and exasperation, Edward stood up in spite of the sudden high-speed rainbow flying above the countertops, reaching for blue and white frosting from his work area to fling back towards the battle that was now in full swing.

Gasps, grunts, _splats_ , _plops_ , and much galumphing filled the air with a suddenness that startled me, all five siblings flinging, throwing, scooping, smacking, and dripping frosting back and forth no matter who got hit in the process. Alice just threw pell-mell where she wanted at first, but ended up aiming mostly at Edward, who would dodge everything she threw at him. Edward's unerring accuracy remained untouched, hitting everything he decided to, but Emmett tended to hit more cupboards than people. Jasper chose intriguing targets like noses, ears, and chins while Rosalie kept trying to make big clumps fall from above onto her target, which was usually someone's head.

When Edward moved around the other side of his father, unintentionally standing between us and guerilla warfare, Carlisle and I remained precisely where we were – sitting back against the lower cupboards with our knees pulled up, just observing the intense engagement above. Neither of us felt inclined to move into the line of fire, Carlisle's arms resting in total ease atop his raised knees, while I wrapped my arms around my own knees to steady myself when I leaned forward to get a better look. As the battle raged, we two shook with silent laughter at the madness around and above our relatively safe position.

Esme, standing at the island with her back to the seven of us, had given up scolding a second time, no doubt having expected a continuance in the frosting war. Even with all of the commotion she could hear behind her, Esme must have thought the frosting had remained solely on the cookies and utensils – and perhaps even her children. Never once did the motherly vampire turn around from finishing the rock candy to check precisely what each splatter and _plunk_ meant.

Then the fatal moment came.

Four different clumps of frosting – turquoise, muddy brown, pistachio, and barbie pink – all slammed in one big clumpy mess atop Esme's lovely hair and started to slide in strips of ugly mixed color down those caramel waves.

Esme turned from her work with a telltale murderous motherly expression to face her frozen children. Carlisle held in further laughter with remarkable difficulty, and Esme ignored his humor at her expense to offer an aghast expression at her cupboards and counters, which had been decimated with frosting of every color short of black.

"You… You five!" Esme fumed, speechless at the unexpectedly colorful wreckage in the kitchen. Finally, the matriarch let out a garbled sound of utter disgust and exasperation, her speechlessness evaporated. "You agreed. All of you! No sabotage, no antics. If it had remained on just you five and the baking, I wouldn't have had an issue, but now look at this kitchen!"

Glancing around like toddlers who had left finger-painting displays on the living room walls, the Cullen siblings all seemed sheepishly proud of their messy handiwork.

"Go clean yourselves up outside," Esme exasperatedly commanded the five brothers and sisters. "I don't care if you have to make snow angels to do it, but you don't come back in until you're clean."

Each and every one of the Cullen siblings nodded, five voices chiming in unison, "Yes, Esme."

Not one of them said another word until they had all disappeared through the glass doors at the back of the house and out into the snowy woods.

Having restrained a hoard of humor for far too long, it became quickly apparent that the Cullen patriarch had none of the same issues as his wife did about their children's behavior.

First emitting a little snort, Carlisle promptly burst into loud – almost raucous – laughter that drew Esme's still-fuming gaze right to her lounging husband.

"And you!" she started with the blond-haired doctor, uncrossing her arms only to place them square on her hips as she leaned slightly forward in reprimand. "Letting them go on like that! Don't we have enough trouble already, without you encouraging them?"

Grinning even as I tried very hard to hold back my own laughter, I couldn't help loving the funny side of the Cullens even more. And the adorable look on Carlisle's face as his laugh petered out to a chuckle and he turned warm golden eyes up to his agitated wife.

Catching all too easy notice of that sweet expression, Esme's face rapidly morphed into one of embarrassment. Were she human, I had no doubt she would have been blushing apple red. In a blur, Carlisle stood before his lady love in a spotless white dress shirt and gray slacks, hands at her waist and a deep kiss on her lips.

Blushing myself quite suddenly, I stood on my fastest human feet to hopefully abandon the awkward moment, clumsy in my attempts at speed. Cute as the Cullen parents were, I didn't exactly have the urge to see a grownup vampire necking firsthand.

"Carlisle!" Esme scolded her husband just as I had fully drawn myself up with freshly frosting-basted hands from those blasted countertops. By all rights, Esme's face should have been as tomato red as mine by that point. "In front of Mir!"

"Mireille is a fan, or so I have been told," Carlisle commented mischievously. Esme and I scoffed with surprise at the same moment, leading the doctor to laugh at our expense, pearly white teeth as bright as the sun.

Pushing her amused husband away with annoyed playfulness, Esme turned to me with sheepish eyes.

Closing my eyes and raising hands in supplication, I could only remark with chagrin, "I don't think my face will _ever_ go back to a normal color."

Esme moved back to her husband instantly, pressing her face into Carlisle's chest as she coughed to cover her amusement.

"I am sorry, Mireille," Carlisle apologized quite sincerely, smiling warmly at me as he wrapped his arms about Esme's back. "But you are very fun to tease, I fear."

I groaned deep in my throat with frustration, moving straight towards the dining room and beyond. "Okay. Leaving. Now. Bye."

"I'll do what I can for the cookies, sweetheart," Esme called after me, laughter still coloring her tone.

Not even daring to reply to that well-humored remark, I headed upstairs to make sure I wasn't coated with frosting on any other appendage except my hands.

To my amazing good fortune, there were only a few specks of frosting in my hair, but a cursory brush-through took away any rough spots. My clothes had remained mercifully untouched. I didn't feel like finding a whole new outfit for Alice to analyze.

"She would just pick it out for you," Edward's voice floated into my ears from the bedroom, definite amusement shining through in his smooth voice.

"Don't even start," I grumbled at him, setting my brush back in its holding space and walking out of the bathroom.

Edward certainly had cleaned up well in a hunter green button-down and black jeans, although if his darkened hair was any indication, he probably showered before I left the kitchen.

"Yes, I did," he confirmed with a smile bordering on puckish, which only raised my hackles to whatever he followed up with. Releasing a bark of laughter, the bronze-haired vampire continued anyway, "Have any interesting encounters in the kitchen?"

"Shut up," I told him pointblank, not even allowing upset into my voice. "Is the kitchen still in one piece?"

From the outside, my question sounded calm and neutral, but Edward knew the hidden connotation I had garnered from the books. Which made it ten times harder for him to not laugh, but he did hold it in.

"Esme made us all clean it up ourselves," Edward explained with a lingering smile and glittering eyes. "But with our natural speed, it didn't take that long. And we didn't get a spot on any of our freshly-clean attire."

"Good news for Esme, I imagine," I laughed at the memory of her ire and moved to head back downstairs.

"Yes, she's much more peaceable now that her kitchen isn't in ruins," Edward chuckled as well, trailing me as I walked to the staircase.

"How did the cookies turn out?" I asked wryly, imagining quite a plethora of unrecognizable cookies laid out on the counters.

Laughing again, the bronze-haired vampire shook his head. "They were quite a mess. But I think you'll be surprised by what you see."

Taking his word for it until I saw that truth with my own two eyes, I went straight to the kitchen the moment my feet hit the ground floor.

The transformation from rainbow pig trough to gorgeous modern kitchen astounded me completely. I couldn't even tell there had been a mess in there at all. And all across the counters were the completed cookies. Whatever the siblings had ruined, they had clearly finagled more after their cleaning job, the perfectly pretty decorated batches standing out like little gems of artwork.

A few splotches here and there dotted some of cookies from before, but they really only made them more interesting to look at. Repressing a smile with admirable calm, I turned to Edward with amusement glittering in my gaze. Returning the expression, the lean vampire offered a hand. Confused, but trusting, I accepted the hand and let him lead me through the dining room and into the living area.

As we came around the room divider, I realized Esme and Carlisle sat together on the sofa facing the front of the house, the doctor's arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders.

"Mireille," Carlisle greeted, glancing back with well-hidden humor in his golden eyes. "What do you think about watching a movie?"

"With you two?" I warily inquired, to which both parents laughed brightly in an angel-choir kind of unison.

"Edward is going to stay, too," Esme explained understandingly, but amusedly, patting the sofa. "Come on and join us. We won't be so ridiculous, I promise."

Looking up at the bronze-haired vampire, I ascertained he truly would stay, but couldn't help commenting, "Considering he was all alone with you two when you first romanced each other, I'm not sure that helps a lot."

All three of them laughed then, and I sighed in resignation. "Okay. Movie it is."

"What movie is it?" Edward asked curiously.

" _Heidi_ ," Esme offered with a pleasant smile. "I always love Shirley Temple and this is one of my favorites."

"I remember watching that," I recalled the black-and-white film and its heartwarming storyline. "I loved it."

"Then come and sit," Esme encouraged warmly, gesturing at the other couch.

"All right," I agreed easily, coming around the sofa to curl up in its confines, although I briefly wished I had my plush blue blanket as well.

A whoosh of air caught my attention, and in a split second Edward appeared by my side with the blanket I had wished for. Smiling at him in gratitude, I just said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he offered in return, settling beside me on the sofa.

Slipping off my shoes, I curled up more comfortably under the soft cover and pulled my feet up beneath me.

Alice and Jasper joined us halfway through the film, and by their rugged attire I guessed they had gone hunting. It was a little off-schedule for them, but I figured it was because of Christmas somehow.

"Right you are," Edward murmured his agreement.

Sleepiness overcame me by the end of the film, but I didn't get much time to doze before Emmett and Alice both rushed away from the credits onscreen to bring back something very familiar – if a bit larger than I was used to.

"I would ask if we're wrapping presents," I sleepily spoke, turning partway to face the enormous plastic container of wrapping paper in a wild variety of styles and colors, "but I think it's pretty obvious."

"I just wanted to make it clear what we're going to be doing for the next few hours," Alice informed us. "We aren't doing this as a whole group, obviously."

Snorting with slight derisiveness at the idea that there wouldn't be some pre-Christmas revelations in this family, I woke myself up a little more thoroughly to respond, "Yeah that might put a dampener on tomorrow morning."

"Quiet, you," Alice waved her hand negligently in my direction. "So, let's all get going. I suggest anyone who is jointly giving a gift, to get together now. Then we can dissolve into our own corners when that's done."

Nods around the group settled the matter, and Edward, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie disappeared outside immediately after. Carlisle and Esme followed suit, albeit heading upstairs rather than outside.

"I don't think they're giving any gifts separately," Alice informed me thoughtfully of her parents. "Except to each other, obviously."

"That sounds like them," I agreed, rising from the couch. "What are we wrapping?"

"You know what," Alice told me, almost scolding of my ignorance. "Come on up to my room."

Recalling only one thing Alice and I shared in gift-giving, I wondered exactly why the item was in Alice's room in the first place.

"Why…?" I tried to ask before Alice shushed me with a silly level of frustration.

"Snow, of course," the tiny vampire explained as if it were obvious. "It's been drifting this afternoon. Not the best option, I assure you."

Shrugging in acceptance, I continued in silence as we made our trek up to Alice and Jasper's bedroom. Between the two of us, it wasn't exactly easy to determine a good way of wrapping our shared present, but in the end we made it work by combing two large boxes as a base and draping simple fabric over top. Esme had been clear she wouldn't mind us all borrowing for the occasion. The loose cloth seemed very casual and ill-fitted, however, so Alice decided to gather the cloth in front and add a huge bow.

"I've never _seen_ a bow that gigantic," I muttered dryly, nevertheless satisfied with the appearance of our gift.

"I don't hear you complaining, do I?" Alice remarked with a slight glare, arms crossed over her chest.

"Nope, no complaining from this corner," I responded brightly, smiling unnecessarily wide and turning to leave the room.

"I'll carry it down later," Alice informed me quietly as she followed, although I had no doubt our recipient still heard the words. Vampire hearing was ridiculous on so many levels I couldn't even list them all.

"I guess that's it for me on the group gift-giving scale," I commented, realizing quite suddenly I had bought every other gift for the Cullens on my own. "Hmm. I'll go get to work, then."

"You should probably work in the living area," Alice suggested thoughtfully, "It's easiest for you to have access to all the wrapping supplies."

"That's true," I agreed simply, finally heading down the staircase. "Only everyone is going to pass by there, so…"

"We won't look," Alice shrugged. "Well, no one else will. I've already seen most of my gifts."

"Most?" I replied with a raised brow, turning to look at the small vampire in amazement. "Who's still hiding from you?"

"You know perfectly well who _one_ of them is," Alice eyed me with sarcastic criticism, to which I just smiled at my success. "I swear, you have a positive talent around my gift."

"It sounds crazy, but if I think it out a little ahead of time, then I don't think it out too much later and plan something you'll see."

Pausing on the stairs with a pensive expression for all of thirty seconds, Alice finally shook her head and continued walking, "That _does_ sound crazy."

As we made our way downwards, I couldn't help laughing at her conclusion.

"Edward is another one, not that it surprises me," Alice rolled her golden eyes with fond irritation. "He understands my gift too well not to work around it."

"There's someone else, isn't there?" I realized from her wording.

"Jasper, actually," Alice smiled warmly. "He's so determined. It's really quite adorable of him."

Chuckling at what Jasper would make of that description, I didn't respond as we crossed from the steps down onto the main floor. Alice giggled with me before disappearing to another part of the house.

With the decision made that I would occupy the living space for my wrapping, I took notice of every movement that occurred within my limited speed of vision. The first passerby since I came down, Emmett walked very casually upstairs when he came back inside, offering a wink in my direction. Shaking my head as he disappeared, I couldn't help laughing at his cheeky persona.

Jasper followed behind Emmett, not offering acknowledgment of my presence, but slipping upstairs in a blur. After another fifteen minutes, a blot of blond hair zipped past; judging by the sheer volume of hair, I assumed it was Rosalie. Indeed, given another couple minutes, the same blond hair jotted past with the large shape that was Emmett. Sighing at the fact that everyone would probably finish up by the time I was even halfway done, I just pressed on with my wrapping.

Alice and Jasper joined the speed parade out of the house given another ten minutes, then all was quiet in the house for another forty-five minutes. Every gift I'd bought ended up wrapped in a variety of lovely paper, from shimmering blue snowflakes to bright green and red stockings. Edward's gift gave me a heap of trouble, though; it was nearly impossible to keep my mind focused on something else while I was wrapping. Still, I tried my best and hoped I kept it a surprise for him the next morning.

To my great astonishment, the others all traipsed in to finish their individual wrapping a few moments later, leaving me the first person officially done with my Christmas wrapping.

"All right, everyone to their corner!" Alice clapped her hands authoritatively, to which Edward and Rosalie both rolled their eyes and rushed upstairs regardless.

"We took longer than I thought," Alice wondered, amazed as she took in the gifts I'd set near the tree base.

"Oh, thanks!" I half-laughed at her remark.

"You know what I meant," she laughed as well, going upstairs behind Jasper and Emmett to begin wrapping her own gifts for everyone.

"Already done, Mir?" Esme's warm voice reached me a few seconds later, the mother coming down by herself to find me picking up my wrapping messes.

"Yes, thankfully," I confirmed, smiling up at her and crunching up a wad of paper scraps. "You must be wrapping Carlisle's gift now."

"Right you are," the Cullen mother smiled wider, reaching for a particularly elegant crimson wrapping paper with a subtly embossed design. "I think everyone will be done fairly quickly now."

"I believe it," I shook my head.

Sure enough, everyone came downstairs with at least thirty presents of many different shapes and sizes, the overwhelming theme red and green but mixed with rich blues or shining gold and silver. Six bags with different images or designs all lined the outer edge of the gift pile like candlelit lanterns lining a forest path. Mine and Alice's gift sat near the conservatory, looking very much unlike its true shape I was pleased to say. Two other large gifts filled the room; the first a huge, rectangular something covered in green cloth with artful gold ribbons tying up the gathered corners and the second a short, wide box wrapped in white and green with a shiny red bow.

The most fascinating gift set near the tree was a very tall piece Rosalie brought down in a blur faster than I could really see. Whatever it was, the red velvet draped over top cleverly concealed its true shape. For now, all it appeared to be was a point of fabric hanging perfectly circular to the floor. Rosalie had tied a silky white bow around the top tip of fabric, but it made no more sense of what the gift was.

"This looks like it's going to be a very interesting Christmas," I said with a slight smile as I surveyed the enormous mess of presents under and around the gigantic and colorful tree.

"I sure hope so," Emmett couldn't help saying, coming up to stand beside me and observe the same mass of gifts. "The last couple decades, our Christmases really stunk the place up."

"That was before Mir came around," Alice commented absently, fussing over the diagonal blue ribbons on a green-wrapped present.

"We have been given reasons to celebrate again," Carlisle spoke up, finally joining everyone with one last present wrapped in silver and gold paper with a white bow on top. Allowing Alice to place the gift where she thought it looked most aesthetically pleasing, the doctor moved to wrap an arm around Esme's waist. The caramel-haired vampire leaned her head on his shoulder comfortably.

"Let's clear up all of the paper and supplies," Esme announced to the room at large. In response, Edward picked up unused boxes and bags, Rosalie grabbed the rolls of tape and pairs of scissors, and Jasper lifted the box of wrapping paper to head upstairs with it. Carlisle and Esme gathered all of the bows, ribbons, and attachments left. Emmett retrieved any remaining scraps while Alice continued flitting around the pile of presents to ensure the best aesthetic quality.

"Done," Emmett concluded firmly once everything had been cleared away, leaving the room looking warm and cozy in spite of its grand size and floor space. The Christmas tree accounted for most of that, of course, when Alice finally stopped fussing with it.

"How about something for dinner, Mir?" Esme confirmed with me, seeming to jumpstart my growling stomach. Laughing at my gurgling torso, the others then dispersed to parts of the room to sit and do whatever activity they came up with.

"I can't argue it, Esme," I half-laughed myself. "How did all the desserts turn out, by the way?"

"Oh, marvelously," the matriarch beamed at me, "Come and see everything."

True to form, the desserts looked spectacular. The cookies, which I had already seen, looked even better after being away from them for a stretch of time. I was half tempted to eat one then and there. A green and blue wreath appeared especially appetizing, but I refrained in favor of helping Esme make my dinner.

Forty minutes on and we had whipped up a meal of baked chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, and rice pilaf. After so much happening, what with our snow fight, wrapping gifts, and the lingering effects of emotion from the night before, I felt positively ravenous and polished off dinner almost with the air of someone starving.

"Well, don't make yourself sick," Esme teased and ruffled the ends of my hair affectionately.

Turning a bit pink in the face, I just shrugged sheepishly at her. "I was hungry all of a sudden."

"I would say," she laughed at my embarrassment and took my now-empty plate away before I could protest.

Giving up on that front after all the times the Cullens had ignored my wish to do it myself, I rose from the island and headed through the dining area, wandering to the soft sounds of the piano from the conservatory. Coming around the staircase, I took note of Edward sitting at the baby grand. He didn't appear to be playing anything fully cognizant, but merely pressing the keys in a vague practice.

"I'm not sure what I want to play," the bronze-haired vampire acknowledged my thoughts out loud, brows drawn in concentration while he thought it over. It didn't bother him, judging by his easy, relaxed posture.

"I'd suggest Christmas carols," I remarked a bit wryly, "but I imagine that's not what you had in mind."

Corner of his mouth lifted with subtle humor, Edward tilted his head in agreement, "Not precisely… but I think I will anyway."

Smiling slightly at his decision, I came to sit in the armchair to the right of the piano and just listened as the lean vampire started out his medley with a soft, slow version of 'Silent Night'. The gentle tune, always beautiful and perfect at Christmas, was only enhanced by Edward's unerring skill with the instrument he played.

On through 'O Come Emmanuel', 'Little Town of Bethlehem', 'Ave Maria', 'We Three Kings', 'Come All Ye Faithful', and 'O Christmas Tree', Edward never let up his musical perfection. Never a loud, brassy carol passed his fingertips and each song soothed my freshly nourished body closer and closer to sleep. Eventually, Edward's notes tapered off into silence as the last of the gentle songs petered out to silence.

"I know we haven't had many Christmas traditions over the years," Alice brought up in the quiet of the house, her voice carrying from the living area, "but are we going to at least uphold our Christmas Eve film?"

"You have that tradition?" I wondered, pleasantly surprised and waking myself up more to discuss it.

"Yes, we do, actually," Carlisle confirmed, "I almost forgot in the business of wrapping up our gifts."

"What are we even watching?" Emmett asked curiously, his boisterous persona tempered by the relaxed aftermath of Edward's music.

Rosalie stood in the wake of Emmett's question, slipping over to the DVD collection to peruse it for ten seconds before moving to the fireplace and putting something in without asking anyone. "I think this will do."

No one questioned, but gathered around the sofas to see the blonde's choice in film. I couldn't have been more surprised when the title credits began.

" _Scrooge_?" Emmett wrinkled his nose against the idea. "That's dull."

"It's a good story," Esme intervened before Alice or Edward could speak. "And I think some of us will appreciate it."

Her gaze slipped over me and back again, but I didn't need it to know who she referred to. Catching Rosalie's eye, I could see only honest inference. Blinking back the wetness trying to overwhelm my eyes in that moment, I turned to my hands where the lay in my lap and willed back tears.

"Oh, I know the perfect thing, too," Esme spoke up abruptly, a quiet whisper meant for herself alone as she sped into the kitchen. _Scrooge_ started playing through the narration of Marley's death and Ebenezer's greed before Esme returned with a steaming mug. "Here, Mir. I know you can't bring back your grandparents… But perhaps… perhaps this is to be your inveterate tradition. Perhaps you can bring back the feeling those wonderful memories gave you, and move on more comfortably."

Her voice had gone soft and sweet, offering up the mug of hot chocolate almost like a peace offering. Taking it very carefully from her cold hands, I had to force back another slew of tears.

As I inhaled the sweet aroma of peppermint from my mug and watched Ebenezer and Bob Cratchet discuss taking Christmas Day off, I finally looked between Esme who sat on my right and Rosalie who sat beside Emmett on the floor.

All I could do was whisper, "Thank you."

* * *


	32. Chapter 30: Impatience

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N:This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Previously** – Emmett complained about losing the snow fight. Mireille admitted she was the reason and Emmett admired Mireille being sneaky. Esme and Mireille started making Christmas desserts. Carlisle and Esme discussed a charity donation. The Cullens baked sugar cookies and had a frosting contest. The contest got out of hand and Carlisle and Mireille watched. Esme order the 'kids' to clean up. Carlisle and Esme teased Mireille and she left to clean herself up. Mireille saw the repaired cookies and watched _Heidi_ with Carlisle, Esme, and Edward. The Cullens wrapped Christmas presents and Edward played Christmas carols. Everyone watched Scrooge and Esme made peppermint hot chocolate for Mireille.

> **Chapter 30: Impatience**

The story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his change of heart kept me wide awake for the longest time. I didn't fall asleep when the second ghost came on screen, and I wasn't terrified anymore when the third ghost finally appeared. While still a definitively creepy character to see on screen, it didn't frighten me as it had when I was a child.

Given my wakefulness, Emmett suggested one more film to match the theme of men given a second chance – _It's A Wonderful Life_.

I loved Jimmy Stewart, and his dramatic performance had me enthralled for a while. Something happened, however, that I didn't even see coming as Bedford Falls turned into a horrible, twisted version of itself.

I fell asleep.

Like a flash, like a sudden burst of light, I had clearly winked out into dreamland without ever feeling myself doze off in the first place.

Starting from that place of deep sleep some indefinite time later, I wondered what infernal noise or sensation could have woken me. With a soothing, comforting background of 'O Holy Night' filling my ears, some sound or feeling must have nonetheless ripped me from sleep without regard. Frowning with the absolute fog of fatigue still clinging to me, I lifted my body onto one elbow and tried to squint through the darkness to see any clue as to what drove me awake, barely recognizing I had been moved from the sofa in the living area up to my bed on the third floor.

"It's all right, Mireille," Edward's voice cast out soothingly through the dark, until the vampire himself settled on the bed before me, having switched on a small lamp across the room on his way. In the low light, Edward's lightly frowning features seemed enhanced into a near-scowl.

Chuckling, Edward reassuringly grasped my hand where it lay atop the covers. "I'm not that upset."

"Then why'd you look it?" I asked with sleepiness still clouding my voice. With the slight slur to my tone, I sounded a little intoxicated.

"Emmett shouted," the bronze-haired vampire half-smirked, half-smiled at my thoughts, gently pressing my shoulders back down. "Jasper got one up on him in the hallway and he was pretty riled about it. Rosalie made him shut up so you could sleep."

"Oh," was all I could think to say, irritatingly unable to think much more coherently or to clear away the cobwebs in my head. "What… what time is it?"

"Go back to sleep," Edward murmured instead of answering me, now fully smiling as he pulled the covers back up to my neck. "We'll wake you in time for the morning. I promise."

Satisfied with his simple promise, I allowed my eyes to close once more, Edward's gentle smile the last thing I saw before sleep claimed me once more.

When I later came around to Esme's voice urging me gently awake, I only half-remembered the nighttime stir, the memory almost comical as my mind fully cleared.

"We're ready when you are, sweetie," she informed me with a smile, patting my arm through the blankets. "I made a little something for you to eat first. I know how long those five can take at Christmas, even as grown vampires."

Smiling amusedly at the thought as I sat up and stretched, I nodded. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."

"All right," Esme agreed, leaving me to my morning routine and disappearing in a blur of her burgundy lace-collar top.

It somehow failed to surprise me that an outfit hung waiting for me on the back of the bathroom door. Mixed with a rich red sweater that boasted a broad cream diamond pattern across the stomach and wrists, Alice had picked cream leggings decorated with tan snowflakes that mixed amongst crimson and hunter green stripes of various styles. On one of the shelves sat a pair of deep crimson velvet loafers embroidered with a shining golden design over the toe. Grateful for my comfortable clothing, I more energetically began to get ready.

Breakfast was simple, thankfully; a light meal of eggs, toast, and a little oatmeal. The other Cullens were nowhere to be found as I began eating, Esme keeping occupied with wrapping up cookies into small batches to give away.

"I wanted to clear space for making Christmas dinner," she let me know as I glanced over the many different designs still littering the counters. "So we took pictures of them all. And Alice, the little sneak, took pictures of the kitchen when it was a complete wreck. I swear they were adopted, Mir!"

We laughed together over the vampire mother's pun as I finished my toast and moved onto oatmeal. At that precise moment, the glass doors at the back of the house slipped open, allowing through Emmett, Rosalie, and Carlisle. They disappeared before I could say anything to them, but returned within a few minutes all in some form of Christmas-themed clothing. Carlisle wore a simple hunter green sweater with a white dress shirt underneath and gray dress pants. Whereas Rosalie bedecked herself in a blood red sweater dress with a thin black belt and black tights to match her black stiletto ankle boots. Emmett followed Rosalie's theme, wearing a simple red sweater and black slacks.

"Well, we got that all settled," Emmett rubbed his hands together with great anticipation, not clarifying what they had settled as he added, "Now let's get our human and start opening presents!"

Shaking my head along with Rosalie at Emmett's little joke, I just continued eating my oatmeal at a comfortable pace. As much as I adored Christmas, I also loved eating when I was hungry. Edward's familiar bark of humor reached my ears as he appeared around the curve of the stairs wearing a heathery forest green cable-knit sweater and dark jeans.

"Emmett would appreciate your thoughts under any other circumstance," the bronze-haired vampire told me dryly.

"No hiding!" Emmett grumbled loudly at us, to which I exhaled exasperatedly. "Now come on, Mir, I know you like your food, but it's Christmas!"

"Let Mir finish her breakfast," Esme told her burly son in a no-nonsense voice, to which the big vampire turned away grumbling still.

Edward laughed at his brother, settling beside me at the dining table with his usual disregard for human courtesy as he watched me eat.

"Don't insult me now," he teased with a raised brow, the snide look in his golden eyes not going over my head at all.

"Don't go all broody now," I told him more mildly, finishing my oatmeal while he shook his head.

"And we're ready!" Alice announced a few moments later, slipping around the staircase in an oversized emerald sweater, blue and black ankle boots, and black jeans that contrasted very blatantly with Jasper's maroon sweater, white dress shirt, and tan slacks as he followed her into the room. Their timing in arriving, compared to the exact moment I finished my breakfast, didn't pass my notice.

Jasper half-smiled at the knowing expression on my face, shrugging at his wife's visionary existence. I just shrugged in return, settling acceptingly to the way the Cullens lived.

"Come on, Mir!" Emmett insisted in a sing-song tone, leaving me laughing at his persistence.

"I'll get these," Esme smiled humorously at me as she grasped my used dishes, and I rose with Edward to join the rest of the family by the tree.

While I ate, they had plainly moved all the furniture to surround the extravaganza of gifts on the floor, even bringing over two of the printed yellow armchairs from the conservatory. Emmett and Rosalie took a sofa together and Jasper took the white chairs for him and Alice. Carlisle settled in one of the conservatory armchairs, bringing two close together for him and Esme. That left one sofa, which Edward led me to. Rather than sit on the sofa also, he took to the floor in front of me.

"Trust me," was all he murmured, a humorous half-smirk on his face.

"All right!" Alice piped up before I could ask more, clasping her hands excitedly before her. "We're opening stockings first. I'll pass them out to everyone. Just don't remove your tags. I'll explain later."

Confused, everyone except Emmett looked around at each other in question. Even Edward looked lost, which meant Alice and Emmett were doing a remarkable blocking job. Edward nodded his agreement to me with irritation that made me repress a giggle; Edward offered me a slight glare in response. Nevertheless, once all the stockings had been passed out, nobody removed their stocking tag.

It fascinated me no end to see all the different stockings. For some reason I had thought every stocking would match, but I supposed I should have known better. Carlisle and Esme did, of course, have matching gold stockings. For Rosalie, the stocking was – as always – red; a deep, rich red velvet creation with an imprinted curling design and gold silk at the top. Emmett had fun with his stocking, the simple red and green plaid standing out compared to Rosalie's velvet sock and yet still meshing with the color scheme.

Dark blue and dark gray tartan with a white cuff, Jasper's stocking did not stand out as much as Alice's furry ice blue snowflake stocking glittering in the very early morning light. Edward's quilted stocking with velvet cuff was darker green than his sweater. Mine – a piece I hadn't seen until that moment – was rich purple velvet gently embossed with a damask print.

"This is beautiful," I exclaimed pleasantly, holding the stocking in my hands without paying much attention to the shapes that might be inside.

"I'm glad you like it," Esme replied with a warm smile. "We always make the stockings ourselves. I wasn't exactly sure what you'd like, but you do look lovely in violet."

"I love it," I agreed, smiling at her in gratitude. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the motherly vampire reached over to pat my arm.

"What are you all waiting for?" Emmett declared suddenly, shaking his stocking at everyone impatiently. "Open them up!"

Everybody laughed at Emmett's childlike animation this time, but proceeded to do as he said and pulled out the contents of their stockings. For a moment, I was so engrossed in looking at everyone else opening their small gifts that I forgot to look into my own.

Emmett nearly ripped his apart opening up his trading cards and a bag of something that clinked together. Confused as much as I was, the big vampire pursed his lips and – with little ceremony – upended the bag entirely.

There was a pause so still and thick that I thought time had frozen.

And then, out of the silence, in a flash of pale color, at least three sets of hands came out to catch a swirling mess of small clinking objects. The rapid hurricane of grabbing hands made me almost dizzy until it finally stopped, leaving four vampires with both their hands full of brightly colored glass marbles.

An evasive cough escaped me when I noticed Emmett's stunned face, mixed with the exasperation on Rosalie's features, then a full burst of laughter left me bent helplessly forward. The boyish, sheepish grin on Emmett's face bloomed like the sun, leaving Rosalie to once again roll her eyes, although more indulgence than agitation graced her face this time.

"Honestly, Emmett," the golden-haired vampire chided him all the same while she, Edward, Alice, and Jasper all poured their handfuls of marbles into the bag Emmett held. When they were through, Rosalie pulled the bag of marbles away from her husband and made sure it was tightly closed before setting it on the sofa beside her.

I recovered from my amusement just as Edward sat back down in front of me, shaking his head at my childishness. Shrugging, I turned to watch Esme laugh at the decal reading 'Baseball Mom' with crossed bats and a baseball as the background, but she seemed very confused.

"Where on earth will I use this?"

None of the children seemed to know how to answer, all abnormally engrossed in their own gifts. Shrugging it off, the mother continued looking through her stocking to find sachets of various scents. Alice, Rosalie, and I had each bought one for her, just because, and her eyes brightened at the sight.

Bookmarks and expensive-looking ballpoint pens filled Carlisle's stocking, and only Edward and Esme seemed to understand the latter items' ultimate use. Alice's excitement just about killed me; she looked like a bobblehead figure bouncing as she was – despite the fact she clearly already knew about the eight colors of nail polish soon-to-be in her possession.

Edward muffled laughter into his stocking, a few CDs and some trading cards in hand.

"Be quiet, Edward," Alice scolded her brother mildly, eyeing the floral scented body wash I'd put in her stocking with a sly eye. "Don't think I don't know this was you, Mir."

Muffling laughter as I remembered Alice's nasty-smelling body wash, I turned to watch Jasper cast a critical gaze over the custom guitar keychain and pack of guitar picks in his hands. It was the key he unearthed next that really stumped him, bringing a grin to his tiny mate's face. "I sure hope somebody is going to explain this."

Giggling at his freshly confused expression, Alice didn't exactly respond to his statement very clearly. "I think you'll understand."

"Mireille, are you going open yours?" Rosalie wondered curiously, and I turned with surprise to look at my still full hands.

"I totally forgot," I confessed embarrassedly. Ignoring the humor on everyone's face, Rosalie and I opened our stockings at the same time. Her hair accessories rested on the arm of the sofa in seconds, while it took me a moment to work out the shape stuffed into the top of my stocking. Frowning a bit, I finally tugged it out and unwrapped red tissue paper to reveal a stuffed penguin. Incredibly small compared to the enormous one Emmett gave me over a month earlier, but definitely a penguin.

"Uh, I figured your big pal needed a little friend," Emmett admitted, scratching the back of his neck a little sheepishly.

"Thank, Em!" I told him with a smile, holding the little penguin close. Stuffed animals were becoming a very big weakness for me.

"Welcome!" the burly vampire responded, embarrassment fading away rapidly.

The rest of my stocking was a collection of makeup and a new, flamingo and tropical printed makeup bag. "Alice, I seriously don't think I'm ever going to use all this. And didn't you offer me that other bag already?"

"Mir, _when_ do I do things _just_ _once_?" Alice sighed dramatically. "So little faith."

Snorting at her drama, I just slipped everything back into the stocking to open up later.

"Oh!" Esme said abruptly, startled as a key fell out of her own stocking quite by accident when she went to hang it back up on the mantle. "What in the world?"

Offering a suspicious eye at his siblings, Edward more carefully inspected his stocking, only to come away with – surprise, surprise – another key. Or at least it appeared to be, for the silver end was all anyone could see before Alice ripped the thing away in a real hurry. Lifting an eyebrow, Edward allowed her the moment with the barest of patience.

"No one else has one," Alice informed everyone with a laugh as the rest of us started to re-examine our stockings.

"Don't they?" Edward retorted with adverse calm, looking at his CDs rather than his sister.

Frowning, the smallest Cullen reached back into her ice blue stocking and with a start, pulled out a key wrapped similarly to Edward's.

"Mireille, why don't you get your winter wear?" Carlisle suggested to me with a great amusement as his family wondered at the many keys floating around.

"Looks like I'll need it," I sighed in agreement, sliding around Edward to rise and head towards the entryway. First thing I pulled on was a pair of boots. Before I reached my coat, Carlisle walked over to help me pull the garment on.

Adding a hat, gloves, and scarf, I stood ready at last and the Cullens reappeared at their natural speed, all eight of us moving outside into the darkness. I was startled to realize it was still so early in the morning; the lights all over the house were thankfully bright enough light our way.

All along the driveway, draped fabric clogged my view. Shimmering blue, shining silver, silky red, velvety black, and glittering gold clustered together in a very beautiful array of color and texture. They were obviously cars; I just wondered who got which one.

"Hurry up, Eddie," Emmett prodded his lean brother impatiently, moving near the golden-covered vehicle furthest from where we all stood, "I'm not as good at this as you."

It obviously killed the big vampire to say so, but he didn't hold back.

"Alice," Edward called out teasingly, not replying to his brother.

"What did you do?" Alice practically breathed the words, shock all over her face. "What did you…!"

The last unfinished statement was more of a squealing shout than a question, leaving Edward and Emmett grinning identically at their tiny sister as she tried in vain to see what they were giving her beneath the golden fabric. Apparently, neither one would make a decision she could see, and eventually the little vampire exhaled impatiently and ripped away the glittering gold in one smooth rush.

Alice stood stock still and staring as the cloth fluttered and slipped to the ground like a cloud of gold dust, leaving in its wake an object I would have recognized anywhere.

Edward and Emmett had bought Alice a yellow Porsche.

I laughed in delight at the sight of another car from the books.

When words finally found Alice, she stuttered atypically, "How did… How did you… All this time… _Edward_!"

The name came out as a whine, scolding Edward for giving Emmett a hint on rerouting Alice's power. Edward laughed out loud at the sound and probably the many thoughts running through the tiny woman's head. At last, though, Alice moved from her shock and squealed her real excitement, first rushing Emmett with a bear hug. When she moved to Edward, her first move was to smack his shoulder, something he allowed her to do with a wide grin I had never seen on his face until that moment. But then Alice wrapped her near-twin in a hard hug and popped up to kiss his cheek. Edward returned her hug with a chuckle.

"I can't believe you two kept this from me for so long," Alice shook her head in absolute disbelief. "I didn't even know Emmett was hiding something!"

"Who says it was just me?" Emmett grinned almost ferociously at the psychic.

"I thought you were with Rosalie on her gift!" Alice countered irritably.

"Maybe that's not the only gift she gave you," Edward remarked dryly.

Rosalie smirked with authority as Alice's jaw dropped slightly open.

"Rose! You did updates!"

Squealing similarly to her earlier outburst, Alice rushed up to hug her sister as well, the blonde vampire resignedly accepting the embrace as part of her small sibling's charm. "Thank you, guys!"

Before any more squealing could occur, Emmett remarked to his golden-haired brother with a slight smirk, "Well, Jasper, you asked."

So saying, Emmett swooped away the black velvet cloth in front of Alice's Porsche in a dramatic swoosh. The fabric swung out and settled in smooth folds down to the ground while Jasper stared at a fierce, dark green and black motorcycle.

"Is that…?" I wondered, but I wasn't able to complete the thought.

Jasper finished my sentence for me, "A Ducati."

"You guys are going for the gold right now," I muttered in surprise, eyebrows lifted almost to my hairline while Jasper gave the bike a thorough once-over.

"It's from the three of us," Emmett clarified, gesturing at himself, Rosalie, and Edward.

"Thank you," he murmured at last, nodding at his siblings, then moved away from his new ride to the red silk covered gift in front of it. "Rose?"

Raising an eyebrow, Rosalie stepped forward in slight confusion. "Yes?"

Wordlessly, Jasper tidily removed the red fabric and wrapped it as he held it in his hands, revealing the M3 had earned a new convertible top – this time in black rather than tan.

Rosalie smiled vaguely, but genuinely at the sight, appearing beside her car to examine the brand new topper. "Thank you. Who put in for this one?"

"Edward, Alice, and I," Jasper responded.

Smiling still, Rosalie eyed the blue covered vehicle in front of hers and turned to her mother, "I think this next one is yours, Esme."

"What?" Esme started slightly, although she still held the key from her stocking in hand.

Carlisle chuckled at his wife's surprise, gently pushing her forward. "Go on, my love. It won't bite."

"You did," Esme jolted back at her husband, eyes glittering as she glanced towards him. Laughing out loud, Carlisle just shook his head and waved the caramel-haired vampire to her gift, drawing me into his side to break the flow of wind beating against my neck.

Edward stepped up to pull the fabric this time, whisking away the blue shimmering cloth in a whirl and ending with a bow for his mother.

Repressing a grin at his antics, Esme looked on in surprise to find the Mazda sitting before her. "Well, now I know where my mom decal goes."

Everyone laughed at her conclusion, but Esme just smile sheepishly. "Thank you so much… I'm guessing Rose and Edward?"

"Correct," Edward confirmed, not arguing when his mother moved to hug him in gratitude, the motherly vampire following up immediately by hugging Rosalie, too.

"May I ask what in the heck is hanging from the garage?" I wondered out of the blue, having turned to face the last car and taking immediate notice of the various sacks hanging from the top of the garage door.

Giggling broke from Alice, but it was Rosalie and Edward who stepped forward, the former calling for her husband. "Emmett?"

Like a kid in a candy store, Emmett rubbed his hands together excitedly and replied musically, "What is it?"

"I guess you had better open them and see," Edward countered indulgently, "…Santa Claus."

Glaring just a bit at his 'younger' brother, Emmett rushed by us in a blur, leaving four empty bags on the porch and holding four harnesses in his big hands.

"Cool, you guys!" he half shouted, grinning widely. "Off-roading it is!"

"I'm going to take a wild guess," I started with pursed lips, "and say that's only for people like Charlie to see."

"Gotta have all the equipment, Mir," Emmett shrugged as though he had spouted the wisdom of the century.

Alice and I giggled together over his attitude and Rosalie moved on with a long-suffering air.

"And the last one," the blonde announced, artfully swiping the silver fabric from the hood of the vehicle, but leaving the rest of the cloth on still.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it.

Silver to a fault and unmistakable, looking as undamaged as if it were just bought, there in the driveway sat Edward's Volvo.

The vampire stood staring as much as I did while trees swam through my mind. Yet I suddenly remembered – not the trees around the gas station where I'd been attacked – but chatting with Edward and Emmett on our way to Homecoming, eating in Park Tour Café, and racing against the wind to Sacramento for a movie night.

"Come on, Edward," I murmured to the bronze-haired vampire, holding out my gloved hand for him to take. Looking into his golden eyes, I let the memories float fondly in my mind, slowly drawing Edward closer to the vehicle as he accepted the warm moments to combat the chilling ones.

"After what happened," he murmured in return, hesitating before taking my hand. "I'm not sure I can drive it."

Realizing in a rush just what had made him buy the Mazda in the first place, I felt myself melt a little in sympathy and affection. "It's just a car. No matter what car I drove that night, those two would have chosen to attack me. Things happen. Whatever objects are around us, they're just there in the background. Okay?"

"You don't understand," he muttered more darkly, hand still hovering inches away from mine while his eyes burned. "After they ran from you… they damaged the car. They beat on that car just like they did on you."

Swallowing hard against the comparison, I forced back my disgust and stopped waiting. Crossing the small gap between our hands, I wrapped my fingers around his and tugged gently towards me.

"I don't care what they did to the car or to me," I spoke more firmly, more decisively, not letting him tear his hand away. "You can't let them rule your actions or your capabilities based on that. This is your car. And your family has made it brand new again. Don't waste that kind of support on high school bullies – people who have nothing better filling their life than those times when they hurt someone else."

Swallowing against the snippets of memory I couldn't repress, Edward found some way to step forward, fully grasping my hand in his own and moving up to the Volvo at last.

Smiling slightly at the vampire for his decision, with my free hand I reached for one half of the silver cloth that remained. Matching my gesture, Edward used his free hand to grasp the opposite side, and together we tugged the fabric down to the ground in front of the car.

At first, I had a panicked moment of thinking the car still had a deep scratch down the side. Upset by the thought and confused how the others could have missed it, I took a few steps towards the back of the car, Edward following along behind me.

Upon closer inspection, the black mark on the side made itself much clearer. Edward and I scoffed together as we realized the implications. On the other side of the car, the rest of the Cullens muffled laughter and giggling at our sudden understanding. Emmett, in particular, was clearly having an absolute blast.

The mark was shaped just like the scratch I'd left that day in Seattle, although now it looked more like a swipe for a sports car than a random scratch.

"Tell me this is a prank," I commented through an exasperatedly amused sigh. "And this is going to just wipe off with the next wash?"

Scoffing infinitely more loudly this time, Edward remarked, "Trust me, Mireille, this is a genuine paint job, not a faux tattoo."

Closing my eyes at the silliness of the others, I shook my head and turned to Edward once I opened my eyes again, " _How_ do you manage with them?"

Laughing at my remark, Edward declined to answer and instead turned to his blonde sister, "Matching sides, I assume?"

"Of course!" Emmett boomed cheerfully, preventing Rosalie from responding.

"Why?" Edward asked with honest curiosity, albeit vaguely weighted with resigned exasperation. Rosalie smirked at his expression, allowing her husband to continue the explanation.

"Couldn't let you forget that kind of bravery!" Emmett exclaimed with a laugh. "Mir's got guts, you know?"

"Trust me, I do," Edward rolled his eyes and sighed amusedly, refraining from further questions. "Come on, let's go back inside. I think we've had enough of vehicles for the moment."

"Oh, don't be a stiff, Edward," Alice sniffed, although her grin squelched most of her intended effect.

"We do need to open the rest of our gifts," Esme concluded, taking pity on Edward and me. We led the way back inside, both thoroughly ready to leave that particular day in Seattle and Forks behind us.

Everyone settled back into their previous seats, Edward once more choosing the floor in front of me rather than the open seat beside me.

"All right, Alice, I suppose you're picking the order of giving?" Carlisle asked of his tiny daughter, a small smile on his face.

"A little," she agreed, but her nose wrinkled at something only she could see. "With a few exceptions. Thank you for that, by the way."

At that comment, the pixielike vampire gave a look to me and Jasper. We both just smiled at Alice, leaving her scoffing as she went on, "We'll start with Esme. Emmett, Jazz, why don't you grab your gift?"

"All righty, then," Emmett rubbed his hands together, appearing beside Jasper, who had grabbed the wide box wrapped in green and white printed paper. The red shiny bow glistened in the lights from the tree as it passed from son to mother.

Accepting the large gift, Esme smiled in excited confusion as she unwrapped it slowly, eventually revealing an outdoor swing. Grinning, Esme happily remarked to her sons, "Oh, you remembered! Thank you, Emmett and Jasper!"

"You're welcome," the two replied at the same time, smiling at their mother.

"And Mir and I will go next," Alice added in the ensuing pause, waving me away as I moved to rise. "Esme will need to walk over there anyway, Mir."

Nodding my acceptance, I settled back into my seat while Alice ushered Esme over to the red draped gift.

Pulling off the ribbon and fabric, Esme gasped at the sight of another outdoor decoration – a bench for the front porch. The wood and white iron piece featured all the scrolls anyone could have wished for, a very traditional but beautiful piece.

"Oh, Mir, Alice!" Esme sighed happily. "You remembered, too. Thank you!"

"Of course," Alice answered first, to which I added, "You're welcome, Esme."

Alice gave Carlisle a brief look, to which the doctor rose from his seat and moved to the enormous green-wrapped present with gold ribbon. Esme turned from examining her bench once Carlisle's movement caught her eye.

"This obviously isn't complete yet, Esme," Carlisle explained warmly, "but I don't think you've even finalized your plan, so here is a foundation, at least."

Confused, the motherly vampire moved up to her husband's side and began to undo the gold ribbons, the green fabric falling bit-by-bit to reveal large glass pieces and metal framing, as well as some smaller parts to hold it all together.

Breathing in total surprise, Esme brushed her hands over the smooth green-tinted glass with reverent appreciation, "For a greenhouse?"

"You've been working hard to design one," Carlisle smiled as he spoke, hugging his wife from behind. "Will it suit?"

"Of course it will suit," Esme scoffed softly at him, batting at his shoulder as she turned to glance at the golden-haired vampire. "Thank you, darling."

"You're very welcome, love," Carlisle murmured in return, nuzzling his wife for a long moment, until someone cleared their throat gently.

Emmett was all too sheepish, but very determined, as his parents turned in unison to look his way. Withholding smiles, the two returned to their seats with shaking heads.

"On the subject of blueprints…" Alice took up again, glancing at her recently-seated mother.

"Oh yes," Esme smiled fully this time, rising again to retrieve a wide, flat, red and gold wrapped box. "Rose, this is for you and Emmett, from Carlisle and me."

Taking the box, Rosalie practically had to wrangle it away from Emmett's excitable hands, but a smile was on her face as she did so. Finally, the big vampire pouted and gave up, allowing his wife to carefully unwrap the gift. Opening a simple white box underneath, Rosalie pulled out an actual set of blueprints.

"What is this?" the blonde vampire wondered, a growing enthusiasm in her voice.

"Designs for a new house," Esme smiled widely at her daughter and son, "I bought the property already. We just have to start building the house whenever you're ready. There are a lot of design details I need your input for, but we can go at your pace."

"I love it," Rosalie told her mother, smiling at Esme more widely than before. "Thank you."

"Thank you, Esme," Emmett concurred more gently than usual.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Esme replied warmly.

"All right," Alice took up her hostess position once more, appearing beside the tree again. "I'm just going to pass out these gift bags and let everyone open them."

Jasper snatched two of the bags before Alice could touch them, reappearing on his feet behind his tiny wife with a wry smirk to match her glare. Everyone laughed at her petulant face. Nevertheless, Alice seemed to give up and moved on handing out the other four bags. Edward received a bag papered in sheet music and Rosalie a glittering red bag. Alice placed two in my own hands – a shiny silver bag with copper stars and a navy bag with amber bells.

Even after Alice sat down, Jasper withheld the two bags – one pink with a glittering white snowman, while the other was a white bag with a dark green velvet tree.

Everyone glanced at the gift tag on the bag first, Rosalie opening her bag before we did. After a while of digging, the blonde pulled out two tickets from the white tissue paper. Holding them up to glance at the event listed on them, Rosalie turned to her husband with a wide smile, "I almost forgot about the car show."

"I didn't," Emmett grinned at his beautiful wife, their affection quite sweet to see.

"Thank you, Em," she said quietly, demurely, hugging the big vampire and kissing him in gratitude.

"Concert ticket vouchers?" Edward spoke up as he pulled out tickets for shows of his own, a bit of surprise on his face.

"We thought we'd leave it to a book of them," Esme explained, "You can choose whether to make a group event or just go yourself, if you prefer."

"Thank you, Carlisle, Esme," Edward smiled in thanks.

"Of course, son," Carlisle answered with a smile to match Esme's.

A sudden movement drew everyone's eye to Jasper, who had flashed one of the bags in his hand to Alice out of the blue. Staring at him for a moment in continued amusement and consternation, Alice finally sighed and opened the white and green velvet bag in her hands to reveal – of course – tickets in the green tissue paper.

"A weekend in New York for Fashion Week!" Alice exclaimed, knowing but still very grateful. "Thank you, Carlisle and Esme… Honestly, I don't know why you hid this one, Jasper. They didn't exactly try to hide it from me."

Tossing the other bag into her hands, Jasper replied with sharp humor, "Maybe I was hiding that one."

Tearing through the silver tissue paper in her pink bag, Alice retrieved two plane tickets with a triumphant air. Immediately after reading over her present, the tiny vampire jumped up with a shrill scream of excitement that nearly burst my eardrums and threw herself at Jasper standing behind her. The former soldier caught her as if she hadn't jumped at him full force. Alice kissed every inch of Jasper's face while he laughed at her, along with the rest of us.

"I assume it's a very, very good gift," Esme laughed still, leaning into a chuckling Carlisle to support her.

"The best!" Alice squealed, finally pulling away from her husband's face long enough explain, "A trip to Milan for the anniversary of the day we met!"

"Also Alice's false birthday," I sighed amusedly and romantically at the same time, leaning onto my hand to watch Alice kiss Jasper full on the mouth regardless who was there in the room.

"Was it worth it?" Jasper asked wryly a few moments later, once Alice pulled away from his lips.

"In this case, I _adore_ a surprise!" Alice grinned and pecked his lips one more time before settling back on the floor, still encircled by her husband's arms.

Chuckling, Jasper carried them both to the same chair, Alice easily taking up space on his lap while the gift-giving continued.

My navy and amber bell bag boasted no less than eight tickets – all to see _The Return of the King_ in two days.

"I forgot all about seeing this! Thank you, Carlisle, Esme!"

"We're glad you like it, sweetie," Esme smiled widely at my joy along with Carlisle.

"Just don't spoil it for the rest of us," Emmett boomed laughingly, and I shook my head.

"It's already a book, Emmett," I laughed in return. "If anything would ruin it, that would."

"Oh, yeah," the big vampire wrinkled his forehead at that, making us laugh again. "Well, it's never the same in the movies anyway, so still don't spoil it!"

"Okay, Em," I shook my head at him again, smiling and turning to my other gift.

The starry bag produced another batch of eight tickets, this time for a New Year's bash in Seattle. Right up on the Space Needle observation deck. There was to be dancing, desserts, and fireworks for the evening, and already I felt my excitement building up.

"Wow! Thank you!" I called out to Alice, elated at the promised evening, "This sounds like so much fun!"

"You're so welcome!" the small vampire replied gladly, still smiling over her own surprise gift from Jasper. The sound of her thrilled aura happily filled my ears and I grinned at what was to come. In the meantime, while I had been concerned solely with my lovely gift, Rosalie had pulled her strangely wrapped gift over to stand between Esme's chair and the arm of the sofa I leaned against. The red fabric was still as inscrutable as ever.

"I think this will work best next," the blonde said mysteriously, nodding for me to open it.

"For me?"

Rosalie nodded simply, a slight smile on her features.

Stunned, I rose from my seat and slid around Edward to stand up and walk to my gift. Reaching for the white bow, I made short work of it and realized the fabric had been draped over top something round. Frowning curiously, I shrugged and began pulling the fabric up until I had reached the edge. Beneath the red cloth was another stretch of fabric, this time a bright pink. Confused why there would be two pieces of cloth, I nevertheless pulled the entire fabric off before trying to figure it all out.

A gasp escaped me at the sight I revealed… What I saw was not another piece of fabric, but the floor-length skirt of a cap-sleeve gown that I could only surmise was couture. From the waist up, a dark navy lace overlaid red silk, but the rest of the dress was a rich dark pink silk with a gathered swath of fabric at the left hip and a slit up to the knee.

"Oh my… It's _gorgeous_ ," I breathed in overjoyed shock, barely able to turn and look at the giver of the beautiful creation. "Thank you, Rosalie."

"You're welcome," the vampire in question said through a half-grin, the first I had ever seen on her face. "It's for the Seattle bash. There are shoes under the skirt, too."

Checking the specified location, I found a pair of lacy navy blue pumps that perfectly matched the lace of the dress.

"I can't wait to wear this," I murmured, a thrill running through me and a grin growing on my face as I brushed the smooth silk in my hand. It took a groan from Edward to bring me back down and make me try to take a seat again. From the expression on his face, he knew they had all just gained another style-interested female in the house.

Shrugging sheepishly at him when I passed by to sit back behind him on the sofa, I didn't lose my smile.

"Along the lines of fashion," Rosalie spoke again," I'm going to give this now, Alice."

Retrieving a gift wrapped in red and violet paper, Rosalie passed it to her sister, who gladly opened the medium-sized box to pull out a collection of hair accessories specifically designed for short hair.

"Thanks, Rose!" Alice perked up immediately, trying on a particularly glittery green headband.

Nodding, Rosalie sat back down beside Emmett who looked a little impatient after so long.

"Oh, Alice, why don't we grab our gifts and open them all together now?" I tried to persuade the tiny vampire, still sat on her husband's lap.

"Oh… all right," Alice huffed, although her smile overrode any irritation in the gesture.

Everyone stood up and went for the gift pile left behind, Edward sneaking ahead of me to grab my gifts rather than have me get up. Shaking my head at him, I just chuckled and let him have his way. Prying opening the tightly-taped packed from Edward and Esme, I wondered at the odd combination of givers, but only until I realized just what they were giving me.

In a cushioned box, my grandmother's silver, art deco wedding set twinkled under the light, both rings appearing as if they had just been made for the first time. The delicate flower engraving around the band matched beautifully with the round brilliant cut diamond of the engagement ring and its tiny surrounding diamonds.

Swallowing at the thoughtful gift, I forced back a sudden onslaught of tears. The moisture settled in the corners of my eyes – not falling, but sitting precariously while I fought them off. "Thank you so much."

"We're only too happy to have repaired them, sweetheart," Esme murmured just as sentimentally, flashing over to sit beside me and put her arms around me shoulders. Edward grasped my hand reassuringly from his place on the floor until Esme returned to her own seat.

Meanwhile, Emmett had already torn open his gift from Alice and Jasper, cheerfully removing the Aquaman comic books from the box and grinning at his siblings. He moved to open his last gift, which was from me, and laughed out loud once he saw the title encased in the wrapping.

" _How to Speak Wookie_ ," he read the title once he'd stopped laughing, bringing snorts and laughter from the others. "Thanks, Mir! I get to learn a new language!"

Giggling at him, I noticed Rosalie beside him had opened my gift to her as well. The vintage gold and enamel hand mirror and matching hair brush seemed a good choice, gauging her smile.

"Thank you," she said simply, turning to examine her new brush more thoroughly.

"That's cute, Mir!" Alice giggled at the Jukebox jewelry storage I'd bought her.

Carlisle had opened the books from his five children, reading over the various religious and historical hardbacks in fascination, until Esme prodded him to one from her. Chuckling at her excitement, the doctor opened both gifts from his wife – a new scarf for which he offered a mischievous look, and a set of brand new leather journals. And last, from me, he opened a hardback edition of _Les Misérables_.

"Thank you, everyone," the Cullen patriarch smiled at us all in gratitude.

Jasper's gifts included mostly Civil War items – a wall-size events chart and map for the Civil War from Carlisle and Esme, a Civil War DVD trilogy from Alice, and a set of Civil War chess pieces I picked out.

"That's ironic," Jasper snickered at my gift, but failed to explain further to me.

Ignoring his silliness, I moved to open Edward's other gift to me – Underworld on DVD. I chuckled at his sense of humor, but appreciated the gift all the same.

Edward then had two gifts left, one a grouping of miscellaneous vintage records from Alice and Jasper. When he saw the gift from me, the bronze-haired vampire started chuckling. "We never did find my Gatsby copy, did we?"

"No, we didn't," I shook my head in disbelief. "I still can't believe we couldn't find that book. It's like it just up and walked out!"

Chuckling harder, Edward set the hardback edition back in its tissue-cushioned box. "Thank you, Mireille."

"You're welcome," I smiled, still in awe that his book just disappeared.

The last three gifts were mine, from Jasper and Emmett and Carlisle, the former two fairly heavy and boxy as I hefted them inquisitively. Both brothers grinned at my suspicious expression, but said nothing until I moved to open the one from Emmett.

"A Playstation," I laughed a little, "I guess I understand those games in my stocking now."

Emmett laughed with me, glad I understood now, as I moved to Jasper's gift last.

"That's what I meant by irony," the honey-haired vampire explained with great amusement as I pulled apart tissue paper to reveal a brand new black and white chess set.

"What is it made of?" I asked amazedly, observing the semi-translucent stony material with interest.

"It's all marble," Jasper explained easily, and my mouth nearly dropped at the likely price tag of such a gift before I caught myself and swallowed the surprise.

"Thank you," I smiled over at the honey-blond vampire instead. "This is a really nice set. Hopefully I'll be playing more often in the future."

"We'll keep practicing," Jasper promised with a small, but genuine smile.

"And the last gift!" Alice cried happily. "Go on, Mir."

Barely had I gotten past the first layer of wrapping when I knew what the gift was. "Oh… My cell phone."

With a sheepish expression, I took the phone completely out of its box, honestly having forgotten I would have it for Christmas.

"It's all ready for you to start working with," Carlisle explained. "It came yesterday, so I charged it first."

"Now I have to set it all up." The prospect was actually kind of exciting. I always liked trying out a new phone.

"All right, let's clean up this mess," Esme decided as I continued looking over my new phone. "I'll put these larger items in the basement until I can add a protective coat for the outdoors. I need to work more on the greenhouse anyway, so that will have to stay put regardless."

Carlisle took a moment to rush upstairs and then hurry back down, sitting beside me to offer up a leather-bound book. "This is our address book, Mireille. While we clean up, why don't you start adding everything?"

"Okay," I agreed easily, placing the book on my lap and turning on my new cell phone.

The others cleaned up the living area far quicker than I could start adding phone numbers, but Esme insisted I continue working on my phone as everyone started placing or examining their own gifts. I worked steadily on the process without a single interruption, except to stretch or use the bathroom, until Esme called me again for lunch – or, as I slowly realized walking to the dining room – the typical early Christmas dinner at two-o'clock in the afternoon.

"Oh, wow, Esme," I sniffed the air with much appreciation. "That smells wonderful. Not that it doesn't always smell wonderful, of course."

Esme laughed at me and helped to fork steaming honey-glazed ham onto my plate while I worked on scooping small portions of herb-roasted red potatoes, homemade macaroni-and-cheese, sweet peas and carrots, green beans, and rolls. The sweet potato I left alone for the time being, both knowing it was too hot to eat as yet and also my least favorite of all the foods set up on the dining table in an amazing Christmas display.

Edward appeared beside me, brand new Gatsby in hand, in his typical food-watching activity. No longer really disturbed by the odd behavior of my semi-roommate, I just dug into a delicious Christmas meal and enjoyed the heavenly cooking.

Once I finished my Christmas dinner at a leisurely pace, it was with all too much enthusiasm that I moved straight to the desserts in the kitchen like a hawk for its prey.

Edward coughed unnecessarily at my mental comparison from the dining table, and I glanced back to find him shaking his head at me. Repressing a laugh, I grinned instead as I took a slice of pumpkin pie, two sugar cookies, and some Jell-O shapes.

"Always the Jell-O, with you," Edward remarked in high humor. I could hear a light smack as his book flopped on the table surface.

"Gotta have Jell-O," I retorted happily, popping the pumpkin pie in the microwave for twenty seconds to knock of the chill and nicking a few pieces of peppermint bark while I waited.

"Whatever you say, Mireille," the bronze-haired vampire smirked indulgently, picking his book back up now that I had no more interesting foods to 'mutilate' as he called it more than once.

Shrugging, I gladly started in on the pumpkin pie first and foremost before it got cold again.

I hadn't even had the chance to touch anything else before Alice sped up beside me and asked musically, "Mir, what are you doing?"

"Alice, why are you sing-talking?" I returned in the exact same tone, giving her a suspicious glance while my hand hovered over my still-full plate of treats.

"Oh, no real reason," the tiny vampire pursed her lips almost comically, tapping her chin in thought. "But, well… maybe there's a _teensy_ little reason…"

"What are you planning?" I put the question forth in the continuing sing-song tone of voice. "And why do you sound guilty?"

"I'm not guilty," she sniffed at me, "I just know you're likely reaction isn't what I hoped."

"All right, out with it, Alice," I prompted, dropping the sing-song voice instantly.

"Christmas Carol duets," she answered in a millisecond, giving me about the same amount of time to comprehend what had come out of her mouth without consulting a translator.

Edward burst out laughing at that momentary thought, foregoing any further interest in his book.

"Sometimes I see what Emmett means," Alice frowned irritably at her brother, before moving forward as planned. "At any rate, Mireille, I mean that Emmett and I planned a song game – sing a song you pick from a hat. Simple."

"Do you always do this… unusual ritual?" I wondered, lifting a brow in surprise.

"Not all the time," Alice shrugged one shoulder carelessly. "But it's not something we snub our nose at, exactly. And you can obviously sing, so it seemed like a fitting game you might enjoy."

"So, you want me to sing Christmas carols…" I clarified, circling my finger to emphasize everyone in the house, "with all of you? You, who have no imperfections in your singing voices?"

"You sang with Edward the first night you were here," the pixielike vampire argued calmly. "Anyhow, you won't be singing with all of us. Just one or two."

Taking a minute to drink the last of the hot chocolate Esme made for me, I considered the request for a long moment before Alice started to get antsy.

"You won't laugh if I go off key?" I asked a bit childishly, but Alice sighed exasperatedly, preventing herself from doing precisely what I worried over.

"I can't promise that," she told me bluntly, amused at my apparent shyness.

"Oh, Mireille," Edward rolled his eyes, moving from the table only to return with plastic wrap and put it around my plate of treats. "It's not the end of the world if you're off key. Now, come on."

Exhaling in resignation and amusement both, I stood with the two vampires, Alice punching the air as she exclaimed, "Yes!"

* * *


	33. Chapter 31: Impromptu

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** I wasn't really sure how to play out this song game, but I decided, in the end, to type out each song for one verse. Hope it doesn't drag on too much. I feel like the way I've outlined it might be a bit too "cookie-cutter" in the pace of the story, but I also think it's probably the best way to get across the feel of the songs and the flow of the situation.

I realized too late that my description of _The Return of the King_ was based on the extended version, so it wouldn't have been what they showed in the theater, but ah well.

Also, I feel like I do a lot of designer name-dropping. It's not meant to make anyone seem more important than they are, I just believe the Cullens would live this way and for someone normal like Mireille, it would seem crazy every time a designer label passed under their nose, hence always mentioning the designer names.

**Previously** – The Cullens also watched _It's A Wonderful Life_ and Mireille fell asleep. The Cullens began opening Christmas presents. Alice received a yellow Porsche and Jasper received a green Ducati. The Volvo was restored and Mireille convinced Edward to drive it again. The Cullens continued opening presents. Jasper surprised Alice with trip to Milan, Carlisle and Esme gave Mireille tickets for _Return of the King_ , and Alice gave Mireille tickets for a New Year's party at the Space Needle. Esme and Edward gave Mireille her grandmother's repaired wedding rings and Jasper gave Mireille a chess set. Mireille added phone numbers to her cell phone. Alice and Edward convinced Mireille to sing carols with the family.

> **Chapter 31: Impromptu**

The Cullens and I moved to the conservatory for the song game, not an unexpected move by any means, and spread out around the piano, ending with me standing beside Edward where he sat at the instrument side-by-side with Rosalie, aged sheet music in various shapes and sizes placed atop the piano. The vampires all seemed fairly excited about this part of the evening, so I decided it was worth it to play along.

"Thank you for that," Edward muttered dryly, to which I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Okay," Emmett started the game, cutting off any retorts Edward and I might have thrown at each other. "We've got a hat full of song titles here on the left, and a hat with our stocking tags over there on the right."

"We'll do a random draw to see who starts," Alice picked up explaining. "Draw a song, draw a name, and sing the song together. It's that simple."

Groaning quietly, I nevertheless drew the attention of every vampire in the room.

"What is it?" Esme wondered curiously, a smile teasing the edges of her mouth.

"Do you even know how intimidating it is to do things next to perfectly performing vampires?" I sighed, half amused and half exasperated with them all. Edward rolled his eyes broadly at my thoughts, taking the distraction I presented to look over the selection of music laid out.

"You haven't complained so far," Alice cut in, rolling her eyes at me. "And I already said, you can sing – clearly – and you sang with Edward your very first night here, no problem."

"Plus, you have no trouble dancing with us now…" Rosalie added thoughtfully.

"And you've been playing piano alongside Edward all along, too," Jasper pointed out. "You never worried about being shown up in that regard, did you?"

Thinking it over for a moment, I realized I truly never had. It just… never entered my mind. Finally shrugging, I agreed with lingering reluctance. "Okay, so I didn't. But—"

"Good, that's settled," Alice concluded the debate swiftly over my residual defense, taking up the hat with names and holding it out in front of her to playact digging intensively for one of the paper slips. A humorous sigh escaped me. "All right… We haaave… _Carlisle_! How fitting!"

Grinning, Alice put the paper aside and held out the hat to her father expectantly. Smiling at her enthusiasm, Carlisle plucked a name and then picked a song title from the hat Emmett brought over.

"Jasper," the patriarch read off, sharing an amused look with his battle-scarred son. "And ' _O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' is the song_."

The initiators of any kind of impromptu performance always faced that first awkward moment before the plunge – Carlisle and Jasper were no exception. The two blond-haired men shared a brief look as if to decide who would lead the first note, but then Edward hit the opening notes on the piano and it bypassed whatever beginning barrier there had been.

In clear, smooth sound, Carlisle's light, gentle tenor and Jasper's rich baritone melded together in a glorious harmony as the words escaped their lips in a slow caress of the English language.

_O come, O come, Emmanuel… and ransom captive Israel,_

_That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear._

_Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel… shall come to thee, O Israel._

The words dipped and swelled at all the perfect moments, both voices contrasted and yet equal in power and intensity where the volume rose or dropped into delicate silence. Every note, every word, every syllable of the five-verse song swept me away with awe until the very end.

_Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel… shall come to thee, O Israel._

As the last phrase petered out with steady gentility, I accepted that had never heard anything more beautiful in my life. Edward smirked from the piano bench, catching my eye and leading me to look down as my features morphed from dumbfounded amazement to absolute sheepishness.

"That was wonderful!" Esme sighed pleasantly, something I agreed wholeheartedly with.

"Jasper, you're next!" Alice prompted her husband happily, putting Carlisle's name back in the hat and holding out the fishbowl – so to speak – along with Emmett.

"Emmett," Jasper informed us while Alice preemptively took the hat from her burly brother's hands. "And the song… ' _Good Christian Men Rejoice'_."

The two brothers took only long enough to get their notes from Edward before beginning the song in hearty voices that startled me into giggling at their enthusiasm.

_Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice!_ __  
_Give ye heed to what we say. News! News! Jesus Christ is born today!_ __  
_Ox and lamb before Him bow, and He is in the manger now._ _  
_ _Christ is born today! Christ is born today!_

Emmett and Jasper sang all three verses with the same rousing energy that had me grinning along with the others the whole time. Emmett's deep bass rumbled in my feet as he sang, nearly bringing a choke of laughter in my chest. With the last two lines speeding by in their deep, fluid, masculine voices, Jasper matched my humor with a pleasant smile looming at the corner of his mouth.

_Christ was born today! Christ was born today!_

Esme and I jointly applauded the grand performance, leading Emmett to take a bow. Rosalie pushed him teasingly and Jasper just smiled.

"I love when men sing together," I couldn't help commenting, thoroughly enjoying the combination of masculine voices. "Christmas carols sound great that way. Especially ' _God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'_."

"Oh, that is a perfect song for male voices," Esme agreed happily.

There was a pause in the room for a few seconds, and for a brief moment I thought Edward or Emmett might make some snide comment about mine and Esme's mildly sappy remarks.

Instead, there was a sudden chorus of all four male voices in the room sharing the first notes of a harmony. The velveteen quality of Edward's tone added a complexity I hadn't envisioned – measuring out somewhere between Carlisle's gentle, heady tenor and Jasper's rich baritone. Emmett's floor-grinding bass leveled it all out with a most perfect balance.

I was awestruck when the four men all began the very tune I had mentioned at a quick, dancing tempo that led my foot to a steady tapping against the hardwood.

_God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing ye dismay!_

_Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day._

_To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray._

_O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy._

_O tidings of comfort and joy._

When the last verse came, I had nearly keeled over in euphoria from the beautiful sound of the four vampires' flawless voices, my mind all a thrill as they completed the impromptu carol.

_O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy._

_O tidings of comfort and joy._

The last note hovered like the hum of a generator for a moment, still and quiet and perfectly suited to my appreciative internal feasting.

"You're just… wow," was all I could get out, a grin taking over my face again. "Just wow!"

"That good, huh?" Emmett joked with a big grin, making everyone laugh.

" _Oh_ yeah," I responded with heavy insistence, bringing another laugh from everyone.

"I love it," Alice sighed cheerfully and picked up the hat again. "Come on, Emmett. More wonderfulness is to come."

Picking out the first paper, Emmett read out, "My partner is… pixie!"

Rolling her eyes, Alice laughed nonetheless at her brother's words and jutted the second hat towards him persistently. "And our song is… ' _The Little Drummer Boy'_! All right, shorty, lets get singing."

Allowing a giggle to escape, Alice set aside the hat and moved beside her contradictorily enormous brother. Edward gave the note and off the two went, slowing down the mood of the room as they edged into the story of the little boy and his drum celebrating the birth of Jesus.

_Come, they told me pa-rum pum pum pum_ __  
_Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum_ __  
_Our finest gifts we'll bring pa-rum pum pum pum_ __  
_To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum_ __  
_Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum_ __  
_So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum_ _  
_ _When we come_

Alice and Emmett were an odd match in so many ways, but this enormous difference between Emmett's heavy, floor-grinding bass and his tiny sister's tinkling soprano just made it so much stranger. Yet they sounded so flawlessly aligned with each other and the song's steady, drum beat rhythm that by the end of it I was too drawn-in to think it strange anymore.

_Me and my drum, me and my drum, me and my drum_ _  
_ _Me and my drum, me and my drum, me and my drum_ _  
_  
It was with eager fingers that Alice moved to pick her partner and song next, gladly reading out, "Esme and the carol ' _Deck The Halls'_. Neat!"

Esme gladly stepped up with her small daughter, taking the note Edward offered and jumping straight into the joyful tune of the season. Esme's tone graced us all with a warm, safe, comforting feeling as she sang, her more womanly sound not only meshing, but blending beautifully with Alice's bell-like voice to bring good cheer to every one of her family.

_Deck the halls with boughs of holly! Fa la la la la, la la la la._ _  
_ _Tis the season to be jolly! Fa la la la la, la la la la._

_Don we now our gay apparel! Fa la la, la la la, la la la._

_Troll the ancient Yule tide carol! Fa la la la la, la la la la._

On the last two of the carol's six verses, Carlisle and Jasper joined in with their wives to create an even more melodious song than before. The combining of the sweet and firm was just right for the peppy song.

_Fast away the old year passes! Fa la la la la, la la la la._

_Hail the new, ye lads and lasses! Fa la la la la, la la la la._

_Sing we joyous, all together! Fa la la la la, la la la la._

_Heedless of the wind and weather! Fa la la la la, la la la la._

_Fa la la la la, la la la la!_

Instantly upon their completion of the carol, I couldn't stop myself from clapping excitedly over the quartet of singers and their rendition of such a happy Christmas tune.

"That was great!" I told them with high energy. A chorus of 'thank you' rang out in varying degrees until Esme moved to pick her next partner.

"Edward," the motherly vampire announced calmly, smiling at her bronze-haired son where he sat at the piano. Esme moved up behind him when he played their notes, leading them into the far less boisterous carol Esme picked from the mix.

_It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old,_

_From angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold!_

_Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven's all gracious King!_

_The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing…_

At the last phrase of the first verse, I started ever so slightly, smiling a little conspiratorially with Carlisle regarding the story I had once written about him and Bella bonding over Renesmee and the Christmas season.

Edward and Esme made for an interesting combination, both filled with warm tones as they sang the peaceful lyrics. The end of the fourth and final verses left all assembled slightly calmer in the aftermath, and Edward simply moved ahead to continue the 'game' of pick-and-sing.

"Rosalie?" Edward offered more hesitantly than the rest of the family has done with their partners, and I realized Rosalie had not much participated in the song game so far, only showing a bit of amusement with her mate when he acted a bit silly early on. I wondered if she was against any of this for some reason, but the blonde moved forward to join her brother before I could wonder long, nodding to let him know she was ready.

"The song is ' _White Christmas'_ ," Edward informed them all, seating himself at the piano once more. This time, Edward did not play the note, but seemed to listen very hard to his sister's thoughts. When the words escaped them at last, the lean seventeen-year-old vampire eased into the background music of the song to accompany them.

_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know…_ _  
_ _Where the treetops glisten, and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow._

_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas with every Christmas card I write.  
May your days be merry and bright… and may all your Christmases be white._

Rosalie's voice was a very lovely in-between sound, strong and smooth and slightly deeper than I was expecting. She and Edward matched quite spectacularly in tone and presence as they sang, slowing towards the end of the piece and leaving the last word to float out of existence.

_May your days be merry and bright… and may all your Christmases be white._

Offering a glance at my face over the thoughts I had been going on about for the entire singing escapade so far, Edward lifted an eyebrow. Shrugging slightly, I gave him an expression of simple contentment in return.

Rosalie didn't speak after the song, except to call the name of the next partner.

"Mireille," she called to me quietly, and I realized I had forgotten entirely that I was supposed to sing, too, at some point. Swallowing nervously, I listened in trepidation for our song title as it passed the blonde's lips, "The song is ' _Hark The Herald Angels Sing'_."

With the sudden influx of nerves and my about-face on the contentment I had been feeling, Jasper and Edward both gave me wry, knowing glances I tried my best to ignore while Edward played our key and handed the music of the carol over to my fidgeting fingers.

Rosalie tilted her head just slightly in my direction, taking the lead when she sensed my reluctance to open up the playing field. The first word the vampire sung incited me to follow suit, finally adding my voice on the word 'angels' in a far quieter tone than any of the Cullens had done.

_Hark! the herald angels sing. Glory to the new-born King!_   
_Peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled!_

_Joyful, all ye nations, rise. Join the triumph of the skies!_   
_With th' angelic host proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem!_   
_Hark! the herald angels sing. Glory to the new-born King!_

It was frustrating to feel so anxious when I knew none of them would judge me, but the feeling had become ingrained in so many parts of my life over the years that I had a hard time suppressing it. Yet in the pause between the first and second verse, a push of courage led me to stop thinking about it that way. Looking over at Jasper in suspicion while I followed Rosalie into the second verse, I found a wry smile on his features.

_Christ, by highest heaven adore. Christ, the everlasting Lord._   
_Late in time behold Him come, offspring of the Virgin's womb._

_Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail, the incarnate Deity,_   
_Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel!_   
_Hark! the herald angels sing. Glory to the new-born King!_

My voice had risen in volume thanks to Jasper easing my anxiety and I began to enjoy singing for the sake of it. The last two verses passed by all too quickly in my newfound joy, the very last line trailing off peacefully into silence.

_Hark! the herald angels sing. Glory to the new-born King!_

"What did I tell you, Mir?" Alice commented out of the silence, teasing but still carrying a note of seriousness in her voice. "You can sing just fine."

"Thanks," I murmured with a tiny smile, almost forgetting about my own partner and carol until Rosalie plucked both hats up and offered them to me. "Oh… it's Carlisle. And… ' _O Holy Night' is the song_."

Carlisle smiled encouragingly at me and I sighed, much more peaceful of a sound now that Jasper had helped me out. The gentle keys of the piano sounded out, forming the backdrop of the carol as Carlisle and I began at mostly the same moment – made easier since we were standing across from each other.

_O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining._ __  
_It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth._  
__  
_Long lay the world in sin and error pining._ __  
_Till He appeared and the Soul felt its worth._  
__  
_A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,_ __  
_For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn._  
__  
_Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!_ _  
_ _O night divine, O night when Christ was born;_

_O night, Holy Night , O night divine!_ _  
_ _O night, Holy Night , O night divine!_

Swelling with the strength of the song's story and the faith Carlisle and I shared, our voices rose together near the last of the tune and dwindled into a gentle murmur by the last three words.

_Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we…_ __  
_His power and glory ever more proclaim!_ _  
_ _His power and glory ever more proclaim!_

In the ensuing silence, everyone sat quiet and still. Something about ' _O Holy Night'_ was overwhelmingly powerful and meaningful. I didn't know why that particular song should seem so, but it always had.

It was Edward who finally broke the stillness with a tinkle of ivory keys that sounded suspiciously like ' _Jingle Bells'_. Narrowing eyes at him, I pursed my lips in thoughtful concentration, but the smirk which bloomed on those lean features explained all I needed to know.

"Oh, Edward," I echoed his earlier words to me, shaking my head in exasperation while he chuckled and outright played the jaunty song with a flourish that brought out a sudden round of laughter from voices full of Christmas cheer.

Our buoyant Christmas spirits lasted well past the day itself, leading right into our trip to the movie theater two days later. Alice bounced from person to person throughout the afternoon while we all got ready in comfortable, casual clothes; as casual as we could get with Alice picking most of the wardrobe, at least. Only the Cullen parents wore something other than jeans – Esme in her black pants and lavender button-up, while Carlisle had dressed in gray slacks and a long-sleeved blue polo. The two vampires played up the look of young parents very well as they led us into the theater.

We all headed up into the two uppermost rows at the back corner of the room to take our seats, Alice and Carlisle on the outside edges.

Beside Alice, Jasper looked slightly anxious, but not overwhelmingly so. Emmett settled beside his honey-haired brother, a quick and ready barrier if something unfortunate started to happen. Granted, Jasper had just hunted a mere three days earlier, but he wasn't prepared to take chances now that Forks was such an important part of the Cullens' futures.

Rosalie took the wall seat beside Emmett and Esme took the seat next to Carlisle, leaving Edward to sit beside his mother and me in front of Rosalie. As the commercials and previews spanned the screen, I settled more comfortably into my seat, a box of – what else? – Raisinets in my hand.

"I'm glad we watched the first two movies yesterday," I commented pleasantly, popping a chocolate-covered raisin.

"It's a good refresher," Edward agreed, despite his having flawless recall. The vampire rolled his eyes at me. "Well, it still stands that it's good to refresh your memory."

"Okay, Edward," I retracted easily, smiling at his exasperation.

Shaking his head, the bronze-headed pianist leaned back into his seat again when the previews finally arrived at the feature presentation. The theater lights dimmed even further and the dark screen led into the beginnings of Tolkien's deep world of elves, men, dwarves, and hobbits in _The Return of the King_.

Déagol and Sméagol found and fought over the ring, Sméagol disappeared into the dark caves and grew into the creature Gollum, and finally Frodo and Sam followed Gollum further towards Mordor. We watched as Gandalf led Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Théoden, and Éomer through Fangorn Forest to Isengard, met Merry and Pippin again, and confronted Saruman. All of this passed us by in the typical quiet murmur of the movie theater.

" _That's_ a marked change," Carlisle commented in surprise when we came to Saruman's grisly death. "In the book, he lived until later in the story."

"Didn't he enslave the shire?" Esme frowned slightly.

"Yes, until Frodo and the others returned home," Edward answered her thoughtfully.

"This is an interesting change, though," Rosalie decided. "At least it does make some sense for the film."

Nodding in partial agreement, everyone returned to watching the film without comment.

The way Frodo leaned on Gollum once again raised my hackles and made me feel terrible for Sam and the way he was neglected even at his most loyal. And Pippin's torment under the palantir nearly made me cry – again.

"Do you usually cry at that part?" Edward wondered half in confusion and half in amusement.

"Only rarely," I admitted reluctantly, feeling embarrassed, but he just sighed lightly at my emotions.

Faramir's hurt at his father's disdain and then the doomed ride against the Nazgul truly _did_ make me cry. Pippin's sad, heartbreaking song and Denethor's cold hatred just made it all the worse as the scene wore on. Edward handed over tissues Esme had brought with her, something that made me laugh even as I cried.

I had been crying a lot since revisiting the films the previous day, particularly at Gandalf's death, Boromir's brutal slaying, Sam nearly drowning to follow Frodo, and Sam's speech about fighting for something.

My tears disappeared entirely when the Rohirrim led their rousing, valiant, death-defying charge. The music swelled with glorious splendor as the men, Eowyn, and Merry burst with throaty cries of courage and outrage, horses beginning to rush forward in a defiant, merciless charge against the dark armies. Their spine-deep bravery and refusal to back down in the face of overwhelming and deadly odds created in me a mixture of silent tears and stirring fortitude. It was either one or the other – or both – for the rest of the movie.

The tender, grieving end had me crying again simply because I was forced to say goodbye once more to one of many stories that had carried me through storms and devastations I didn't know how to face.

Willing away the tears that lingered into the credits, I couldn't seem to stop. Edward grasped my hand with a firm yet gentle pressure, comforting in his silent way.

"Thanks," I murmured to him, wiping away the remains of moisture with my last tattered tissue.

By the time the lights began to warm again, I had dried my face completely and felt a little less like an overfull water balloon. Edward chortled at my imaginative analogy, joining his family in rising. I stood with them, overwhelmingly grateful I had been given such an opportunity.

"That was an amazing movie!" Alice remarked happily as we headed out of the room, the last of the audience to do so.

"It was very wonderfully done, wasn't it?" Esme agreed. "So sad, though."

"A good balance of sad and joyful, I think," Rosalie determined thoughtfully.

"I loved the battle on the Pelennor Fields," Emmett informed everyone with a gleam in his eye. "Give me good fight scenes any day."

Edward rolled his eyes at his brother, although I knew for a fact he had loved the battles just as much as the burly vampire did. Shoving my arm lightly for the thought, Edward lightly smirked in subtle admittance.

"I thought the Rohirrim's charge was extremely well done," Jasper put in his thoughts. "The perseverance despite all adversity thrown against them."

"That was one of my favorite scenes as well," Carlisle nodded at the former soldier. "Quite a fulfilling moment in the middle of everything."

"I love so many things in this movie," I had to add. "That's why it's one of my favorites."

At the doors we split into our two groups, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper heading back to the M3 while Edward and I followed Carlisle and Esme back to the Mercedes right beside it.

On the way back, I just couldn't help saying one more time, "Thank you so much for this. I always wanted to see it in the theater. It's the perfect type of film for the big screen."

"You're welcome again, sweetie," Esme told me with a smile. "And it was fascinating for all of us, too, so thank you also."

Shrugging off the gratitude a little sheepishly, I leaned more comfortably into my seat for the ride back to Forks.

Barely had a day passed from the thrilling movie trip than did Alice start running around discussing jewelry, makeup, coats, and hairstyles. Esme and I shared a brief look of good humor over my lunch on the third day afterward, knowing only too well how Alice could get before a big event.

Big didn't even cover it for me. Going to the Space Needle for a formal fireworks-and-dancing New Year's bash was all kinds of new and exciting.

And terrifying. Definitely terrifying.

"Terrifying?" Edward questioned me incredulously from the piano, where he sat playing a selection from Dvorak. "What's terrifying about another party?"

"It's more serious and adult this time," I countered a little indignantly. "This isn't a small town church party where everyone knows each other. There'll be plenty of strangers around."

"It won't be any different than the hospital Christmas party or Homecoming," he argued more calmly, returning to his musical piece. "It's actually easier not knowing everyone. At least that way they probably won't remember you."

As usual, my nerves persisted, driving Jasper to conversely spend more time with me the last day before the celebration. We played a number of chess games and even watched _High Noon_ again just to soothe my anxiety. Thankfully, when I woke up the day of the New Year's Eve party, I showered for a bit longer than usual and let myself soak in the toasty spray. It cut into the time I might have practiced at the piano, but the calmer state of my emotions was worth it in the end.

"This is the first time you'll be applying your own makeup," Alice sighed with resigned acceptance from the other side of the bathroom door. "So don't go messing it up."

Struck by the comment, which really should have induced a whole new batch of nervous fretting – and a bit of offense taken – instead I found my eyes rolling back in response as I pulled on my robe and finally exited the steamed-up room with my hair tucked up into a towel.

Huffing at my careless attitude, Alice stepped away to begin getting ready herself. Shaking my head over her intense need to have control of everyone's fashion, I moved through my shared room and to my bed, where Esme had placed a tray with a simple dinner just before Alice entered the room. After polishing off the soup and light pasta Esme made to excellence as per usual, I started on the makeup from my stocking, in addition to the green leaf-printed bag from Christmas Eve, all of which I had earlier placed on the bed.

Given the contrast of bright and dark, and the occasion taking place in the cold, snowy winter, I chose a smoky eye palette similar to what Alice had done for my Homecoming makeup, only dark blue this time instead of plum. The tiny swath of navy on the outer corners of my eyes and the pale, all-neutral inner lids seemed more age-appropriate than whatever Alice might have done. With only the tiniest touch of pale rosy blush, I allowed myself a slightly brighter selection for my lips in the same tonal vein as the richly-colored dress, yet still a very subtle, natural rosy pink. Adding mascara as the top-off, I finally sat prepared for Esme's ministrations to my hair.

"I'm ready when you are, Esme," I called out to the motherly vampire.

In a blink, the lady of the house appeared in my doorway, already dressed in her gold lace gown overlaid with black tulle and lace. The delicate yet powerful Marchesa piece looked absolutely stunning paired with the black and metallic-hued Tahitian pearls of Esme's simple bracelet and dangling earrings, her lovely low chignon, and the black and gold heels peeping out from beneath the hem of her gown.

"I love your dress so much," I told her happily as I admired the detail of the gold and black lace. "It's really beautiful."

"Thank you, Mir," Esme replied equally as happily. "Now, what are we doing with your hair tonight?"

"Something up out of the way," I suggested thoughtfully, biting my lip in concentration. "And simple, I think. I'm not sure other than that…"

"How about a French braid," Esme decided, working a few pieces of damp hair to get an idea, "and then we can wrap it into a bun at the back?"

"I like that," I agreed easily.

"Give me a moment," the caramel-haired woman requested, tapping me thoughtfully on the shoulder as she disappeared.

In seconds, she was back with hair tools and styling products in her hands. The longest part of the entire process was drying my hair, and Esme even made that seem short. With my hair at last dry, braided, and pulled into a low bun at the back of my head, I felt very comfortable.

"There, how does that look?" Esme asked one last time, smiling pleasantly at the result of her work.

"Very comfortable," I told her with a matching smile. "Thank you, Esme."

"You're welcome," the Cullen mother replied. "Do you need anything else before I go?"

"No, I'm good now," I assured her easily. "All I have to do is change."

Nodding at my agenda, the lovely vampire disappeared from sight. Turning to the beautiful lace and silk Jason Wu gown Rosalie had bought me, along with the pumps to match, I took my time moving into the dress so as not to tear it or wrinkle the fabric overmuch. Zipping up the back after a few slow-going minutes, I stepped forward to slip into my dark blue pumps and declared myself complete.

"Not quite," Edward reminded me as he flashed into the doorway, hands holding up the jewelry I had left on my nightstand.

"Oh, of course, I nearly forgot it," I rolled my eyes at myself. "Thank you."

"Of course," the bronze-haired vampire responded with a wry smile, looking quite dapper in his dark navy suit. "Here, you get the bracelet."

Accepting the dark blue-colored amethyst creation, I barely pressed the clasp together before Edward had the pink Swarovski pendant hanging from my neck.

"Now, I'm complete," I concluded dryly, reaching for the pink clutch Alice practically shoved into my hands earlier before I could process why she didn't actually ask. The fact it was Alexander McQueen might have had something to do with it, I realized after the tiny vampire had already vanished.

"Your coat," Edward pressed, holding out a dark blue dress coat for me.

Slipping my arms into the sleeves and wrapping the front closed, I said, "Thanks."

As always, I was the last to be ready, the rest of the Cullens waiting in the entryway while Edward and I traipsed downstairs.

Alice's slightly brighter dark blue Marchesa gown, tipped at the shoulders with glittering silver, stood out in simple elegance compared to her minty color block heels and the ornate storm shape of her silver and diamond bracelet and drop earrings. Like me, Alice had opted for a pendant necklace, hers a bit more ornate with several tiny diamond drops leading down to the main sapphire and diamond egg. With the simplicity of the gown, the tiny vampire's hair remained straight, but combed into a stylish side-part.

Rosalie, standing near her sister, showcased the complete opposite for her blonde locks – voluminous curls barely constrained in a messy updo. Her dark violet satiny dress, as well, displayed a sense of messiness with its asymmetrical fabric drape leaving an angled cutout of snowy white skin where a double pendant Chanel necklace hung in shining silver like leaves hanging from a branch. Matched to the necklace, Rosalie wore a coiled silver bracelet, silver earrings boasting pear-shaped amethysts, and silvery glitter pumps.

Emmett and Carlisle matched their respective wives in tie color alone – Emmett in violet satin and Carlisle in rich gold. Jasper, like Edward, wore a dark blue suit and tie, albeit brighter to match Alice's gown. Everyone looked simply beautiful.

"Are we ready, Alice?" Carlisle asked his smallest daughter, amusement in his eyes.

"Yes, yes, we're ready," the tiny woman answered impatiently. "We'll take pictures at the Space Needle."

"Excellent," the doctor concurred, gesturing everyone outside to the cars. As we had when going to see _The_ _Return of the King_ , Edward and I joined Carlisle and Esme in the Mercedes while the others took the M3. Edward insisted on carrying me to the car to avoid a slip due to my heels, or my dress getting ruined – all this despite the fact they had cleared an impressively dry, clean patch of driveway that very afternoon.

Regardless, he wouldn't be swayed and I allowed him to lift me up and sweep to the car. Admittedly I didn't have to freeze quite as long that way, so I refrained from complaints.

"Another round of victory?" Edward muttered through a repressed laugh, bringing a glare out of me that should have melted steel.

As it was, all the expression did was make Edward truly laugh once and for all while I put on my seatbelt and scowled at the device in my hands.

"Mireille, you remembered your cell phone, didn't you?" Carlisle verified with me as he began moving down the drive behind the M3, interrupting Edward's laughter.

"It's in my coat pocket," I confirmed, patting the indicated pocket. "I put it there this morning so I wouldn't forget it."

"Good," the doctor nodded his understanding. "I doubt you'll be separated from any of us, but just in case…"

"You never know," I shrugged in acceptance.

"Exactly right," he agreed simply.

A soft, light Jazz station played over the radio in the wake of our silence, leaving me contemplative and peaceful for most of the ride to Seattle. In the front seat, Carlisle and Esme held hands over the cup holder, content to be together, safe and untroubled, for the present time. I relished the moments as we drove with a small, soft smile, glad for them in this time of mostly uncomplicated events.

The calm before the storm, I supposed, exhaling quietly at thoughts of the wild future to come. Once Bella arrived, everything would merely snowball right on down to the final happily ever after. Even with all the precautions in place and every Cullen taking the greatest of care and patience with their choices, nothing was ever simple with Bella's path – nothing ever truly clean cut. To expect foreknowledge meant smooth sailing would be absolutely ludicrous for all concerned.

"Leave it alone for now," Edward murmured not unkindly, interrupting my wayward convolutions and reassuring me with a pat to my left hand where it rested against the cushioning between us. "It will all come soon enough, after all."

Left in no doubt as to the truth of that statement, I nodded and worked to let the thoughts evaporate in favor of enjoying the time we all had with such simple, pleasant escapades as hospital Christmas parties and New Year's Eve celebrations in Seattle.

Said celebration already appeared to be in full swing when we arrived at the Space Needle, the pavement expertly cleared of ice and snow – a much easier task since it had stopped snowing the past day or so. Carlisle pulled up behind Rosalie in line for the valet, two high-end cars in a line of several shiny and expensive four-wheeled cousins.

"Why don't you two go ahead?" Esme suggested as we waited in the car for the line to move forward. "I'm sure you could use a small snack by now, anyway, Mir."

"That's probably true," I half-laughed at her foresight.

Edward accepted the decision with easy grace and slipped out of his side of the car to walk around the trunk to my side. Opening the door, the bronze-haired vampire offered a hand to help me out of the Mercedes. Ahead of us, Alice and Jasper did the same.

As we made our way through one set of double doors, we received a wide berth from the nearest guests, who already sensed something unique about the supernatural beings at my side, even if they didn't recognize it in themselves as yet.

We headed past them and inside the shimmering lobby; sparkling black-clothed tables all around the edges of the circular space boasted many items for sale, from glow-in-the dark necklaces and wands, to New Year's party favors, to movie night baskets. Between sales tables, mini auctions had been arranged for bottles of wine, romantic gift boxes, and miscellaneous entertainment tickets. Garlanded party hats with the year '2004' printed on them hung at various points along the ceiling. Bedecked in silver and gold baubles, black and gold balloons, and a streamer photo backdrop on an expansive background curtain of glittering black, the entire space glinted and sparkled under the lights as we walked.

"You're waxing poetic again," Edward murmured in a vaguely sing-song voice, a smirk lurking at the edges of his mouth.

"I can't help it," I muttered in a similar fashion to his musical intonation. Edward's amused smirk appeared in full at that remark, but he said no more.

"You always say that, Edward," Alice put in her two cents while Jasper smiled slightly at the amusement flowing between all of us.

"First time I've actually responded, though," I added lightly, feeling the warmth hit my chilled face as we moved deeper into the well-known structure.

Chatter encompassed every inch of the space around us, dozens of people floating around the room in their formalwear, many carrying a glass of champagne already. Soft background music filtered through the murmur of many voices, the type of music I expected more from an elevator than a high-class New Year's party. Still, there was a sort of uptown elegance to it that I couldn't deny.

"Always waxing," Edward remarked with a good-humored sigh when we stopped at the coat check. Rolling my eyes at the sarcastic young man, I neglected a reply for the time being and let him help me out of my dress coat.

"You could do with a bit of poetry in your soul sometimes," I finally retorted when we walked away, a laugh buried in my throat while I put my phone in the hot pink clutch I carried. The musical vampire scoffed, offended at my insinuation on his sometimes morbid, morose personality.

"Morose!" Edward exclaimed, definitely insulted this time. Alice and Jasper giggled and snickered over their brother's disbelief, hurrying away before the mind-reader could retaliate against their amusement. A small group of nearby guests turned their heads to stare at the unexpected outburst before returning to their conversation with a shake of their heads.

Glancing their way with a slightly quelled expression, Edward turned back to me with one more comment, "Morbid I understand. But morose? In the books, perhaps…"

"You're the one who blamed himself for Greg and Vanessa's attack," I reminded him with another roll of my eyes. "The way you castigated yourself was beyond ridiculous. And very, very _morose_."

Scowling at my example, but unable to refute it, Edward remained silent while we rode the golden-painted elevator up to the observation deck. The vampire only responded again once I noticed a dessert table laden with a number of decadent treats I was only too eager to taste-test.

Irritation forgotten, Edward laughed at my deep interest in the food and led me skillfully through the mingling crowd, far more dense in population than the lobby had been. For a brief moment, I couldn't help wondering how Jasper was doing with this kind of crowd. I knew he had hunted with Alice that morning, and was planning to do so again the night before school started back up, but I couldn't help being curious.

"He's doing well enough," Edward replied in a low tone, for once not seeming frustrated with me for the topic. "It's easier with a fresh hunt, but he would have done fine without."

"I didn't doubt him," I clarified in an equally low tone, positive Jasper could hear us if he paid attention. "I just know it's not an easy thing to deal with and this is a huge group of people."

"It _is_ a large gathering," Edward agreed with a single nod. I reached for a small plate in the meantime, only half paying attention to my food now. "But high school truly is just as terrible with all the hormones flying and some of the recklessness that goes on. The blood flows much faster and stronger with teenagers most of the time. …Probably because they're always moving and acting overly dramatic about the most ignorant things."

Smothering a laugh with a snort, I couldn't help agreeing with him on that count. "Okay, I'll give you that point."

Nodding decisively, Edward said no more on the subject and I returned my focus to the foods before me. I didn't question too much what they were at first, but merely tried them all. A fruit torte with strawberry, blueberry, mandarin, raspberry, and kiwi matched a gold-sprinkled chocolate ganache cake for my favorite desserts, seconded closely by silver-dusted chocolate buttercream bites and chocolate chip cheesecake.

"You do love your chocolate," Edward sighed humorously.

"Yes, I do," I confirmed steadily, biting into a delicious buttercream bite with joy.

Chuckling at me, Edward shook his head and led me through to a table set for ten where Alice & Jasper had already settled into in the fourth and fifth seats on one side. The beautiful table had been decorated with place settings in the same glittering combination of gold and black, along with a central design of pedestal glasses full of silver beads and white candles.

"You two ran off quickly enough," Edward remarked with narrowed eyes when we sat down, pulling my chair out and helping me to sit.

As Edward sat between Alice and me, Jasper had the guts to retort, "Sometimes it's easier just to let Mireille give you a good, solid kick."

"At least he listens to her," Alice added slyly, glancing at her brother from the corner of her eye.

"It seems we missed the best part of the conversation," Carlisle's teasing voice reached my ears. Turning, I found the golden-haired vampire helping Esme into the chair beside mine.

"Oh, Edward was whining because I called him morose," I explained happily to the Cullen parents, leading them both into laughter at their first son's expense.

Rolling eyes heavenward, Edward didn't deign to respond as Rosalie and Emmett settled beside Alice and Jasper.

Dinner was a splendid affair with courses of delightful meals I wanted to try making some time in the near future.

"That sounds like a fun endeavor, sweetheart," Esme gave her opinion on my suggestion while we later rose from our seats to join many other guests in moving towards the newly opened dance floor.

The music switched from classical to rock ballads to electronica and everything in-between; I had to give the DJ credit for mixing things up so well. It was hard to keep up with the changing rhythms, but at least it was interesting.

Everyone of our group switched dance partners as we did at Homecoming, but considering it was far removed from the speculation of Forks, most of the time the couples remained together, leaving Edward and I to share dances for the majority of the evening. We drifted out onto the golden observation deck as we quietly discussed or thought about the oftentimes strange and silly behavior of inebriated guests wobbling around us.

When time came for the promised toast, Edward and I still swayed companionably to Ruth Etting's ' _Ten Cents A Dance'_ as it faded out.

"Thank you, everyone," the host spoke up through his microphone with a wide grin, "for joining us in a celebration of the new year – _two thousand four_!"

A cheer went up in the crowd, the host waving down the excitement so he could finish his speech. "We don't know what's going to happen as we move into this new year, but I can make a few good guesses… that some of you are going to have a great movie night, some of you will have a beautiful romantic evening for two, and some of you will attend an amazing concert or the best seat at a Seahawks game... There are still _plenty_ of items for sale, and of course you can still bid on the auction tables right up until eleven tonight. There's still an hour before we close the bidding and at eleven-thirty we start announcing the winners. Until then, enjoy your evening and _Happy New Year_!"

The crowd applauded and cheered, a few sloshing the champagne right out of their glasses in the process. Smiling amusedly at the spectacle around us, I shook my head with Edward and allowed him to lead me back into swaying when the Rolling Stones came on with ' _Wild Horses'_.

Throughout the next hour, the two of us continued swaying right up until the last auction winner was announced and the familiar song was announced to play. The rest of the Cullens all stood near us on the observation deck, the six of them also singing along to the poignant lyrics.

_Should old acquaintance be forgot,_   
_and never brought to mind?_

_Should old acquaintance be forgot,_   
_and old lang syne?_

_For auld lang syne, my dear,_   
_for auld lang syne,_

_we'll take a cup of kindness yet,_   
_for auld lang syne._

As the chorus died off, the crowd of guests cheered in the new year with rousing enthusiasm and fireworks exploded in beautiful, arching colors in the sky above.

Illuminated in a rainbow sea of splashes, sparks, and rockets, Edward lifted my hand and pressed a chaste kiss to the back of it.

Smiling up at his pleasant, relaxed expression as he pulled back, I murmured, "Happy New Year, Edward."

"Happy New Year, Mireille," he murmured in return, a smile playing in the sparkle of his golden eyes.

* * *


	34. Chapter 32: Imminent

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of Twilight throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:**  
A note I thought I should leave for all my readers, in case your interested... The Cullens and Mir all know (from the books) that Phil's baseball offer doesn't come until shortly before Bella comes to Forks, which means her decision to move is a long time coming. If Alice started looking for Bella's arrival, she wouldn't see anything right now because that decision has not been made. Alice would only see Bella living her life in Phoenix. Additionally, in _Chapter 14: Ideas_ , Edward decided to not watch Bella sleeping (as he did in Twilight/Midnight Sun); he thought it was too creepy. That sentiment carries over to the idea of watching Bella's current life in Phoenix via Alice's visions. Anyway, long story short, no future searching for Bella will be happening yet.

**Previously** – The Cullens played a duet singing game and sung Christmas carols. The Cullens went to see _Return of the King_. Mireille was sentimental about the film and everyone enjoyed it. The Cullens prepped for the New Year's party and Alice let Mireille apply her own makeup. Mireille contemplated the storm of Bella's arrival and Edward suggested leaving it alone for now. The Cullens arrived at the Space Needle, Mireille and Edward chatted and wandered the party, and everyone danced until midnight. Edward and Mireille wished each other a happy new year.

> **Chapter 32: Imminent**

On the second evening in January, taking down all of the Christmas decorations throughout the Cullens' home became a focal point. I loved the decorations a great deal, so much so that I would have gladly left them up even beyond January – attesting as much to Edward in a moment of sheepish confession late that morning.

"Sometimes, I think I'd leave Christmas decorations up all-year round," I had smiled guiltily at the bronze-haired vampire while we sat in the conservatory. Edward had traded positions with me for a change, sitting in the patterned armchair while I practiced playing the piece ' _Spring'_ from Vivaldi's _Four Seasons_. It was the most difficult level of music I had attempted at any point in my life; as Edward had instructed me on New Year's Day, if I ever planned to improve, that piece was my barrier to break.

Rolling his darkened eyes at my admission, Edward had leaned further into the chair arm and remarked, "Sometimes, I think you're a little over the top."

Snorting at his hypocrisy, I had simply continued to play Vivaldi, ignoring Edward's smirk in my direction with practiced ease.

In the wake of that sentimental honesty, Alice had refused point blank to have Christmas décor mixing with her designs. I was dumb enough to ask the tiny vampire what designs she referred to, leading Alice, Edward, Rosalie, _and_ Esme to all shake their heads or roll their eyes at my obtuseness. I couldn't say whether Jasper or Emmett had followed suit, considering they were wrestling at the time, but I didn't count it out.

Alice hadn't even had the decency to answer my inquiry, and it took Edward whistling the birthday song for me to realize what I was missing.

Feeling incredibly slow, I had at once turned slightly pink and returned my focus to practicing Vivaldi again.

Now, as the glittering Christmas displays all came down and got packed into boxes, I felt a kind of relief. Having the beautiful designs up all year would take away the magic of the season, I realized. Everything would become stale if it always stayed where it was. Besides, I did enjoy figuring out different ways to place everything for the merry holiday.

Happier after accepting my revelations, I more energetically repacked the nutcrackers I offered to pack up.

Sleep came easy for once, but when I woke, it made little sense just how late into the morning I had slept. Frowning at the alarm clock that should have gone off a few hours earlier, I nevertheless rose from the bed and readied myself for the day ahead. God knew, with Alice zipping around the house on a design spree, I would need to be as ready as I could be. Truthfully, I was surprised she hadn't laid out an outfit or told me what shoes to wear.

However, only Esme remained in the house (that I could tell) when I headed downstairs, the lovely mother finishing my favorite breakfast and offering a smile as I passed the dividing wall.

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart!" were the motherly vampire's warm first words as she settled a plate of small waffles topped off with warm syrup, perfect-looking strawberries, and a healthy dollop of whipped cream. Joining the sweet palette, a plate with scrambled eggs and a glass of milk was the first thing I reached for.

"Thank you, Esme," I smiled back at her, easily polishing off the scrambled eggs before finally venturing the burning question, "Where's Alice? I thought she'd be clamoring to tell me what outfit, which shoes, this color of eye shadow and that color of lipstick…"

Laughing at my description, Esme answered, "Disregarding the fact that Alice has promised you can do your own makeup from here on out, I told her that a birthday is a day in which the honored individual gets to have time for themselves for at least part of the day. So you have been given a window – very brief, I admit, but a window nonetheless – to just enjoy your meal free of stress.

"Thank you for that, too," I laughed at her explanation, moving onto my waffles enthusiastically.

All too soon, Alice reappeared in the void, silent but looking impatient as she waited for my late breakfast to be over with.

"Come on," the tiny vampire rushed me away before I could take my plate to the sink. Sometimes, I wondered if the Cullens had a conspiracy going to stop me ever washing my own dishes.

Edward's sudden laughter erupted from the direction of the conservatory, the sound following me up the staircase and making Emmett grumble loudly – something along the lines of cheaters and mind games. When I comprehended the trend of the big vampire's complaints, I laughed just as loudly as Edward.

Surprise hit me the moment I saw the outfit Alice planned for me. Not only was it more of a vocal style than I normally wore, but it was quite vividly red. Above the bust, the sleeveless all-sequin dress was apple red, followed by a rich burgundy that reached down to the three-inch black hem. Around the waist, a black satin sash had been tied into a neat bow on the left front of the dress. To accompany the knee-length creation, Alice had chosen a black blazer, also covered in sequins; black tights; and the most shocking piece of the outfit – a pair of bright red snakeskin ankle booties with a pointed black leather toe, stiletto heel, and a curved opening from ankle to mid-foot.

"Really, Alice?" I exclaimed, stunned by the wardrobe choice.

"And what's wrong with any of it?" Alice glared at me, insulted.

"It's so audacious!"

"So what?" the tiny vampire sighed, rolling her eyes. "You'll look great and you're the birthday girl; you get to wear something special. Besides, you have no idea how hard it was to convince Rose to avoid red so you could wear it."

Groaning at the knowledge, I moved to grasp the outfit without another word and headed into the bathroom to change.

When I exited thirty minutes later, geared head-to-toe in red and black, I felt different. Not uncomfortable, exactly, just different. Unable to explain the feeling, I shook it off and asked a question I just knew would make Alice happy. "You wouldn't mind doing my makeup, would you?"

Clapping her hands excitedly, Alice answered, "Of course I wouldn't mind!"

Smiling over her enthusiasm, I sat on the bed, only for Alice to drag me back up.

"We are definitely going to my room," the tiny vampire explained, pulling me out into the hall. "The lighting is so much better there."

Not replying, I let her lead me down to the second floor without argument. Whether Alice took less time than usual or I simply felt more at ease with her doing my makeup, the time flew by. In no time at all, the two of us began discussing my hair options and decided to let the mass of brown hang in loose curls with a side part.

"Thanks, Alice," I told her as she dressed in her own outfit at lightning speed and began putting on her makeup. Looking over her work on my own face, I appreciated the subtlety of the natural coloring she'd used. The only true color was the muted red on my lips.

"You're welcome," the pixielike woman answered with a smile, setting down the mascara and picking up a mild, natural pink lipstick as her last piece.

Glancing at Alice's outfit, I had to stop and stare at the comparatively simple style to what the short woman usually wore – a black knee-length dress with the collar, sleeve hems, and pockets edges all in cream satin. Other than a round black button on the collar, one on each sleeve, and two on each pocket, I noticed the complete lack of ornamentation in further surprise. The black stiletto ankle boots tied on Alice's feet were less simple than the dress, round openings for the lacings echoing the buttons on the dress very well.

"You're oddly dressed down," I remarked after she put away her makeup supply.

"Am I?" She commented vaguely, smiling slightly at my observation. I still didn't know what her design theme was, so I guessed she had kept clothing neutral to be sure I didn't catch a hint.

"Seems like it," I ended the conversation without any real problem, "but I'll flow with it. I don't mind being surprised by the theme."

"And I thank you for that. It's a lot easier than dealing with Emmett," Alice sighed humorously. "He hates not knowing."

"As I've found out," I replied with a small grin.

"He makes no secret of it, does he?" the tiny vampire laughed. "Come on. Everyone is ready."

"They always are," I added with a laugh of my own, following her out of the room.

"That just can't be helped," Alice grinned.

"Is everyone in neutrals or something?" I wondered.

"Are you trying to use reverse psychology somehow?" Alice narrowed her eyes at me.

"Of course not, Alice," I sighed amusedly. "I'm just idly curious."

"Oh, well, that's all right then," she teased me. "Yes, everyone is in neutrals."

Once we made it downstairs, true to Alice's word on colors, the first person I saw was Emmett in a dark gray pullover sweater and black jeans. Smiling brightly, the big vampire just winked at me.

Grinning in spite of myself at his buoyant nature, I stopped at the bottom step while Alice headed over to talk with her mother. In a black pullover top, a color block skirt in tan and black, shiny black pumps, and a low bun, Esme looked simple and classy.

Waiting out the psychic's quiet discussion with Esme, I allowed myself to take in the rest of the Cullens standing in the entryway. Waiting with an arm around Esme, Carlisle wore a stone sweater over a gray button-down shirt with black dress pants. Also in black dress pants, Jasper wore a tan sweater with an olive plaid button-down underneath. Edward matched Emmett for black jeans, but the bulkier brother wore a charcoal sweater lined with black while his bronze-haired sibling had dressed in an ombre sweater fading from light gray to black.

At Alice's side, Rosalie with her loose curls wore a fitted, mostly-gray dress with strips of black along the shoulders and collar, and thinner strips down the sides and across the stomach. Emmett's sweater appeared to be chosen to match his wife's outfit. Like Alice and myself, Rosalie wore ankle boots; hers sky high black leather with a stretch of fabric on the side of the ankle. Something else I realized while I looked was the common factor between all the ladies – black tights.

"I just pulled a sash from my closet," Rosalie told her sister, gesturing with a length of black fabric in her hands as they now moved back towards me.

"That'll be all right," Alice responded calmly, "It's only for a second, anyway."

Sighing resignedly, I presumed the probable use for the fabric even before Alice informed me cheerfully, "Blindfold, Mir."

Moving behind me as I nodded, Rosalie gently pulled the fabric across my eyes and tied it at the back of my head, ensuring my hair wasn't wrecked in the process.

Blinded quite effectively with the soft material, I couldn't help releasing a sigh of exasperation when Alice asked, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Before I could reply, more than likely in a sarcastic fashion, Edward cut in a bit impatiently, "Alice, it works just fine."

Huffing at Edward's retort, the small woman nevertheless refrained from further comment. "Fine. Come on, follow my lead."

There was relatively little choice in the matter, overall, but I shook my head and let Alice take my hand to pull me forward. While I had certainly never walked blindfolded anywhere in the Cullens' house, it didn't take much to judge where we headed based on my starting point, the direction I had faced, and the slight turn at the beginning. I surmised the dining room to be Alice's choice of party location.

Edward's barely-concealed snigger reached me as we came to a stop, leaving Alice to shush him without words.

"All right, Mireille," Alice began in the equivalent of an announcer's voice, reaching up to untie the blindfold as she completed her sentence, "Here we go!"

The blindfold disappeared in a rush of air and darkness, leaving me to blink a moment before my eyes could focus through a cloud of red.

When at last my eyes cleared, I realized the cloud of red was actually the party theme, not my eyes going funny.

Gasping in surprise, I burst into stunned speech amidst the silence, "This is so cool!"

The Cullens laughed and called out all at once, "Happy Birthday, Mireille!" as I examined every inch of the party table.

Two large groups of latex and mylar balloons in a mixture of bright red, red violet, burgundy, and white all cascaded above the bright red taffeta-covered table. Hanging between the balloons was a tissue paper banner spelling out my name in clean, simple, yet elegant script that had been cut from the paper; the craftsmanship on such delicate material was absolutely stunning.

At the center of the dining table between the balloon bouquets stood a sizeable tower of Dr. Pepper soda cans. Each level sat on a black divider and each circle of cans had been wrapped in a black and burgundy ribbon with white dots, the creation topped off with a handful of licorice.

"Is that Dr. Pepper flavored, too?" I asked excitedly.

Edward's answer came before anyone else's could, "Definitely."

The bronze-haired vampire smiled humorously at me as I quickly returned to examining the decorations. To the left of the central 'cake' so-called, a bright red embellished purse and a dark red woven tote stood side-by-side with white tissue paper sticking up to disguise the unknown items inside. In front of the two unknown gifts, a white ceramic cake plate had been decked out with rich red cookies that appeared to be filled with chocolate chips. Another platter made of silver had been outfitted with red ombre brownies. Black napkins in silver rings sat on the table before the food platters.

To the right of the cake of cans, items that looked like candy wrappers with a Dr Pepper logo had been artfully thrown into a vintage Dr. Pepper crate. Settled in front of the wooden container were eight Dr. Pepper glasses, also vintage, placed on a shiny black serving platter. It took a moment to realize what was inside the metallic red bin beside the drinking glasses, but as I got closer I realized there were ice cubes in the container, but they were dark in color. Confused, I looked back at the Cullens again, all of whom chuckled at my furrowed expression.

"They're ice cubes made from Dr. Pepper," Esme explained with a little grin.

Laughing at the creative idea, I shrugged happily, "Less to waste."

Joining my laughter, the family of vampires finally stepped up beside me as I enjoyed the neat, original design plans Alice and Esme created.

"What are those?" I pointed to the vintage wooden crate full of something like wrapped candy.

"Soda poppers," Alice explained quickly, "It's a candy."

"Neat! Thank you so much!" I looked around at everyone with a wide smile. "This is such a wonderful idea. I never thought I'd have a Dr. Pepper birthday theme!"

"Let's get some pictures before we do anything else," Alice suggested – well, ordered – and rapidly set up a tripod and digital camera before arranging the entire family around the table.

Numerous pictures later, Carlisle and Esme both protested any further shots in favor of letting me enjoy my day a little more.

"We've gotten plenty of pictures," Esme informed the smallest vampire with a bit of exasperation.

"Mireille still has gifts to open, you know," Carlisle added somewhat wryly.

"Oh, okay. Go ahead and open your gifts, then!" Alice pressed excitably, leaving Edward to roll his eyes at her excitement.

Set as a backdrop to the main display, there were numerous silver-wrapped gifts of varying shapes and sizes tied with pretty satin bows of bright apple red or rich, dark crimson. Hovering a moment over the presents lined up, I checked with Alice for any leads.

"Just pick at random," she shrugged cheerfully, nonchalant for a change.

"You said it," I responded, smiling again as I reached for a medium-sized present with a bright red ribbon; it looked like a small popcorn tin at first glance. Unwrapping it didn't prove much different, the red and crimson striped can definitely one used for treats such as caramel corn. When I opened the lid, however, what I found inside was certainly not edible.

Giggling as I looked over at Emmett's grinning face, I pulled out the softest little gray stuffed penguin.

"Thanks, Emmett," I giggled still, holding the soft animal in the crook of my arm as I set the can back on the table. "I think this is becoming a tradition."

"Sure is, Mir!" The big vampire laughed.

Shaking my head at his unhampered enthusiasm, I reached for another gift, only to be interrupted by a chime echoing throughout the house twice.

"Is that a doorbell?" I asked in shock. I didn't even know the Cullens _had_ a doorbell.

With scoffing laughter over my thoughts, Edward shook his head amusedly. "Really, Mireille?"

Shrugging embarrassedly, I hoped he wouldn't say anything out loud.

"I won't," he sighed more calmly.

I thought my gratitude towards him while Carlisle headed to answer the front door.

"Chief Sw–Charlie!" the Cullen patriarch responded in surprise.

Startled by the identity of our visitor, I looked at Alice in confusion. Surely she would have seen it…

Alice shook her head, which didn't clear up anything until Edward leaned in to murmur low in my ear, "Last minute decision. We couldn't have left in enough time to avoid them."

"Them?" I repeated in a breath, eyes widening.

"You'll see," the bronze-haired vampire murmured back, leaving it at that.

Frowning just slightly while Carlisle and Charlie talked in low tones in the entryway, I wondered who could possibly be coming by on my birthday, of all days. It couldn't possibly be a coincidence, could it?

No, I decided; it certainly couldn't be a coincidence. That would be far too much chance for a multiple-person visit on a particular special day in a small place like Forks. The magnitude of that kind of luck was just too improbable.

Edward gave me a look that spoke every exasperated thought he had ever had about me, but it did nothing to dispel my cynicism.

Footsteps came closer while Charlie and Carlisle's voices became clearer, and it was only a moment before the two fathers walked into the dining room. Charlie was still in uniform and in his hands he held a box wrapped in paper boasting a brightly colored balloon pattern and topped with a royal blue bow.

Carlisle's next words to the chief of police enlightened everyone – not including Alice and Edward, obviously – as to what was going on, "I still think it's very good of you to remember Mireille's birthday."

"Well, not as simple as that," Charlie deferred a little sheepishly. "I had it already. Planned to give it to her just because she needed it. When Dale and Julie called me, I figured I may as well speed things up."

"Still, it's very kind of you," Carlisle insisted, the two men stopping a few feet away from me.

"Hello, Chief Swan," Esme smiled and held out her hand to the police chief, who took it gingerly.

"Mrs. Cullen," Charlie replied. "Sorry to interrupt the party like this."

"Oh, think nothing of it," Esme smiled less than she seemed to want to. "I hear you're giving Mir a special gift anyway, and that's certainly worth a visit."

"Hi, Charlie," I smiled at the chief as well, curious what he thought I needed that he would have to buy it for me.

"Hey there, Mireille," the man smiled and turned towards me, nodding at the rest of the Cullen 'kids' who stood behind me. "And the rest of you kids, too… Well, it sounds like a Happy Birthday is in order, young lady. How old are you now? Sixteen?"

"Thanks, Charlie. Yeah, sweet sixteen today," I replied easily in spite of the lie. It wasn't hard to talk to the chief; he had a straightforward demeanor I found I appreciated for its simplicity.

"I may as well hand this over now," Charlie said more to me than to anyone else, "Now, I'm not saying it's anything fun for you, but I think you'll understand why I want you to have it."

Stifling a smile at his explanation, I took the gift graciously; it wasn't everyday a fictional police chief came up and gave you a birthday present, after all.

Pulling off the colorful paper and opening the box underneath that, I finally stared down at a very unusual set of items. Certainly it wasn't anything I would have expected to receive for my birthday, but really I didn't even understand what anything was for. Charlie wasn't likely to get me such a motley assortment without a purpose.

"What are these for?" I found myself asking curiously, holding up an elliptical black keychain ornament with a delicate white pattern, a rugged silvery pen, a similarly rugged black flashlight, and a pink and gold lipstick tube. One at a time, I examined the items in the box with intrigue.

"Well, they're meant to look normal," the policeman answered, gesturing to the lipstick tube first. "Take this one… it looks like a makeup container, but it's actually pepper spray. Got the idea from my deputy, Mark. His wife carries this so it's easier to surprise an attacker."

"Oh, I get it," I remarked with sudden comprehension as I looked over the other items a second time. "Is this one a personal alarm, then?"

Pointing at the keychain, I wondered how much money and time Charlie had invested in this gift; my throat got a little tight at the probabilities. Whatever gruff nature Charlie Swan possessed, he definitely had a big heart underneath it.

"Yep," the chief nodded with an appreciative expression. "Good range for its size, too."

"What about the flashlight?" I asked confusedly, pushing back my emotions as best I could.

"There's two settings on it," the dark-haired man explained, pointing out two different buttons on the object. "One is just a regular flashlight – a good one, too – and the other is bright enough to blind your attacker long enough for you to escape. It also has points on the light end, so you can hit someone if you need to."

"That's sounds tricky," Esme commented with a slight frown. "Are you sure that's a safe item to have, Charlie?"

"As long as you read those instructions carefully," Charlie advised warningly. "You two just read through it with Mireille and help her learn to use it. If you need me to help out with any of these, I'll be glad to."

"Thank you, Charlie," Carlisle agreed with a subtle smile. "We'll do that."

"The last piece is a tactical pen," the police chief offered, "Carlisle, Esme… I don't know how you and your family feel about using weapons like this one, but I wanted to give Mireille wide options after what she went through."

"We're not afraid to defend ourselves," came from Rosalie, of all people, interceding before Carlisle and Esme could reply. I wasn't too sure about using the tactical pen, myself, but I supposed Rosalie was still mostly correct.

Charlie looked at the blonde for a moment or two, eyes solemn, until he nodded decisively, "I'm glad to hear that."

"Rosalie is right," Carlisle confirmed, Esme nodding firmly along with him. "We want our children to be well-protected."

"If you want to order these for all your kids, let me know," the chief responded. "I just wanted to make sure Mireille was covered, since the other attacker is probably still out there."

"You believe there's still another, even after what the evidence showed?" Carlisle inquired with a raised brow, echoing my own curiosity over Charlie's discord with the official investigation.

"I think Mireille was honest about what she experienced," Charlie admitted somberly. "There are times when I get a gut feeling about situations. I feel when something isn't right. This is one of those cases. As a cop, it wouldn't be right for me to ignore that instinct, that caution, and let someone go out there unprotected."

Having said his piece, Charlie turned back to me with another warning, "The pen has a sharp point under that casing, so you be extra careful, okay?"

"Will do," I agreed seriously. "Thank you for the gifts, Charlie."

"You're welcome… Having said all that," Charlie went on more normally, "Part of the reason I came was to ease the way for the Webers."

"The Webers?" I repeated in surprise. "They're here?"

"Waiting out in the car," Charlie told me with a roll of his eyes. "Angela wouldn't come in unless she knew it was okay to visit, but she really wanted to, so Dale called me and asked me to play ambassador because I've been talking to Carlisle."

"We'd love to have them in!" Esme insisted pleasantly.

"I'll go get them, then," Charlie volunteered, heading back to the front of the house.

The door shut behind him with a loud click, leaving us all to exhale.

"Is there anything we don't want them to see?" I murmured just loud enough for the vampires to hear.

"Nothing," Alice shook her head.

Pastor Weber and Angela came walking into the dining room with Charlie, with the new addition of Angela's mother. Carlisle and Esme immediately stepped forward to greet the other parents.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen," Pastor Weber exchanged a congenial handshake with the doctor, turning back towards his wife, "You've never met my wife, Julie, have you?"

"No, we've never met," Esme answered for both of them, also shaking hands with Angela's father, then passing the gesture on to her mother.

"After everything that's happened, I feel terrible for not reaching out sooner," Julie Weber added, shamefaced. "Perhaps if we'd connected earlier on, there wouldn't have been such trouble."

"I think some people are just determined to antagonize," Carlisle commented with a shake of his head, also reaching for Mrs. Weber's hand. "Your support one way or the other would likely not have done anything in this particular instance."

"We'd only been here a month when Mireille came to live with us," Esme included her thoughts. "Really it wasn't long enough to jump in and acquaint yourselves. Still, the thought is sincerely appreciated, Mrs. Weber."

"Happy Birthday, Mireille!" Angela spoke up in the ensuing pause, smiling pleasantly, a package wrapped in pretty floral paper cradled in her hands along with a card.

"Happy Birthday!" the Webers echoed their daughter's sentiment with a friendly smiles. To my surprise, each of Angela's parents held deep bakery boxes in their hands. How I had missed that fact, I didn't know.

"I thought you might enjoy this," Angela explained a bit shyly, offering up her gift before I could question the aforementioned bakery boxes. "To brighten your day."

"Thanks, Angela," I smiled in return, accepting the mildly heavy package gratefully. On top was a pink envelope with a similarly floral card inside. The basic 'Happy Birthday' message across the front and inner covers wished the reader a day full of all they loved and desired, but it was Angela's very nice little message scrawled underneath it that caught my attention.

_I'm glad you're happy here._   
_Enjoy your special day!_   
_Can't wait to see you in school!_

_Angela_

Turning with a smile to the gift in my other hand, I unwrapped the lovely gift wrap to find a hardcover book purporting humorous sayings and quotes. Covered in bright colors and fun patterns, the book clearly had been made to cheer a person up.

"Thank you, Angela!" I smiled up at her. "This is really thoughtful."

"You're welcome," the tall girl smiled back, then gestured back towards her parents. "And we brought cupcakes, too. We figured you'd have a cake already, so we chose these."

"They're yellow cake with cream cheese frosting," Mrs. Weber explained for all concerned. So saying, Angela's mother held out a package for me to take. Each cupcake was very simple, with simple creamy frosting, coral cupcake liners, and colorful fondant balloon toppers.

"Thank you," I repeated for Angela's parents. "You didn't have to do that."

"Well, we wanted to get you a gift somehow, but we didn't know what you'd like," Pastor Weber offered with a smile. "So we thought food is always good."

"I don't think anyone will disagree with you there," Charlie chuckled over the suggestion.

"Wow, this is… a _lot_ of cupcakes," I laughed a little, looking over the two boxes once they'd been settled on the table. "Why don't you take some with you when you leave?"

"Oh, we couldn't," Angela negated before her parents could speak. "They're for your birthday, after all."

"According to Tolkien's hobbits," I commented before I could stop myself, pulling the argument completely out of the blue so the Weber's money wasn't wasted on seven vampires, "having a proper birthday includes giving gifts to your guests. I think that's a nice idea."

"That does sound like a nice idea," Mrs. Weber interceded agreeably before Angela could form words.

"We're not hobbits, of course," Pastor Weber laughed a bit with Carlisle, "but it's still very nice."

"Are you sure?" Angela tried again, still looking uncertain. I wanted to laugh at her seriousness over something so small, but I guessed that was the reason she was such a good person – always concerned for other people first, even in the smallest of matters.

"Please, I insist," I offered with a smile, gesturing at the lovely cupcakes with both hands. "We are never, ever going to eat all of these cupcakes. At least take a half dozen for your family to share."

"We can't split the container in half," Angela protested weakly, realizing she had already lost the argument.

"I have a muffin pan you can take them in," Esme agreed with my suggestion, sharing a tiny, knowing grin with me over the subject.

"Oh, but we couldn't take your cookware," Angela argued further, making all three fathers in the room stifle snickering. Mrs. Weber looked exasperatedly amused by her daughter's persistence.

"Well," I added before Esme could respond to the question, "this just gives me a reason to come visit you when we need to pick it up. See how that all works out?"

Left speechless in an attempt to make one last argument somehow, Angela finally closed her mouth and smiled ruefully at me. "Why do I get the feeling you're always this hard to argue with?"

All five parents broke into laughter while I just shook my head. "Not always… So, are you going to take some cupcakes back home?"

"Okay," Angela gave in at last, shoulders relaxing. "I won't argue a visit some time soon."

Laughing, I replied, "I guess you're my parole officer now."

Biting her lip to keep herself from laughter, Angela shook her head at me. "That sounds terrible."

I just shrugged with a grin and helped Esme pack up six cupcakes, leaving her to expertly wrap foil over them without ruining the frosting.

"I was just opening gifts," I brought up, casually offering a glance towards Alice, who nodded almost imperceptibly to go ahead. "Is it okay if I keep on?"

"Don't worry over us," Pastor Weber smiled encouragingly. "Josh and Isaac are over at a friend's house, so we have a little time to spare."

Everyone settled into dining chairs that had been pushed against the wall, Edward and Emmett helping Angela and me drag two over to my line of gifts. Jasper had stepped back the farthest he could go without appearing rude, and I felt bad that he had to do so. He didn't look especially unhappy, though, so I felt a little better and continued on opening my gifts one by one, until all the silver presents had been unwrapped.

True to form, Alice had given me something to do with fashion – a pair of brown knee-high boots.

"Alice, what…?" I started to ask, but she was one step ahead of me.

"For the first day of school!" the tiny woman answered happily. "They match your outfit perfectly."

"I'll take your word on that," I deadpanned, bringing a laugh from Angela, although I could see the usefulness in boots for the snowy weather we still had. Students would be judgmental enough; I didn't need to slip and fall in less-than-sturdy shoes on top of that.

Jasper's gift consisted of _Star Wars_ themed items I just loved; USB drives that looked like Yoda and Darth Vader, and a USB hub in the shape of R2-D2. I was simply fascinated by the design of the last piece.

"This is just so neat," I couldn't help commenting for the second time as I looked over the replica.

"It's a really good copy," Angela agreed.

Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward, like Jasper before them, went _Star Wars_ themed with their gifts. Emmett and Rosalie both bought mugs for me, the former having chosen a lidded mug also designed like R2-D2 and the latter choosing a travel mug in all white with a storm trooper mask on it. Edward went humorous with a book that made me laugh out loud.

" _William Shakespeare's Star Wars_?" I repeated, thrilled by the present. "This is the best combination present I could imagine."

Edward grinned just as subdued as his bulky brother, but the gleam in his eye told me he appreciated my enthusiastic mental gratitude.

The last gift, from Carlisle and Esme, was also very fun – a pillow in the shape and design of a Dr. Pepper can.

"Fluffy things are my go-to now, I guess," I teased with a laugh at the Cullen parents, who laughed in return.

"Oh, open these now," Alice exclaimed out of the blue, popping around the other side of the table to pluck up the purse and tote bin filled with white tissue paper.

"These are gifts?" I wondered, frowning with contradictory amusement, but starting with the bright red purse – Valentino, I noticed – nonetheless.

Inside was a keychain (once again shaped and designed like a can of Dr. Pepper), a Dr. Pepper flavored lip balm, and a gray t-shirt boasting the phrase ' _All I Need Is Dr. Pepper and Mascara'_.

"Alice, this is so you," I sighed humorously, and Angela laughed at the accusation.

"Of course it is," Alice sighed with slight exasperation. "It's fashion, after all."

Everyone in the room laughed at her remark and I shook my head as I moved on to the crimson basket, which turned out to house a keychain and a shirt pin both saying ' _I'm a Pepper'_ , a yo-yo and a spinning top that both had Dr. Pepper printed on them, and a bright red Dr. Pepper t-shirt.

"Thank you for everything," I happily told the room at large. "I think I'm cornering the market on Dr. Pepper merchandise now."

Laughter rippled through us until Pastor Weber stood from his chair. "Well, we'd better be going. Josh and Isaac should be ready to leave soon."

"Yes, they'll be starving, too," Mrs. Weber laughed with her husband. "The way they act sometimes, you'd think Tammy didn't feed them at all when they come over her house."

"Thank you for stopping by," Carlisle once more shook hands with the Webers, Esme following him up.

"Yes, it was very thoughtful," Esme added warmly.

"Thank you for having us over," Pastor Weber smiled his thanks.

"Happy birthday again, Mireille," Mrs. Weber tacked on kindly.

"I'll see you in two days," Angela told me with a smile of her own.

"Don't forget your cupcakes," I remembered suddenly, turning to find Rosalie had already grabbed the foil-wrapped muffin tin from the kitchen and handed them off to me to give to Angela.

"Don't forget this means you owe me a visit," Angela teased back as she accepted the wrapped treats.

Exhaling on a laugh, I shook my head. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Bye, Mireille," the three Webers said in farewell, Charlie following them to the door with a simple wave of acknowledgment.

In the silence after the click of the front door, everyone listened as the cars started and the noise of both motors faded away.

"Mireille," Carlisle spoke abruptly, "I think you're forgetting one substantial present."

"What present?" I echoed confusedly, but Carlisle only smiled and gestured for me to follow him. Frowning slightly, I did as he requested, only to find him offering me outerwear to put on. Trusting in spite of my confusion, I let the doctor help me into my coat. The rest of the family joined us in preparing to go outside.

Becoming a little more excited by the trip outdoors, I followed Carlisle out into the cold and down the porch.

Stopping dead not ten feet away from the door, I realized exactly what present I had overlooked.

"I completely forgot!" I exclaimed, bouncing at the sight of the white fabric-covered car with a vivid blue bow wrapped around the body of the vehicle.

Laughing at my reaction, Carlisle pushed me forward. "Go on and unwrap it."

Smiling back up at him, I rushed forward to pull the big ribbon hanging off the side and removed the white fabric with Rosalie's help. The pretty blue Acura I'd picked out so many weeks earlier now sat gleaming like silver in the clouded sunlight.

"Happy Birthday, Mireille," Carlisle finally remarked, chuckling still.

"Thanks!" I positively grinned at my new ride, imagining being behind the wheel while I drove to school and back home in my brand new blue Acura.

Had I any idea how much that knowledge would terrify me once the newness and joy wore off, I would never have tried imagining it in the first place.

The whole of the next day, I could hardly focus on anything outside of my nerves. While planning for the big day when I would first attend school at Forks High, I never seemed to consider the fact that many students would probably still see me as the invader in the Cullens' lives and in Forks itself. Even after Vanessa and Greg's attack, the idea just never hit me.

I wondered just how many people still hadn't realized the Cullens truly did want me to be there, but then that started such a fresh round of nerves that Jasper exhaled sharply and settled us in front of the chess board. With the imminent events rushing in on me like a wild river, and the likely treatment from my fellow students looming in my mind, Edward found a lot of reasons to play some of my favorite music on the piano or on the stereo. Emmett tried many times to involve me in trying out my new games and system, Alice increased her bubbly persona to the point of excess, and Esme and Carlisle reassured me concernedly.

Jasper valiantly continued to try and ease my emotions in subtle ways, never taking control but offering soothing feelings. They were nice, but the moment he took them away, I would be back to square one.

Ironically it was Rosalie who offered the most reassuring words.

"Angela Weber, Katie Marhsall, and Conner Packham are on your side now," the blonde said logically. "Lee Kirkland is at least not antagonistic, perhaps even friendly. Conner is friends with Mike Newton, and in spite of his self-interested foolishness, he does seem to keep his own opinions; given a good word from Conner, Mike will probably be friendly to you. Ben Cheney is nice boy, as you already know, and Austin, Ben's best friend, is also a fairly nice person. Eric Yorkie is not necessarily nice, but he's not part of the clique, which means he won't be antagonistic most likely. Tyler Crowley is his own person, and likely to be friendly. That's a lot of people you don't have to worry about. And with Greg Overman out of the picture, Vanessa Travis isn't likely to feel quite as powerful as before. Besides, one of us will be in every class with you."

It all made sense, of course, and I appreciated the attempt and the well-thought-out explanation. Nevertheless, nothing truly eased me about attending school.

Regardless anything that happened with the general population, Vanessa Travis, Lauren Mallory, and – to an extent – Whitney Duran would lead the pack in gossip and ridicule. Who knew what they might say or do? I didn't want to think about it.

At the end of the common sense speech, Rosalie noticed the continuing anxiety in my eyes and sighed shortly, stopping any further talk and dragging me out to my car to acquaint me with the new vehicle. For the rest of the day, Rosalie and I sat in the Acura and practiced driving the car in the limited space of the Cullens' long drive, my reservations taking at least a momentary respite while I finally found something else to keep my focus.

* * *


	35. Chapter 33: Intense

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** Quick note for everyone… pairings are not disclosed, but I want everyone to know I do have an endgame for everybody in the story. Nobody gets left alone by the series' end. That's about all I can say. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. You make my day!

**Previously** – The Cullens took down Christmas decorations. Esme persuaded Alice to give Mireille time to herself at breakfast. Everyone prepped for Mireille's birthday and revealed a Dr. Pepper party theme. Charlie visited and gave Mireille self-defense tools. The Webers visited and gave Mireille cupcakes and a book of humorous sayings. Mireille convinced Angela to take some cupcakes home. The Cullens gave Mireille her new blue Acura. Mireille stressed about attending classes and Rosalie distracted her with car talk.

> **Chapter 33: Intense**

Sleeplessness overwhelmed me the night before I was to attend Forks High School. I tossed and turned while Edward played Ernie Haas & Signature Sound in the alcove. The positive lyrics could barely penetrate my wired brain by the time I finally fell into an uneasy sleep that lasted only a couple of hours before my alarm blared.

Groaning at the aching restlessness in my body, I had to force myself to rise and start getting ready. Alice, bless her, had laid out my chosen outfit sometime during the night. It was the first thing to make me smile since my birthday ended. The leopard print blouse, camel cardigan, tan suede pants, and camel coat were all stylish but neutral, enhanced just as perfectly as Alice claimed by my new brown leather boots and crossbody purse.

Completing my appearance with a very light, natural sheen of makeup and a firm bun styled close to my head, I felt extremely stiff yet grateful for Alice's common sense suggestions the night before. Initially, Alice and I had planned on loose hair to provide a curtain against nosy onlookers, but a strange fear had pervaded my brain as I brushed through freshly straightened tresses.

What if Vanessa – or even some other discontented student at the high school – decided to yank on my loose hair, cut it off, or rip it out? In some part of me, I thought it was perhaps a foolish notion, but fear was a powerful motivator. After what Vanessa had done the last time she had me under her power, I held no doubts she could and would do any one of the things I feared.

Shoving the awful thought aside for a moment as I grabbed my crossbody and a tan scarf, I breathed deeply and tried once again to recall the tall grasses and rolling breeze I had imagined my first night in the Cullen house in order to help Jasper retain some semblance of calm throughout the household.

This time, however, the technique once again failed.

Sighing heavily at the lackluster attempt, I shook my head and made myself walk through the hallway and down the stairs, making my way to the kitchen for breakfast.

Each of the Cullen children waited patiently in the living room, conservatory, and computer area. Edward quietly played something I thought might be Bach while his siblings sat with remarkably equanimity. Even Alice wasn't bouncing up and down; granted, a camera waited in her small hands, but she failed to make a fuss about hurrying up.

Glancing at the clock, I could understand why.

Whatever my nerves were doing to me, getting ready had taken half my usual time. With another thirty minutes before we even had to leave, no one was going to be late today. Grateful for at least that fact, I exhaled one more time and mentally apologized to an unknowing Jasper, regardless of Edward's accompanying huff from his beloved instrument.

"Don't start today, Edward," I had to audacity to comment to the pianist with subdued anxiety, a furrow already caught between my brows while I moved through the dining room.

A deep sigh from the bronze-haired vampire barely attended my notice as I crossed the threshold of the kitchen where Esme finished my morning meal – oatmeal, fruit, and milk.

"Everyone is going to be right there with you, sweetheart," the warm vampire smiled gently at me as I began to eat, a cold hand reaching out to squeeze my arm reassuringly. "And if you need Carlisle, he's ready to leave work today if you call him for anything. You don't have to be physically hurt to call on him, all right?"

"All right," I agreed half heartedly. While the Cullens couldn't be sweeter for supporting me, I didn't _want_ anything to happen where I needed help. That was the whole problem. Oatmeal became singularly unappetizing as I thought about it, but I forced myself to eat regardless.

Exhaling with resigned understanding, Esme patted my arm once more and left me to breakfast. In a quiet rush of air, Edward appeared beside me, engaging his usual ritual of watching me eat. The familiar habit somehow gave me a sense of minute amusement in spite of my anxious mindset. Smiling a bit grimly at the thought, Edward nonetheless seemed pleased by the development.

Relieved as I eventually pushed away an empty bowl and glass, I had no trouble whatsoever letting Esme whisk away the dishes this time.

"Come on," Edward prompted me kindly. "No matter what happens, we still want to remember your experiences with us."

"Can't we just cancel this part, Alice?" I asked of the tiny vampire's photo obsession rather than respond to the bronze-haired vampire beside me, allowing Edward to guide the way back into the living area.

"I could…" Alice hesitated a long, drawn out moment of silence and stillness, before finally completing the notion with a delicate shrug, "but I wouldn't really feel it. I think you'll enjoy the memories, even if they're tempered by bad moments."

"Did you see something specific?" I couldn't help asking, catching her golden gaze worriedly.

"I haven't seen anything at all," Alice confessed, throwing out her arms helplessly. "If any of the students are going to do something – or should I say, _try_ to do something – it isn't something that's been planned. If it happens, it'll be a last minute choice. There's the possibility someone meets you in first period and plans something for later in the day, but it hasn't happened yet."

"That's a better situation than you might think, Mireille," Jasper promised me thoughtfully. For once, he and the others all had golden eyes together. School happened to be too undecided at the present time to let it go unchecked. "More than likely that means no one has any powerful grudge against you. If any of the student body had a distinct problem with your presence, I expect they would already have plans in mind."

"That can't be true, though," I debated with a deep frown stretching the ends of my mouth. "Vanessa obviously has a huge problem, especially after Greg was arrested because of what they did to me. She hasn't planned anything yet, but I have no doubt she has hopes. How many other people will be like that?"

"Not nearly as many as you think," Edward sighed once more, tugging me to sit on the sofa with him.

"What do you mean?" I wondered, confused by his insistence as we settled on the white cushions.

Taking a breath, Edward informed me quietly, "I've been listening for it at school."

Frozen with the unexpected development, I blinked a minute or two before I was able to respond, "But you hate listening to their minds."

Smoothly and gently, Edward explained his unorthodox action, "I had to know how they felt towards you… who might be dangerous to you. Only Vanessa seems to be an actual threat. There are others who don't know what to believe, but they aren't angry or damaging about you. There are others still who just play along with Vanessa's taunting words because they don't understand how serious she is. Jessica is jealous that you're in everyone's thoughts right now and of course Lauren talks too much, but it's not an absolute aggression like it is with Vanessa."

Lost for words that he had done something he so hated, I murmured softly, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Edward murmured in return, nodding once as an end to the topic.

"I think we're safe to take pictures now, don't you?" Alice concluded warmly, holding up the camera and tilting it teasingly side to side.

"I guess I can manage that," I half-smiled at the pixielike vampire's growing enthusiasm as she started clapping with happiness. My nerves weren't gone by any stretch of the imagination, but I felt the support around me more clearly.

Once picture time ended, Edward helped me into my coat, scarf, and gloves before we all headed out to the driveway. Esme and Carlisle preferred only two cars to be driven, which led to a choice of the Volvo and the Acura, the options fielded by two main situations. Jasper needed a break from my emotions, for one thing, and of course neither Edward nor Alice could legally drive. In the end, Edward rode in the Acura with me while the others all took the Volvo. It seemed strange for the owner of the vehicle in question to not ride in it, but Edward assured me it was fine.

"We both have Algebra first period, anyway," the eternal seventeen year old shrugged as I cautiously followed behind Rosalie's speedy takeoff. Recalling the buttons and workings from Rosalie's excellent instruction the day before, I felt fairly comfortable with the whole process, but speed didn't strike me as a good thing for my first day at school.

Bursting with a brief laugh, Edward shook his head in exasperation, "I think you'll make it, Mireille."

Ignoring his sarcasm, I continued to drive carefully all the way to the group of dilapidated red brick buildings I had only entered once before.

"Just park next to Rosalie," Edward easily proposed. As early as we left the house, there weren't many cars in the parking lot, so it wasn't hard to follow the directive, finally putting the Acura safely into park on the outer edges of the lot beside the Volvo. "We can just wait in the car or I can show you where your classrooms will be. Which would you prefer?"

"I think I'd like to see the classrooms," I decided rapidly. "I know one of you will be with me every time, but I would just feel better about it if I knew ahead of time."

Even without that qualifier… I much preferred not making a big entrance after everyone arrived for the start of school.

"Then come on," Edward agreed both to my words and my thoughts, nodding at the door for me to get out with him.

Very few students milled around the school landscape when I stood from the driver's seat, and judging by how empty the assortment of cars in the parking lot was, I figured they all probably spent their time in study hall.

"Mostly," Edward confirmed with a shrug. "Although two of them appear to be asleep."

Holding in a snort of laughter, I shook my head and followed the mind-reader up towards the nearest brick building with a good deal less trepidation, noting the other Cullens remained stationed in the Volvo.

"It would look like a production if they joined us," Edward murmured low, absently adjusting the lapel on his gray coat.

For the first time since getting up that day, I took notice of the Cullens' clothing, the belated action speaking to my intense anxiety all that morning. Edward's dark jeans and black boots didn't stand out as any wild enhancement to his vampire attraction.

Against the silver of the Volvo, however, Rosalie stuck out vividly in her vibrant persimmon coat with gray fur collar and black high-heel leather boots. Alice stood near in a far more muted high-neck coat of gunmetal gray to match her darker gray suede boots. Emmett and Jasper's navy and olive coats, respectively, hardly drew any attention with their average style jeans and boots.

"Come along, Miss Fashionista," Edward remarked, long-suffering over my extensively poetic thoughts as he released a sigh and tugged on my elbow.

Given the chilly weather and the immensity of snow still covering the ground, I figured it would be better to get inside anyway, neglecting to comment on my companion's smart aleck suggestion. It didn't fit me half as well as Alice anyway, so I didn't know what Edward even complained about.

Snorting as per usual at my mind, Edward shook his head and continued our journey in silence.

By the time the other students began filling the parking lot, Edward had not only walked me past each of my classrooms for the day, but around every corner of the campus. Finding my way around wouldn't be difficult, that much I knew, and it felt wonderful to have an idea of ways to escape in a tight spot if it ever became necessary.

"Good idea to keep in mind," Edward concurred, nodding along while we walked up to the building for our first class of the day – Algebra.

"Where do you sit normally? In the back?" I queried interestedly, stepping through the doorway with Edward to find the room still empty of students. The one change since our first trip past was the noticeable presence of Mr. Varner, who looked up at our appearance with surprise.

"Edward," the math teacher nodded somewhat awkwardly at the vampire beside me, but quickly moved uneasy eyes upon my shorter form. "And this is…?"

"This is Mireille," Edward answered for both of us where we stopped just in front of the desk. As if the man didn't already know…

"Welcome to Forks High School," the teacher greeted me stiffly, but I felt it was his personality more than any personal dislike.

"Thank you, Mr. Varner," I greeted in return with a half-smile, only at the last second remembering I wasn't supposed to be incredibly cheerful after my father's supposed death a few months earlier.

"You can take your book now," Varner offered, reaching into a right side drawer and pulling out a typical hardback math book to hand over. Gesturing at the empty room and already turning back to his work, the man said, "Go ahead and sit, I won't keep you held up here."

"Nice to meet you, sir," I responded to the straight-laced sentiment, Edward proceeding to quickly lead me to the back row of desks. As we took off our coats and gloves and sat in two adjoining chairs, I immediately realized why.

Chattering about something with an unseen student in the hallway, Jessica Stanley came walking through the door as though leading the way for anyone following behind her confident tread. The sophomore wore a purple sweater with blue jeans and her full head of curly black hair had been pulled into a messy ponytail.

The similarly short girl took little notice of me, or at least pretended not to, until she took the seat right in front of Edward. He hadn't been joking about her actions – there was a glint in her eye as she briefly smiled back at the vampire – ignoring me, incidentally – with a little more flirtatious pouting than algebra strictly required.

Edward choked back a laugh, faking a cough instead as he pulled out his textbook and notebook. Reminded of my own supplies, I opened up my crossbody and pulled out a notebook and pencil case. Recalling old memories from my real high school years, I tidily arranged pencils, eraser, math book, and notebook while other students finally filed in and filled the seats. Looking down as I was, I didn't have to notice anyone's expression if they chanced a look my way.

Mr. Varner wasted no time quieting the chatter as the bell rang for the start of class, starting in on his welcome back speech with little to no enthusiasm – a personality trait which lasted the entire class period. There was no talking between students and no inquiries from the teacher as to how everyone spent Christmas break, just a straight jump into roll call and class work that would be due before the period ended.

After so many times working with Esme on Algebra and geometry, the work assigned passed through my mind much easier than I had anticipated. Edward snuffed a little laugh at my surprise, but otherwise remained seemingly engrossed in class work.

Feeling confident in my completed work some time later, I tore out the pages from my notebook and gladly rid myself of them on the teacher's desk. Edward and a few other students were the first to hand in their papers much more quickly, but most students turned in their work about the same time that I did, including Jessica about thirty seconds after I sat down. When the curly-haired girl took her seat again, her blue eyes flashed at Edward once more.

Mr. Varner already had our homework up on the board and I quickly wrote down the pages and problem numbers before packing up. When the bell rang for the end of class, I joined Edward in rising with my coat in hand, enjoying a small sense of relief that one class had been simple and straightforward. The fact it was algebra only enhanced the relief.

It wasn't until we stepped into the hallway together amidst the throng of unfamiliar students that Edward leaned in to remark quietly, "I told you so."

Rolling my eyes and offering a disgusted look up at his smug face, I declined to reply, leaving the vampire chuckling pleasantly.

So many students passed me by in the hallways that it became impossible to miss the staring in my direction. Uncomfortable, but pushing myself forward all the same, I tried not to pay attention as we walked.

Close to Edward's Spanish class, Emmett and Rosalie met up with us, the golden-haired vampire's white blouse, leather leggings, and red blazer just as vivid as the coat over her arm. The bold couple stood as extra support for my still-anxious day, but not enough to look outrageously overprotective. As the four of us fell into step, the bulkiest Cullen appeared all too eager for his upcoming gym class with me.

"Ready for some sports, penguin lady?" Emmett grinned mutedly at me, downplaying his teeth for the teenagers around us.

Offering a real smile for the big vampire's never-ending humor and another nickname to call my own, I responded tentatively, "I guess so, Herc."

Emmett let loose a strong yet quiet laugh for his title and Rosalie's lips twitched lightly at the nickname, but Edward rolled his eyes broadly.

"He doesn't need any more help with nicknames," the bronze-haired vampire shook his head.

"Too late," I shrugged, coming to a stop just outside Edward's class.

"Good luck," Rosalie commented, turning to walk further down the hall for her own class, Government.

Edward simply nodded at me, eyes imparting a supportive gleam I appreciated before he disappeared into Sra. Goff's classroom.

As for Emmett, he waved me towards the doorway with the same positive smile. "Better get a move on, Mir. We don't want to be late your first day."

"Yeah, definitely not," I agreed, glad I could lead the way instead of having to follow him around. Mentally, I gave Edward a thank you for his earlier tour and hurried with Emmett to our class.

Coach Clapp was fairly nice and he made no fuss about my presence when Emmett walked me to his office off the side of the gymnasium and introduced us.

"Welcome to Forks," the coach noted the same as Mr. Varner, but it seemed more genuinely interested than the math teacher's words. Reaching for a combination lock and a uniform, the coach handed off my gear and explained, "Just pick an empty locker and let me know the number after we group up in the gym. You brought tennis shoes, didn't you?"

"Yes, I brought them," I confirmed, patting my bag. The narrow style of tennis shoes had been tucked off to one side, still allowing for my school books. I reminded myself to thank Alice for the efficiency later.

"All right, go get changed, you two," the gym teacher waved us away, rising to head into the gym.

"Thanks, Coach," I nodded my understanding and headed towards the girls' locker room further down.

"I have to change, too," Emmett informed me quietly as we walked away, "but just holler if you need help. I don't care if it is a girl's locker room."

Biting my lip to ward off both extreme sentimental gratitude and a good case of giggles at bulky vampire Emmett bursting into the girls' locker room to defend my honor, I nodded up at his serious face in thanks.

Stepping through the s-shaped doorway of the locker room, I happily noticed the t-shirt and shorts in my grasp didn't look too bad in style and the whole uniform smelled very fresh and clean. Far more willing to put on the outfit, I rapidly walked through my female classmates' midst as they chattered and changed into the same clothes.

Gym was generally easy for me, even if I wasn't the best at sports. At least I had enough coordination to participate. Poor Bella would have a heck of a time by comparison.

Purely by chance, I glanced up at the milling group of girls in search of a free locker and found my eyes drawn to a head of corn silk hair.

Freezing inside at the very idea of sharing any class with one of Vanessa's little cronies, one of the very girls who spoke so cruelly of me at Homecoming, I prayed with all of my might for Lauren Mallory not to notice me until we were well out of the locker room. Looking at the last set of lockers before I reached Lauren where she twittered with friends, I found locker thirty-six had no lock and moved swiftly to snatch it. I threw my bag and coat onto the metal shelf and pulled out my tennis shoes and extra socks with relief.

It could have been quick and easy to change and run back out to Emmett's protective support, but at the last minute I recalled the long scar on my back. I cringed at the idea of anyone seeing it – considering its newness, anyone could easily guess exactly what it was from.

"Girls, this isn't social hour!" Coach Clap's loud voice echoed even from outside the locker room as he chastised me and my classmates with a long-suffering tone. Clearly, this was a routine shout out. "We have a class to start!"

The two unfamiliar girls in my section headed back out along with the rest, Lauren and her friends not even seeing me when they passed by. Releasing a pent-up breath as they walked out, I changed into my uniform like it was on fire, remembered very clearly to lock up my belongings, and rushed back out with my gray tennis shoes tied in lopsided bows.

Coach Clapp had already begun roll call and he eyed me oddly for a moment, but to my great thanks he said nothing about my late entrance at the back of the class. Leaning against the wall not far from me with his big arms crossed, Emmett's intent expression spoke to his concern about my timing.

Reaching him with joy for the familiar company, I shrugged and whispered, "I didn't want Lauren to see me."

Golden eyes widened but barely as the big vampire realized my trouble, an unpleasant frown covering his normally happy face.

"Cullen," the coach called out before we could say anything more between us.

Emmett forced himself to turn and answer, "Here, Coach."

Chatter had started once again between the students, a low murmur in the wait for class to truly begin. Emmett didn't seem to know what to say and I certainly didn't know what to offer up, so we remained quiet.

The name 'Newton' surprised me into looking out into the class, at least until I remembered Angela telling me who she knew would be in my classes. Sure enough, Mike Newton stood with a couple other boys on the opposite side of the group.

My surrogate surname happened to be, by the most unfortunate of chances, the very last one on the list.

"Whitlock," Coach Clapp named me.

I couldn't help but reply in a soft voice, "Here."

Not for the first time that morning, I watched as every single head turned in my direction.

Lauren's snide features pinched in utmost distaste as she looked me up and down with her clique, the blonde's green eyes finally snapping away as I looked down in discomfort. Just when I wondered what changed, Emmett shifted beside me, arms dropping into my line of vision with a flex of sheer muscle that looked quite threatening. Stifling a tiny smile at his reflexive defense, I eased up with some relief when Coach Clapp called class to order.

While not my favorite sport, basketball that day offered a good solitary experience with which to distance myself from the class. The coach called for us to work in pairs on rotating tasks, and of course I worked with Emmett, no questions asked. Most pairs worked on dribbling and passing while four pairs shot hoops, one partner shooting and the other returning the ball after a shot.

Of course, Emmett made flawless shots whenever he wanted to, but he added a few intentional misses to make it look more normal. When it came my turn to shoot, I threw the ball without any kind of style in the hopes of getting it over with quickly. After I missed six times in a row, my frustration boiled over at the continued stares behind my back.

"I can't do it," I uttered for Emmett's hearing alone, arms crossed tightly over my middle.

"Sure you can," the big vampire assured me more soothingly than I knew he was capable of. Walking over with the basketball under one arm, Emmett pulled me in front of him and tried to lift my arms into position for a throw. Sighing heavily, I didn't move my arms from their crossed position.

"Come on, Mir," Emmett murmured very quietly, leaning down towards my head to whisper low, "I wouldn't do anything to make you look bad in front of these other measly excuses for humans, would I?"

Trapping an unwilling smile before it could escape, I knew I had already lost.

Judging by the big vampire's tempered smile as I looked up at him, Emmett knew it, too.

"Fine," I exhaled resignedly, uncrossing my arms and letting him pose me for a shot.

"Now, when you got your position," Emmett explained more seriously, tweaking my hands just slightly as he talked, "you have to remember to keep your arms steady. They can't wobble all over the place or you'll miss. Keep 'em steady, you hear?"

Smiling truly now, I shook my head. "Okay. Steady arms. Got it."

"All right," Emmett nodded sagaciously, "so when you shoot, you have to push the ball up and give a curve so it comes back down and doesn't fly over the rim. Let's try it once."

Once again I missed, and three more times after that, but they were at least within range of the hoop and Emmett wasn't deterred at all.

"Okay, you got the general form," he edged, pursing his lips in a so-so fashion. "But now you have to actually aim it at the basket."

His grin, while still small, lit up the room. Emmett just loved taking the mickey out of people. With a shake of my head, I took position again and tried to aim at the hoop instead of somewhere in the vicinity of the backboard.

By the time Coach Clapp called it quits, I wasn't thinking about Lauren or Mike or anyone else staring or gossiping. Emmett was a lot of fun like always and he actually taught me to get the basketball in the hoop – twice, even.

After I told the coach my locker number, I went to change out of my uniform with a more positive outlook. Lauren passed me on her way out, but a mild sneer was all the attention she and her friends paid me. It appeared Lauren Mallory talked bigger than she acted.

Another weight lifted from my shoulders and I quickly changed to regroup with Emmett. While he waited, Alice and Jasper had joined the big vampire in his vigil, both looking a little too agitated for the English class they just left.

"What's wrong?" I asked, checking that no one was around to overhear. Luckily, the gym had emptied and no new class arrived yet.

"Lauren trying to spread rumors," Jasper explained perfunctorily, leaving me to realize Alice's emotions were feeding those of her husband.

Alice clucked irritably as she absently rearranged her mustard yellow sweater, polka dot blouse, and purple jeans with great agitation. "She just doesn't know when to shut up."

"What about? Me and Emmett? That's just stupid," I shook my head at the blonde girl's silly need to spread lies.

"She'll say anything to sound important, apparently," Alice ground out, exhaling sharply.

"Oh well," I shrugged carelessly. "Rosalie knows we're all good, and anyone who means anything will know it, too, right?"

"That's about all I can agree with," Alice grumbled, but finally shook herself. "Oh, but come on. You and Jasper will be late if we don't go now."

Luckily we made it to Spanish in good time and Jasper was kind enough to walk in ahead of me rather than make me face the music head on. We settled in two seats on the same side as the door, Jasper taking the inner seat to give me one more layer of protection from the world. Given his own needs to distance himself, I appreciated the gesture more than I could say.

Sra. Goff didn't greet me as Varner and Clapp had, but she pleasantly handed me a textbook and a workbook as she started class.

Having worked with Jasper already in Spanish, speaking it beside him was no problem at all. The work passed by in flash of lecture, note-taking, and a little conversation; a repeat of what I'd been taught at the Cullens' house for weeks. Jasper's admirably calm presence remained steady in the ongoing staring contest most students engaged in.

Near the end of class while everyone packed up, however, a novelty occurred that I didn't expect.

"Excuse me," a voice from behind us surprised both me and Jasper into turning around in the middle of packing up.

Two black-haired boys behind us looked on with polite curiosity. The boy with golden-toned skin wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses while the brown-skinned boy wore a Forks High athletic jacket. I had a pretty good feeling who they both were, but waited to find out for sure.

"Yes?" Jasper answered for us, trepidation in his tone.

"Um, well we… we just wanted say hi," the boy with glasses spoke first, he clearly having been the one to speak in the first place. Jasper's intent expression had him stuttering already. "M-my name's Ben. Ben Cheney."

"Hi, Ben. I'm Mireille," I inserted myself before Jasper could get too tight-lipped. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm Tyler Crowley," the athletic boy smiled a little, offering up a hand, "Nice to meet you, um… how do you say your name again?"

"Think 'fur' but with an 'm'. And then add 'ray' to the end," I explained less than expertly. Most people weren't going to pronounce it as nicely as Edward had the first night we met, so I gave the more common pronunciation.

"Murraaayyy," Tyler joked, holding out the second syllable playfully.

Hesitantly smiling at his teasing greeting, I shrugged noncommittally, "I guess so."

"Does anybody call you Ray for short?" Ben wondered, seeming to catch my reluctance better than Tyler.

"No, but you can if you want to," I allowed more comfortably. Another nickname on a growing list of them… At least Tyler wouldn't keep calling me Murray.

"Ray works," Tyler agreed with a nod. "Well, we just wanted to say hello, Ray… You know, welcome you to Forks High."

"That's nice of you," I smiled at them both just as the bell rang.

"I'll see you around, Ray," Tyler smiled in farewell and hurried off to his next class. "And uh, you too... uh… Jasper."

Jasper's simple nod conveyed the barest of tolerance, but he didn't say anything outright.

"I'll see you, too, Ray," Ben added. "And Jasper. Nice to have talked with you."

"You too, Ben," I nodded my goodbye to the boy Angela would grow to like – or perhaps already did.

"That was nice, at least," I remarked to Jasper as we walked out to meet Rosalie and Alice in the hall.

"They were genuinely interested," Jasper agreed reluctantly. "Tyler exceptionally more so than Ben."

"What do you mean?" I asked with a growing frown. Ben didn't seem superficial like that.

"You're the new girl, the intrigue," Rosalie answered for Jasper, rolling her eyes slightly.

"Tyler probably thinks you're cute," Alice shrugged, taking the lead through the crowded hall.

"Great, the shiny new toy," I murmured for only vampire ears to hear, bringing a muted snicker out of Jasper and a giggle from Alice.

"Mrs. Benson is strict about tardiness," Rosalie informed me, picking up a little speed as she checked the nearest clock.

"I'll remember that," I sighed and kept pace with the three Cullen siblings until we reached Mrs. Benson's room.

"History later," Jasper reminded me pleasantly as he and Alice headed to their shared geometry class.

With Rosalie at my side at the front of the chemistry classroom, I felt a lot more shielded than with any of the others. Perhaps it was Rosalie Hale's instinctive ice queen exterior or perhaps it was her extreme attractiveness, but whatever it was, I appreciated that many stares became directed at the blonde vampire instead of me. The class seemed mostly made up of students a little older than a sophomore, leaving me twice as glad for a familiar presence, but I did notice a greasy-haired boy with a pale and acne-ridden complexion sitting in the back. Eric Yorkie not only excelled in academics, he took advanced classes.

True to Rosalie's word, Mrs. Benson made clear her strict policies on tardiness. Unfortunately, the stiff-backed chemistry teacher also made it clear that students who made it _just_ on time were equally displeasing. Put out by her needless harsh words for a red-haired boy who made it into the room just as the bell rang, I decided I wasn't going to enjoy such a ridiculous taskmaster for a teacher and thanked my lucky stars I would only have her for one semester. I had never heard of chastising someone for being right on time.

If that wasn't enough of a dampener on my interest, advanced chemistry turned out to be incredibly difficult. Working with Jasper and Esme at the house had made the subject far more enjoyable than Mrs. Benson's pinch-nosed lectures.

By the time it was over and homework was assigned, I had a headache forming behind my left brow and an impossible well of frustration to release while I fumbled putting the textbook back in my crossbody. In the midst of following Rosalie out of the room, I remembered only barely that Jasper and I had history next.

After a minute or two of unexpected jostling in the hallway, the sudden onslaught of students made me recognize something was wrong. Looking up with more attention, I instantly realized Rosalie was not in front of me. Stopping dead in the middle of the hall, I felt instantly unsettled. There was no one in my line of vision I knew and with the crushing crowd of people around me, I could hardly recognize the hallway from Edward's earlier walk-around.

Stamping out a vicious need to panic, I breathed deeply and tried to remember any of the posters, classroom numbers, or unique features in the corridor. Nothing caught my eye, however; every room in this particular hall was a standard numbered classroom. Given my fruitless analysis, I wondered whether I should try and turn back or just wait until one of the Cullens found me.

Just when I decided to keep walking forward, a familiar head of blonde highlighted hair burst into my line of sight. All I could remember for a moment was that harsh voice in the bathroom at Homecoming.

Vanessa Travis walked with a couple of friends – at least I assumed they were – in my direction from the far end of the hallway. One of the girls I recalled from Homecoming – Whitney Duran, the reluctant bully; the other girl with straight, dark brown hair I had never seen before. The trio hadn't seen me yet, but it was only a matter of time if I kept standing there. Panic began to surge in my veins like a spreading wildfire devouring everything in its wake.

Phantom pain burned in my back, a sharp stabbing agony I would never forget as long as I lived. Had Vanessa felt anything when I screamed? Did she even care that a human being lay under her power, more than likely going to die because of her hate? That's all it could have been; only hatred could have pushed someone to treat another person with such cruel violence.

I couldn't be sure Vanessa had held the knife that night in the woods, but her very presence reminded me what she had gladly done to me for merely existing.

My throat closed in on itself and I knew I had already lost the battle with panic. The memory of that horrible night wouldn't leave my mind. I pitied Edward for his gift in that moment more than I ever did before; I hated that I couldn't hold everything back after how responsible he had felt.

The longer I stood there, the closer Vanessa came to me and the harder it would be to get away, but I stood frozen to the spot by fear and memory.

In a heartbeat of time that felt infinitely longer than my twenty-one years of life, Vanessa looked up, sharp gaze catching my stare with a quick snap of recognition.

I waited too long, it was too late now.

"Hey, Mireille!"

In the midst of my dark memories, the happy, welcoming voice threw me completely and startled me with a shock of familiarity into somehow looking away from my abuser.

Katie Marshall, Conner Packham, Lee Kirkland, Ben Cheney, and an auburn-haired boy I didn't recognize walked in stride towards me, the quintet of sophomores looking pretty pleased with their find.

The redheaded girl reached me first, a glad smile on her face as she offered a funny little wave of greeting, "Hi, Mireille! I told you we'd see you at lunch."

The group's joined laughter, so light and unfettered by fear, brought me back only a little from my continuing panic. None of the five sophomores could see my seething discomfort or the blank anticipation in my eyes. It amazed me how little one saw when absorbed in the utter normalcy of an uncomplicated life.

"Hi," I belatedly answered, half-comprehending the fact it was not time for my next class, but lunchtime. Waiting for the hammer to fall, I thought surely Vanessa stood at my heels by now…

"We know you want to sit with your family, like Angela said," Conner amended Katie's statement, making the redhead roll her eyes.

"I didn't forget," Katie countered irritably.

"We know you didn't," Lee shrugged, answering in Conner's stead.

Ben turned suddenly, gesturing at the unknown auburn-haired boy as he said, "Oh, Ray, this is Austin Marks."

"I thought it was Mireille?" Austin asked, gray eyes confused as he looked back to me.

"Short name," Ben lifted one sheepish shoulder. "Mireille said it was okay to use it."

"Gotcha," Austin nodded, smiling back at me. "Nice to meet you, Ray."

"Ray?" a sneering voice interrupted our group. My time had run out. "Well if that isn't a _great_ nickname for a girl."

Reaching deep down, I drudged up enough gall to at least face the senior who tormented me in November.

Up close, Vanessa looked just as awful as she seemed from afar; pretty but fake, feared rather than liked. Knowing power filled her light blue eyes; there was cruelty there – a meanness – I didn't want to examine. I wanted to run, even surrounded by new friends. I only wanted to be with the Cullens again, to be somewhere I felt truly safe. Where _were_ they?

"Who asked you?" Katie confronted Vanessa head-on while my mind whirled. None of the sophomores were smiling anymore, a frown on every young face. I hoped they wouldn't become a target for Vanessa after this interlude. Without Greg, I knew this acidic girl was still capable of succeeding at terrible things.

"Oh, look at the little sophies protecting their own," the dark-haired girl laughed with Vanessa and Whitney.

The brunette didn't seemed to realize what Vanessa really was, or perhaps she thought it was all just talk.

Even buried under pressure and sheer anxiety as I was, I could, however, see the burden on Whitney's tired face. The strawberry blonde looked as exhausted as I felt. From somewhere inside I couldn't quite access in that moment, I felt sorry for her.

Didn't the teachers ever wonder about their students? Did Whitney's parents even care? It felt like they didn't, if they could let someone live under such terror. I couldn't imagine Whitney did very well in her classes.

"Mind your own business, Allison," Conner remarked rudely to the brunette, arms crossed.

"Yeah, what do you care what we call our friends?" Lee had the guts to say, daring to call me a friend. Perhaps I underestimated him at the Christmas party.

"You should watch who you get close to, _Ray_. I wouldn't want any of them to stab you in the back," Vanessa's hard voice chilled my bones.

"That sounds like a threat," I found my voice at last, a thrill of confidence jolting up my spine.

Maybe Lee's courage wasn't entirely his own, after all.

Chancing a desperate glance around, I saw the honey-blond vampire I expected, heading our way from behind Vanessa, Allison, and Whitney. Had he not been in so much human company, I firmly believed Jasper's face would have been even darker than it already was.

"How strange. I was thinking exactly the same thing, Mireille."

That ice cold voice reached my ears like a blessedly cool rain after working in the summer sun, Rosalie Hale's teeth almost clacking along with her succinct enunciation. Looking back, I found the beautiful vampire stepping up just behind me, waves of fury rolling off her statuesque figure.

"You should watch yourself, Vanessa," Rosalie nearly hissed at the senior, her hate all the more intimidating for its soft spoken tone. "Our family takes such twisted amusement _very_ seriously."

Faced with an angry vampire, however unwittingly, even someone as awful and unafraid as Vanessa Travis found the good sense to stand down.

Despite her decision to walk away, Vanessa left with a nonetheless unpleasant expression in my direction, the one person in the Cullen family she could antagonize without feeling the subtle, inescapable fear of a prey for its predator.

In my case, Vanessa was the real predator. How had a senior in high school become so vile? I wondered fruitlessly at the answer as my attacker abruptly strutted past as though she had done nothing wrong.

Rosalie failed to relax in the aftermath, stepping off to the side once the threat passed. With the same strange kind of ignorance I had witnessed at the Christmas party, my classmates easily overlooked the blonde vampire's waiting presence.

"I can't _stand_ them," Katie made the remark about Vanessa's little posse with a groan.

" _No one_ can stand them," Austin added with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to run into them on your first day," Ben told me apologetically.

The notion I had never met Vanessa seemed oddly comical in the wake of my escape from any more drama, but I knew there was nothing actually funny about it. Jasper appeared by my side in two quick strides, hand grasping my arm with understanding and a touch of calm I desperately needed before I edged into the hysterical.

"Dang, we missed half of lunch!" Conner remarked with concern.

"Aw, man, all the pizza will be gone," Lee complained, turning with Conner to hurry back down the hall. Behind their backs, they both called out, "See you guys!"

"We better go, too," Austin explained for himself, Ben, and Katie, both of whom nodded along.

"Yeah, I promised Angela and Jessica we'd decide what movies to watch for the sleepover," Katie smiled again. "See you tomorrow, Ray."

"Bye guys," I was able to force out for their sakes.

As the three of them followed in the wake of Conner and Lee, one would think nothing had happened in that hallway.

With Rosalie and Jasper still holding themselves as rigid as steel beams, I knew very well that was not the case. We moved as one unit to the cafeteria, finding only Emmett waiting at the table for us. Having a very good idea why Alice and Edward had disappeared, I once again felt badly for their gifts having such horrible consequences, but it was Edward I really worried about for the time being.

"You should eat something before class," Jasper quietly suggested while Rosalie joined Emmett at a table settled by the windows and the exterior doors.

Forgoing any argument or speech at all, I let the former soldier lead me through the line to pick out something so I wouldn't be sick later. That's about all I was capable of doing for the present time. When we sat down with Rosalie and Emmett, silence reigned over our table until the bell rang. I barely picked at my food, something Jasper didn't look very pleased about, but he said nothing on the way to history.

Mr. Abbott seemed to be a very engaging teacher, but after what I experienced with Vanessa, I simply wasn't invested enough to care. Angela waved as we sat down, but something in her face told me she heard what happened and knew it was more than a simple altercation with a stuck-up senior. Telling her the whole truth was impossible, of course, but I would have to tell her some part of it if she asked. And if Edward failed to show up for English, Angela would almost undoubtedly sit with me and I would be stuck with the hardship of finding a good enough lie. In a most difficult juxtaposition, facing Edward in English after living with my terrible memories seemed impossible. The conundrum left me fit to be tied all through history, Jasper feeling it right along with me.

The bell's shrill noise filled me with an edgy sensation bordering on desperation. Which of my conundrums was the more impossible? Seeing Edward's dark emotion or successfully lying to Angela? I couldn't possibly decide, even up to moment I passed Angela's desk on the way out of history class.

"Is it okay if I walk with you both?" Angela, kind and considerate, queried of me and my tall companion.

"Of course," Jasper answered for me, ignoring the growth of tension I felt.

"I heard about Vanessa at lunch," Angela wasted no time airing her knowledge while we walked. She seemed to hate hiding anything from anyone. "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that."

"It's over," I lied, probably unsuccessfully, but I couldn't make it more convincing when it was so far from over. Until Vanessa left school and Forks for good, it would never be over. Cold blue eyes had convinced me of that single fact in a mere moment of contemplation.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay," Angela quietly offered, a small smile crossing her face.

"Thanks," I accepted her offer with ease, rapidly changing subjects onto something normal, "Did you decide on your movies?"

"For the sleepover?" Angela clarified, and I nodded. "Not really. Jessica wasn't sure, so we'll think up some more ideas."

Form the hesitance in Angela's gentle voice, I suspected Jessica wanted to see her personal choice of movie and only her personal choice of movie, but I neglected to mention it to my kindhearted friend.

The English classroom wasn't nearly as far as I would have liked, and it was only once Jasper left me there with Angela that I saw the vampire in my thoughts – sitting at the very back of the room at one of the double-wide desks. Stormy and brooding beneath a mess of bronze that looked to have been combed through one too many times, Edward's clouded features held my utmost attention.

"I'll see you afterward," Angela whispered as she took a seat up front.

"Yeah," was my only response, feet carrying me to a very particular empty seat.

Coming up beside the desk to lay my coat and crossbody over the chair back, my eyes keenly caught upon the pale clenched hands hidden beneath the level of the table. Heart clenching in time with those clawing fingers, I took my seat without a single clue what to do, say, or think.

* * *


	36. Chapter 34: Incredible - Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** Here's another Edward chapter to give some insight into the Cullens' views on some major events. Now, in the previous Edward chapters, he was rehashing things that already happened in Mir's POV. While he will overlap somewhat in this chapter, everything afterward will be new events, strictly from Edward's POV. I intend for Chapter 35 to flow right into Mir's POV in Chapter 36, no rehashing.

I'm going to cautiously label this chapter as graphic, just because the subject matter can be a little intense. And there's a big reveal in this chapter that I think might surprise some of you. :)

**Previously** – Mireille stressed about school and the Cullens tried to ease her mind. Edward showed Mireille around the school. Mireille realized Lauren is in her gym class and avoided her. Emmett helped Mireille learn basketball. Alice mentioned Lauren gossiping. Ben Cheney and Tyler Crowley introduced themselves to Mireille and Ben gave her the nickname 'Ray'. Mireille got separated from Rosalie and noticed Vanessa down the hall. Mireille mentally recalled her attack and froze. Katie, Conner, Lee, Ben, and Austin met Mireille. Vanessa, Whitney, and Allison Johnson interrupted and the other students defended Mireille. Vanessa insinuated stabbing Mireille. Jasper and Rosalie came to help and Rosalie scared Vanessa away. Mireille worried for Edward and Angela sympathized about the hall incident. Mireille didn't know how to deal with Edward's upset.

> **Chapter 34: Incredible - Part I  
>  **

In a better world, a girl would never have to be convinced of her own safety at something so mundane as high school. She would never have to wonder if some diabolical person waited in the wings with malicious intentions. She might worry that her hair looked nice, rather than worry someone planned to rip it from her scalp.

Yet as she dressed for school on her first day, Mireille couldn't seem to think of anything else. Her muddled, anxious thoughts centered on all the ways someone might antagonize her or how many people still believed her to be an intruder in the lives of Forks' inhabitants.

While our family eased her mind enough to smile a little and move forward, each and every one of us knew Mireille's anxiety would not go away unless the day – and quite possibly the semester as a whole – turned out perfectly. None of us deluded ourselves that it would go as smoothly as we all wished, but if some measure of naïveté helped our human family member endure the day ahead, we saw no reason not to indulge a little.

The day seemed set so nicely at first. Listening to the students' thoughts, one would believe everyone had all but forgotten Mireille's stormy, gossip-ridden arrival in Forks. After what happened in November, I held no illusions the situation was forgotten completely, but it _had_ been two and three months since both incidents. Besides, after meeting students at the Christmas party, Mireille had also successfully wet her feet in the social arena.

When I told Mireille our peers were growing fond if her, I hadn't lied. At her more confident moments, Mireille became imbued with whimsy and eclecticism; it was only natural for others to gravitate towards her generally bubbly persona. As Jasper said more than once, Mireille Holden indeed possessed obvious charisma. Given that, I deemed using the name Whitlock quite fitting when considering my brother's own natural charm as a human.

For a minute, I frowned in concern as Mireille worried over Lauren Mallory in the locker room. Lauren did engage in a moment of snotty consideration when she noticed Mireille during roll call, but Emmett's bulky presence rapidly subdued any ideas on the blonde sophomore's part.

As I entered Mr. Banner's classroom for fourth period and no untoward grudges or angry plans from the student body passed my mental analysis, I felt my body relaxing without a conscious decision to do so. Rosalie and Mireille became engrossed in chemistry without issue, although our human family member did face a distressing moment of realization at first.

' _Rosalie sure wasn't joking about her. But the poor guy's right on time! There's nothing wrong with that. The woman's more of a drill sergeant than a teacher_ _…'_

I had to stop myself from laughing out loud at Mireille's scathing internal assessment of Mrs. Benson. Truthfully, she had a point about the chemistry teacher. Even during a single month of school, Mrs. Benson's tongue-lashings for students who entered her classroom right on the dot often led to numerous incidents with infuriated parents.

Satisfied Mireille remained safe, healthy, and happy (relatively speaking), I finally allowed my mental scan to cease for a time. Alice and Jasper met me down the hall from the biology classroom, my tiny sister looking equally pleased about the day's turnout.

' _Thank goodness for the ceasefire_ ,' Alice thought for my benefit, smiling pleasantly. Jasper matched his wife relief for relief, his thoughts similarly relaxed from the lack of danger to our human relative.

Expecting Emmett and Rosalie to comfortably escort Mireille to lunch, the three of us felt free to settle our normal table and wait.

Alice became caught in a vision not thirty seconds later, eyes fading out of focus. Together we watched Rosalie in motion, marching down the hall with feet barely slow enough to appear human and a concerned frown covering her face. Emmett tried to catch up from further down the hall, but the students rushing to lunch kept him waylaid in the slothlike motion of humans for appearance's sake.

The subsequent strange sight of Mireille standing alone in the hallway confused us both and I immediately focused my ability upon the young woman's chaotic mind.

Panic filled Mireille's senses in a corridor that now looked unfamiliar when crowded with people. A guilty feeling suffused my chest when I recalled her earlier mental thank you for our morning tour. Had I merely told her it would look so different when full of rushing students, perhaps she might not have panicked so deeply. Regardless, I felt great pride in Mireille's enforced calm and rational decision to keep walking.

For all our relief, for all my pride, and for all the ease of Mireille's day so far, I should have know something would eventually fall apart.

Alice gasped under her breath at the third unwarranted vision overcoming her mind, Mireille's frozen form and a familiar bully's sure strides towards her in the hallway marking the end of the good fortune we had earlier reveled in.

"Jasper," Alice murmured beneath her breath, barely mouthing the words through the grip of terrible knowledge as the vision played out before its true enactment. "Jasper, Mireille… 145… H-hallway… Please…"

While our emotions roiled wildly, Jasper didn't hesitate, but stood instantly from the table and strode out of the cafeteria with such incredible purpose that students scuttled out of his way like frightened sheep.

I should have _known_.

Yet I hadn't. With all the pain Mireille had already gone through and her fears of it returning in an altered form, I had still relaxed the alertness of my mind – an alertness that might have saved Mireille from a terrible encounter.

Vanessa Travis could not have been at school long.

While I had been confident in the lack of fire towards Mireille, I had also failed to adequately locate her horrible attacker amongst the mass of students, leading me to wonder if the violent senior even attended school most days. At the time, worrying if Mireille would make it through the day with her intense nerves and everlasting skepticism, I had considered Vanessa's absence a marvelous boon.

Of all the times I could have failed to locate someone's mind, this day – of all days – should not have been one of them. I should never have relaxed during biology.

Even as I was forced to follow Mireille's oddly academic thoughts of Vanessa's pathetic posse, Alice somehow found the will to stand and attempted to pull my rigid body up with her.

We barely made it outside and into a secluded copse of trees when a wave of remembered pain and heart-wrenching fear nearly choked me. Hitting the dirt on my knees, I held my skull as if I could repress the sudden assault of memories from our gentle human friend. The harsh voice of her abuser in the bathroom at the dance paled in comparison to the eventual gut-wrenching grip of horror and realization as lights flickered out in a parking lot I knew only too well.

No relief came as I shared Mireille's recall of that sickening night, her body frozen in fear and memory while I sat frozen in anguish, fists clutching my hair. Alice grasped my arm as though her grip could keep me sane amidst the tumult.

Nothing could give me clarity or sanity after what I had already seen of that hellish night in November.

Carlisle and Esme's wedding had been full of love and peace as they found their other half in each other. My parents had felt sheer bliss just knowing they had each other after more than a decade of loneliness and pain.

All of that beauty and love that bled into every anniversary afterward… it simply paled and faded when I remembered the incredible pain of Mireille suffering due to my selfishness on that very same anniversary. Had I but told her my troubles, vented the deep complaints in my mind to the one person I knew would understand without judgment… but I failed to do such a simple thing. And Mireille… my God, she had suffered for it.

Once Mireille had scratched the Volvo, humiliation high above the rest of her thoughts, my brain shut itself down into a fortified vault. I knew I had been wrong and she had not deserved my taunting remarks on her dreams. Yet a deep anger had thoroughly clouded my senses.

Everyone looked to me with such enormous expectation for Bella's arrival and my treatment of the circumstances. Every day for three weeks after reading the books, my family entertained constant thoughts of how I could succeed or fail with Bella, Charlie, Jacob, Renesmee, the Volturi, James, Victoria, Laurent, the Denalis…

Carlisle had refrained, thank goodness, with his usual patience and simple acceptance, but the others spent each waking minute of each day considering all angles of my impending decisions.

Compounded by Mireille's more reasonable and broad-minded perusal of the future, it had become so pressurized I couldn't stand it. While I keenly understood Mireille's mindset would still need gradual adjustment before thinking of our world as reality rather than fiction to be dissected, it had not eased the pressure placed on my head.

As with all good things, Mireille's calming and encouraging presence had eventually taken the longest fall and the hardest hit. She had behaved so graciously about my reluctance to talk over the books, but then the simplest of comments flipped the switch of my anger.

The most understanding presence in my life aside from Carlisle, and I had roasted her alive for being humorous.

Jasper had the good sense not to remark upon my treatment of Mireille – at least not at first – and regrouping with my empathic brother had made everything smoother for a short time.

Until Alice had returned to us at her fastest pace – not merely running, but _sprinting_ – with that horrified expression and choking thoughts she could hardly control. Jasper had released my shoulder with absolute fear in his heart, instantaneously appearing at his wife's side to clasp her against him. Unnatural calm had flooded us all until Alice could coherently speak, but by that time I had gleaned all I needed to know.

Mireille's beaten, broken body haunted me still, the vision Alice had been unable to suppress still so clear and graphic I felt physically ill, nearly gagging on shame as I remembered that moment.

" _Edward, no!" Alice shouted desperately after me, a sob stunting my sister's speech as she slipped back against Jasper's chest, crying without tears._

_What had I done? If anything happened to Mireille…_

_I ran as though the Earth planned to swallow me whole should I stop. I ran without fear of discovery, without fear of anything that might do me harm or damage. The breeze supported my swift, nearly weightless tread more than the ground ever could. I simply had to get there. I had to save Mireille._

_Her thoughts slammed into my brain before anything else could, the only thing I was capable of latching onto in my state of panic as I ran the last several miles. Pain overwhelmed her with every strike, with every blow._

_All else faded to a blur for me, even the thoughts of the despicable animals who hurt Mireille so deeply._

_In that limited field of cognition, I was left to choke and nearly stumble as I recognized the train of thought from her desperate mind with horrifying clarity._

_Mireille compared herself to Rosalie._

_Rosalie, who had lain in the street battered, abused, broken, and left for dead._

_But I couldn't process the comparison; it made no sense to my mind._

_Because surely…_ **_surely_ ** _… Mireille wasn't going to die. She simply couldn't._

_My incomprehensible thoughts were shattered by a broken scream of such bloodcurdling intensity that I gasped in shock as I finally reached the deep clearing Mireille's captors dragged her to. Her scream ripped through me like a blade of its own making and I lived through the burning, unimaginable pain with Mireille as she endured the blade's fire, fighting for breath as I shared her helplessness._

_Inhaling with sudden purpose, unable to recall when exactly I had stopped, the scent that assaulted my nose created immediate desire. I snarled loudly at my monstrous nature exposing itself to the bittersweet aroma of Mireille's contradictorily tart and honeyed blood._

_It had been too long since I hunted and with such a spike of emotion, my thirst became wild. Clutching the branches of the tree I had landed in, I forced myself back with impossible decision._

_I couldn't help her. Not now._

_Dear God,_ **_why_ ** _couldn't I help her now?_

_Nearly consumed by a fit of emotion, I practically suffocated on the despair filling my chest, until Mireille's mind startled me into new focus upon the sudden silence._

_As the seniors finally ran from their prey, brief thoughts of the animal in the trees filling their heads, I realized I had inadvertently done what I thought I couldn't._

_Growling at my own ineffectiveness had frightened the attackers away._

_It wasn't nearly enough._

_Mireille lay in utter ruin, begging the universe to send help to her ravaged being and yet half hoping, in the very darkest parts of herself, to just die and be at peace. I didn't think she even realized the darker part of herself, that most desperate part wishing only for the pain to stop._

_Finally allowing myself the desolation I had half repressed, I felt the same sobbing grief of my sister capture me in its claws. Every short breath brought another wave of Mireille's rich, piquant blood and I hated myself ten times worse for this continuing incapability. I was frozen; caught between my own deadly nature and the helpless, broken girl I had pushed to her own destruction._

_For the first time in a century, I found myself asking something of the almighty. Praying to God, even when I didn't believe he could want a creature such as me._

" _Please… don't let her die."_

_Had I not been so incredibly absorbed in misery, I might sooner have noticed the familiar thoughts coming closer to the clearing._

_Carlisle's mind fared little better than mine as he lamented the girl whose fragrant blood he could smell so strongly and whose labored breaths he could hear so clearly, but couldn't claim until weaker human senses had seemed to find clues in the landscape._

_Yet he was here. He could save her. I held onto that slender thread of hope like a lifeline._

_When my father finally glimpsed her torn body lying there, so small and fragile, his heart broke so thoroughly I thought he would collapse where he stood._

" _Mireille!" he called in deep distress, demanding his body to function as he needed it to and not to give out with sorrow._

_As he assessed the grievous injuries with the speed of a vampire mind, Carlisle feared the very thing I prayed not to happen. The wounds were terrible and severe, internal bleeding highly probable and a heavy concussion more than likely, to say nothing of broken bones, torn muscles, and fragmented tissue. I cried within myself at the thought that Mireille might still fail to survive this dreadful night._

_Compared to our heavy heartache, Mireille felt gratitude and joy at Carlisle's tender presence. Combined with Carlisle's distraction, his complete focus on Mireille's comfort and wellbeing, it all left me in no doubt as to one thing._

_Truly, Mireille had already become Carlisle's daughter in spirit and at heart._

_When Charlie Swan attended the scene seconds later, I angrily agreed with his internal and external cursing. Save one unfortunate occasion in Eclipse, Charlie had impressed me in the books and his fury over Mireille's gruesome experience made me admire his moral direction all the more._

_Mireille's pain as the medics lifted her onto a stretcher nearly took my breath away for the hundredth time._

_She didn't deserve any of this. It was all my fault._

_A single moment of chance allowed Carlisle to realize my presence as Charlie suggested calling home. Lucidity returning more blatantly to his senses, my father offered a firm and understanding thought._

' ** _I refuse to let her die. Even if I have to—'_**

_Cutting his words short, Carlisle stopped his morbid thoughts from running away with him. But I knew what he tried to suppress._

_Treaty or no treaty, we were not going to lose Mireille._

' ** _Go home, Edward.'_**

_I couldn't leave until the ambulance roared away, Carlisle and Mireille's beloved minds both drifting further and further away until there was only cold silence to fuel my self hatred._

Resurfacing from hellish memory only to return to the same line of dark thoughts, Alice still clutching my arm with fierce strength, I recalled how impossible Carlisle's command had felt. It was the hardest decision I had faced since my newborn days, but with a heavy heart and an even heavier conscience, I had returned to a house full of heated arguments and Esme's tearless sobbing.

Now, with Mireille reliving her own personal hell so blatantly and facing one of the very people who had nearly killed her, it was no small wonder I so reluctantly returned to a keen focus on Mireille's mind.

By now, however, Rosalie and Jasper had taken care of Mireille with remarkable dignity, not to mention the human sophomores' courageous interventions, leaving Vanessa to slink away wordlessly. It took a significant effort not to snarl audibly at the vicious creature's easy escape from what she had done to Mireille in November.

"Edward?" Alice murmured in deep concern, squeezing my upper arm in question.

"I…" I tried to speak, forcibly tuning out Mireille's shadowed ruminations in the process. I tried to explain something of how I felt, but the anguish still beat against my ribcage like a drum. "I don't know if I can…"

The thought of returning to classes with such a burden weighing on my mind, even for two brief hours, seemed absolutely unmanageable.

"You… you really have to," Alice told me gently, sadly. "It won't work well if you leave… And… well, it leaves Mireille in a difficult place."

"What do you mean?" I asked immediately. Mireille needed no more difficulty; particularly if I could help prevent it in any way.

"Angela is fairly certain Vanessa was somehow involved with Mireille's attack," Alice offered with startling calm. "She doesn't know for sure if Vanessa actively participated, but she strongly suspects – something she will make clear to Mireille in English. Mireille will lie to her, of course…"

"And she'll do it very well," I added knowingly of our human counterpart. Poor Mireille needed no stumbling blocks to her human connections. If ever she needed someone when we could not be there, her human friends would have to be her support. Lying blatantly to Angela about Vanessa's full involvement was necessary for our secrets to remain safe, but it would create a subtle rift so early in the friendship.

Taking a deep, unsteady breath, I turned back to my sister with serious eyes. "This will only happen if I miss class, won't it?"

Merely nodding her confirmation, Alice began to stand. She knew me too well.

Rising as though weights had been placed on my shoulders, I sighed and nodded once in return. Of course I wouldn't make Mireille live with that kind of lie. Heavy-hearted and dark in my thoughts, I returned to class.

Gym passed in an excruciating drudgery of basketball practice. With my dark presence nearby, my nervous class partner could hardly shoot straight, let alone speak, and I silently thanked my good fortune for the reprieve from personal interaction.

The bell rang for the end of fifth period as normal, but in my mind it seemed more a tolling reminder of my own execution. With a reluctant step and an even more reluctant mind, I left the gym and allowed my mind to expand and encompass more than my own buzzing mindset. Tuning to Angela's mind first, I accepted Alice's earlier description; the kind girl suspected Vanessa's involvement in the November attack with deep upset for Mireille. Also as Alice predicted, the topic in Mireille's complex mind revolved around the impossibility of facing either my darkness or her own necessary lies.

The very idea she worried so much about my experience with her thoughts and the night of her attack readily settled my desires. I would no more withhold escape from Mireille than I would withhold oxygen from her lungs.

Tense and unexpectedly nervous as I sat down in Mrs. McCall's classroom, I wondered how on Earth to face Mireille after what we both knew I had seen in her mind. Despite the strength of her conviction to protect herself in spite of Vanessa, the fear and anguish from that night and its painful recovery would not leave Mireille so easily.

Clenching my fists beneath the tabletop over this atrocity, I forced myself to breathe normally before the girl in question joined me at the back of the room.

Mireille hardly knew what to say as she sat next to me, but her intrinsic concern touched me deeply. With the ring of the final bell, and the intermittent glances from Angela, there was no real chance for discussion between Mireille and I. Still her thoughts centered on my deep melancholy and the silence stretching eons between us. Throughout the hour-long class, her warm hand laid atop my clenched right fist during the last fifteen minutes of the day stood as the only interaction between us.

Perhaps it was for the better.

For a brief stretch of time, I considered at least checking on my siblings' minds, but five seconds in Rosalie's wrathful blonde head convinced me otherwise. Clearly, I wasn't the only one who needed to cool down.

Shrill ringing finally interrupted my understanding as the bell called English – and the school day – to an end. Mireille appeared similarly relieved by the escape, swiftly packing up her things to escape more questioning from Angela, who certainly seemed ready to jump head first into an interrogation.

By some miracle, my fists had loosened under Mireille's gentle grasp; at least enough to help her into her coat. Matching the fast-paced movements of my human companion, I pulled on my own coat and gladly led the way out into the hall, heading straight for the Acura without stopping to wait for my siblings. I just needed to leave. And I suspected Mireille did as well, even if her thoughts gave no indication as such.

Silence reigned again when we settled into the new vehicle. Sensing my ongoing dilemma with the same ease she typically did, Mireille turned the ignition wordlessly and drove us out of the parking lot.

Another miracle graced us when I found the will to speak halfway to the house.

"Mireille," I prompted the brunette with mingled exhaustion and resignation as her eyes jumped to mine. "There are… troubling thoughts… the rest of us need to release before we burst. It might be helpful for you to stay upstairs for a little while. Will you do that?"

"You're not assembling a war room, are you?" the petite girl questioned dubiously, even concernedly, as her clear blue eyes flashed cautiously between the road and my gaze.

To my astonishment, a bark of laughter escaped me quite without my permission. Mireille had a steady way of bringing out the amusing side of my nature; I still wasn't sure how she did it.

"No, Mireille, I promise you that's not going to happen," I reassured her more gently, although her smile let me know she hadn't been egregiously concerned. "As much as I would love to teach Vanessa something about fear, it's not possible without ruining our chances of staying here."

Sighing deep in her chest, Mireille responded ruefully, "Good news, I suppose. Although I assume that means you've considered it more seriously than I hoped. Doesn't it?"

Stamping out another round of laughter, I shrugged carelessly. "What kind of creature would I be, if I didn't feel a need for poetic vengeance?"

"Oh, I don't know… maybe a normal person?" Mireille smiled more broadly, a wry twist between her brows leaving the pale, peachy skin there a puckered pout.

' ** _Creature_** _is such an unnecessary term_ ,' she thought for my express benefit, eyes scowling slightly in spite of her lingering smile.

Huffing at the suggestion, I shook my head exasperatedly over her persistence. How did this young, sensitive human continually bounce back from the harsh persecution life always offered her? I could no more answer that question than I could touch the sun, but I hoped one day to understand just how a beautiful mind like Mireille's came to be.

True to her word, upon returning home, Mireille offered a welcoming hug to Esme and headed directly upstairs to begin her first day's homework assignments. Not long after, the sound of a last-minute squeal on the Volvo's brakes made me cringe. Emmett wasn't supposed to drive that day, leaving Esme to glance towards the driveway with me.

Not that it took long to find out the reason for the change of drivers. Rosalie burst through the door ahead of Emmett, Jasper, and Alice, all of whom looked worse for wear after recent events.

"I'd love to rip Vanessa Travis' capped teeth straight from their roots," Rosalie growled without preamble, slamming her book on the nearest end table with just enough force to leave a hairline crack in the tabletop. Her thoughts took a far more vicious strain, leaving a grim pleasure in my mind.

"Rose!" Esme scolded in shock at the action and suggestion of her first daughter.

"Something has to be done!" Rosalie snapped at our mother, fury steaming from her lips as she spoke. "That foul little cretin stood there in the middle of the school hallway and nearly _gloated_ about stabbing Mireille that night!"

"We can't do anything to her!" Alice snapped back towards our blonde sister, eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare. "Believe me, I've checked every way known to humans and vampires alike. If we do anything to Vanessa, no matter how small, it causes trouble we don't need. There's too much at stake now!"

Snarling at the same useless words which had ultimately caused her to break a vase two months earlier, Rosalie stalked back and forth across the room like a caged lioness waiting to strike, her perfectly manicured fingernails curling into veritable claws.

"We need to consider more creative protection for Mireille, then," Esme decided, Rosalie's potent anger drawing my mother's concerned eye.

"What _kind_ of protection?" Emmett asked frustratedly, agitatedly throwing his arms up in the air. "One of us is in every class, we share lunch, Ed rides to and from school with her, she's planning to miss sunny days with us, Charlie gave her protective gear, and she's got a growing group of friends to surround her now. Anything else is just overkill."

"Then one of you will simply have to walk with her everywhere inbetween," Esme suggested, shrugging helplessly. "Alice, you already said you would walk Mireille to the bathroom at school."

"This wasn't a normal situation, Esme," Alice sighed, only restraining her annoyance by a tiny margin. "It just _happened_. If we're going to look human, we can't use our immediate senses to physically stop an incident in its tracks. That just starts to look suspicious and you know we can't leave Forks now. We _have_ to stay here for Bella."

"We can't dog Mir's steps everywhere she goes, anyway," Emmett cut in again, restless where he stood with one eye following Rosalie's progress around the room. "That just tells Vanessa Travis she's winning. And we all know Mir would lose it if we followed her every single second, even if it is to keep Vanessa away from her."

"Emmett's right," Jasper shook his head with a heavy sigh. "Stalking Mireille won't solve the problem."

"There's not much else we can do," Alice ended the conversation on a sour note.

From everyone's thoughts, it seemed there was nothing else to be said, but further circular arguing over how much suffocating shielding Mireille could handle. As I considered the tangled balance between Mireille's freedom and her safety, I remembered her decision the night of the Charity Ball. Not a fully formulated plan or idea at the time, the choice made little difference in Alice's visions, but it most definitely made a difference in my estimation of Mireille's capabilities.

Could she really do what she had considered doing? The inspiration was there, certainly, but did Mireille have the foundational drive to keep going with her plan, even when it became difficult?

Avoiding my family's minds as they resumed the same arguments and the same rebuttals with more hardheaded insistence, instead I moved my focus expressly on Mireille as she worked on her class assignments.

Caught in the middle of a complex algebra problem, her serious thoughts entertained an exceptional fluidity for the workings of the mathematical process beneath her pencil. Analytical to a startling degree when her concentration remained true, Mireille made steady headway on the complicated homework problem as though she had never been away from the subject. Uncertain why she even needed tutoring the past few months, I swiftly realized it was really only her confidence that had faltered, but with the right push and the proper setting, Mireille began to flourish in spite of her insecurity.

When I originally spoke with Carlisle of making Mireille feel as though she belonged, I knew instinctively she would need that sense of belonging in order to truly grow as a person. But belonging, in its broadest sense, didn't rest solely with our family. It also resided with the people of Forks and her place in this small town. The only way Mireille would ever find her place within our world was by having the freedom to make her own path.

Jasper and Emmett were correct; stalking wasn't the answer.

"We don't need to dog Mireille's steps," I spoke at last, my quiet words stopping Emmett and Alice in the middle of a useless debate on how to rearrange gym so that Lauren wasn't in Emmett and Mireille's class.

"What do you mean?" Jasper inquired, brow high on his forehead at the gradual decline of my deep emotions into simple calm.

"We can't do anything to Vanessa to reap justice," I stated the first obvious fact, "but that doesn't mean we can't learn more about her. We can lear—"

"Oh, what a splendid idea!" Rosalie cut in before I could continue, eyes rolling to heaven and back as she spun to face me with a glare forged from steel. "Mireille is being tormented by a school despot, so let's go play twenty questions!"

"We can learn how Vanessa operates," I completed the thought with a glare of my own. "Her schedule, her friends and allies, what lunch line she's likely to choose… There are a whole host of details we can learn that might help us determine if Vanessa will strike or how she'll do it. That's a project we all need to start compiling in order to beat Vanessa at this sick game."

"Yes, but how does this help Mireille in the middle of a situation?" Esme queried with a frown.

"This compilation of data could be our key to preventing future situations at all," I explained.

"What if an incident occurs outside the realm of those details?" Alice questioned with a frown.

"We need to find a way to deal with Vanessa in that specific incidence," I continued to lay out the scheme of my plans, "without drawing undue attention to ourselves."

"And what if Mireille is alone like today?" Rosalie queried irritably, gritting her teeth tightly.

"I have plans for that."

"So we need to look at Vanessa's school records," Jasper concluded thoughtfully before Rosalie could speak again.

"And find out who she hangs out with," Emmett added with deep interest.

"Allison Johnson is one of them," I offered, recalling with reluctance the dark-haired girl's ignorance of Vanessa's darker traits. Still, Allison found Vanessa likeable enough to cause problems for us.

"You'll have to watch Vanessa's mind a lot more, Edward," Alice mentioned pensively.

"And those of her friends," Jasper added.

"What about Mireille?" Rosalie pressed irritably again, slapping the tabletop in demand of an immediate answer.

" _I'll_ handle Mireille!" I snapped frustratedly, glaring at Rosalie for a brief moment before moving quickly to the staircase. Over my shoulder I added more quietly, "All of you can deal with the rest."

At natural speed, I appeared in my shared room like the wind. Mireille looked up sharply from her position at the desk, eyebrows jumping high on her forehead.

"Are you finished enough to go out for a little while?" I inquired quietly of her, despite knowing precisely how much work she had completed so far. It was only fair to let her decide her own comfort level.

Tilting her lips with the hint of a frown as she calmed, Mireille nodded tentatively, "Yes, I suppose so. Chemistry and algebra are complete and the rest should be easy. But Edward, why—?"

My expression alone, full of purpose as it was, silenced the impending question and the jumble of thoughts spreading in Mireille's confused mind.

"There's something we need to take care of," was my only response.

Pursing pink lips with a curious tilt of her head, Mireille finally shrugged and left her homework behind on the desktop. Trusting me as she always did, Mireille cocooned her body back into the warm layers she had worn to school and followed me back downstairs, purse in hand. I whisked her out to the Acura and started the car, speeding off towards the main road with a familiar destination in mind.

' _I wonder why we need to see Carlisle_ …' Mireille thought absently as the hospital came into view. A momentary discomfort came over her at the sight of her temporary prison, but accompanied by someone who had not been present at that time, the awkwardness soon faded.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Mireille asked aloud, not bothering to hide her concern.

"I'm perfectly all right," I answered her less obvious question with a small smile.

Exhaling with great exasperation, Mireille shook her head side to side and followed me into the building.

Ignoring a hospital full of thoughts with intense concentration, it was no surprise Andrew Snow caught me off guard as he appeared in the lobby, clearly having changed into a much more casual plaid shirt in preparation for going home.

"Edward, Mireille, what are you doing here?" the doctor inquired in surprise. His thoughts wandered to the few times he had seen a member of our family at the hospital.

For the most part, I couldn't fault him; he had seen precious little of our family since we arrived in August. Esme and I had only visited twice each, both of my mother's social visits plagued by constant texts from Alice, tweaking every action so Esme didn't face any fresh blood. My first visit was a social call for appearance's sake, but the second came into being far more seriously.

On Mireille's third day in Forks, the multiple-vehicle accident on Highway 101 left Carlisle up to his neck in surgeries well until morning the following day. Alice envisioned Dr. Allen taking over a simple surgery for Forks' busy new surgeon; unknowingly, the elderly doctor would have punctured a vein during the procedure. Alice's phone calls went to voicemail and Carlisle almost didn't make the surgery after I came up to warn him.

"We're looking for my dad," I explained shortly to Dr. Snow while the memory played out in my mind, uncertain how to frame our circumstance without it appearing completely out of character for our family.

"We figured calling might interrupt surgery, so we came up instead," Mireille added, her quick mind already recognizing Dr Snow's hesitant train of thought.

"Oh, you could have called today," Dr. Snow chuckled understandingly, any suspicion fading to nothing. I had to hand it to Mireille, she was very convincing when she wanted to be. "Carlisle's not booked for any surgeries."

"Oops," Mireille commented sheepishly, making a funny little face as she shrugged helplessly.

"What am I keeping you here for?" the doctor shook himself, thoughts straying to his wife and daughters waiting for him to come home early for a change.

' _I haven't had dinner with my girls for four months now_ ,' Dr. Snow's unhappy thoughts nearly made me smile. It was nice to know he appreciated his family. Had Mireille heard the notion for herself, she would have sighed with sentimental joy; the very same feeling she expressed whenever faced with Carlisle and Esme's love for each other.

My father's thoughts became clear to me at that moment, absorbed in paperwork while he walked down the hall to his office.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Snow," Mireille offered with a small smile. Further down the hallway, Carlisle abruptly recognized the sound of that young, human voice, worriedly tracking the sound to our position in the lobby.

"And both of you," the thirty-eight-year-old doctor smiled in return and gladly made his way to the parking lot.

"Come on," I sighed and turned to meet Carlisle when he exited the hall.

Serving as reception for the afternoon, Jill Peyton's mental observations turned saccharine at the sight of me and I knew for appearance's sake we would have to inquire after my father's time. "Is Dr. Cullen free?"

"He certainly is," Carlisle's voice interrupted with wry humor. "Is everything all right?"

"Just needed to talk a minute," was all I replied. To his worried thoughts, I shook my head slightly.

' _Not here, then_ ,' Carlisle thought knowingly, but aloud he merely said, "We can talk in my office."

Relieved, I gladly removed myself from Jill's roving eyes and followed an annoyed Mireille, who slipped beneath Carlisle's extended arm without thought. A smile nearly escaped me before I controlled the impulse.

Ensconced in the mostly Spartan space my father favored for his work, I finally let my thoughts be known to Carlisle while he leaned against the edge of the desk.

"There was a run-in at lunch today," I informed Carlisle plainly, leaving Mireille uncomfortably aware of why we left the house.

Carlisle breathed deeply to calm his immediate frustration, reaching down to squeeze Mireille's shoulder comfortingly. "Vanessa?"

"Of course," I confirmed the suggestion with a fierce gaze.

"You're not hurt, are you?" he asked stringently of Mireille, golden eyes pleading with her to be completely honest.

"She never hurt me," Mireille sighed tiredly, sinking into her chair. "I was irritated with Mrs. Benson's class and trying to fit a textbook back in my bag. Needless to say, I didn't pay attention to where I was going. By the time I realized, Rosalie and I were long separated. I almost kept walking, but when I saw Vanessa… I just froze."

The simple phrasing left much to be desired, but I supposed the firestorm of memory and fear we both lived through was enough on its own without having to put it in words.

"I think she enjoyed knowing I was intimidated," Mireille reluctantly admitted.

"Before Vanessa could reach her," I took up the story for Mireille's sake, "some of the sophomores met Mireille in the hall. They defended her, but Vanessa didn't care. She made a subtle remark on Mireille being stabbed in the back."

A sharp inhale marked Carlisle's anger more clearly than I had seen since that night in the woods. "Did she say anything else?"

"Not out loud," Mireille remarked quietly, eyeing me in reluctant curiosity.

Shaking my head, I easily confessed, "I can't say I heard much. I'm sorry. I was… distracted."

Carlisle and Mireille understood my insinuation in vastly different contexts, and I had no time to stop Carlisle's subsequent revelation.

"Your memories of that night are even worse than mine, I imagine," my father considerately allowed for my lapse in knowledge.

With a sudden gasp of comprehension, Mireille turned to stare at my rigid posture in abject disbelief.

"Oh no," Carlisle murmured as he caught the young woman's intensively horrified gaze.

' _You didn't tell her_.'

Carlisle's accusing thought disturbed me far less than Mireille's awful expression and the whirlwind of concerns flying in her mind.

Brow pinched with grim understanding, thoughts unmanageable in her growing sorrow, Mireille barely breathed the words that left her lips.

"You were there."

Eyes closing of their own volition, I could hardly refute the conclusion straight to her stunned face. While the decision to withhold my presence at her attack seemed a considerate move at the time, I now realized how badly it looked and felt for the young woman before me.

"You lied to me," Mireille's tone took on a world of hurt.

Forcing my eyes open to look her straight in the eye, I took one long breath before confessing bluntly, "Yes, I did."

Still shocked and confused, the brunette sat hard against the back of her chair. To her, the very idea that I would lie like this seemed utterly incomprehensible. Carlisle exhaled disappointedly over my choice, but remained silent as our exchange played out.

"Why would you do that?" Mireille eventually asked, staring at my face to divine some kind of sense.

"I didn't want you to feel exposed," I tried to explain, coming up short of reasons she would accept now that the time had come for truth. "And I just didn't want…"

The words stuck at the back of my throat. Senseless excuses would do nothing for the buried hurt in those blue eyes.

"I didn't want to face my guilt, all right?" I finally snapped under the pressure of that crystalline gaze. Mireille didn't even jump at the sudden sharp response. "There was so much blood and I couldn't handle the scent. I needed to hunt, my emotions were out of control, and the smell of your blood overtook everything! I didn't want to see your face drop when your realized how useless I was. I was there! I was _there_ and I couldn't _do_ anything!"

There was the long and short of it, a shameful admission I wished I had never spoken aloud. My inept restraint had cost Mireille dearly; not only had my lack of control pushed her into a situation to be attacked, but in a moment where I could have helped her, I faltered under the weight of my own nature.

"Edward…" Mireille murmured, hurt morphing into the same damned understanding she always felt towards me.

Turning away, I couldn't handle the growing sympathy in her gentle expression.

In a burst of unexpected exasperation, Mireille finally announced in a surprisingly loud voice, "God, you're so _stupid_ sometimes!"

Feeling as inordinately startled as Carlisle looked, I stared for a long moment at the petite young woman sitting across from me.

"Excuse me?" I exclaimed in shock, actually shaking my head like a wet dog.

"You heard me," Mireille demanded, sympathy replaced by annoyance. "The next time you make some big, significant decision, maybe you should just throw it out of the window! I swear, Edward, almost every time you come to some incredible decision about someone in your life, you just make things harder. I don't care if you couldn't handle the smell of my blood! The fact that you stayed by my side, even in your moment of crisis, is infinitely more important!"

Truly it seemed incredible to me, the way her frustration swelled with such remarkable potency. For so small a person, Mireille certainly held her weight in an argument.

"You… genuinely aren't disappointed?" I made sure to clarify that sentiment very pointedly.

"Of course not!" she scoffed, eyes rolling to the heavens and back. "What do you take me for? Haven't I let it be known how much I respect the difficulty of your lifestyle? Honestly, there are times when I think you need to just stop _thinking_ so much."

Laugher bubbled in Carlisle's mind over the entire exchange, and he looked down to hide his smile from Mireille's agitated facade.

Exceedingly irritated by my father's humor, I nevertheless let it rest for the time being. Trust Mireille to thoroughly change my perceptions in the blink of an eye.

Resigned to my foolishness, I stated dryly, "I still have a lot to learn about you, Mireille Holden."

"Whitlock," she countered sharply, but a clouded sense of humor began to develop once more.

"Of course," I murmured acceptingly, allowing Mireille to lead as she stood from her chair.

"I'm sorry we interrupted your work, Carlisle," she informed my amused father with a sigh.

Snorting quietly, Carlisle waved away the apology. "I'm glad you told me about Vanessa. My only question is… what do we do about it?"

"The others have been arguing in circles about more protection versus less," I inserted more rationally. "I suggested compiling details about Vanessa so we can plan ahead of her, even last-minute choices. And Rosalie is so furious at Vanessa that she cracked the end table, so you may need to have words with her, Carlisle."

"Lovely," Carlisle muttered wryly, followed by a heavy sigh. "Well, we already have Mireille accompanied the entire day at school. I'm not sure anything else is truly possible without more conspicuous actions on our part."

"I think I know why Edward brought us here now," Mireille realized in a flash, mind nimble and swift as she turned to me for confirmation with wide, excited eyes.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," I nodded with a smirk; her enthusiasm buoyed my mood immensely.

"What idea have you two cooked up?" Carlisle chuckled at our increasingly good mood.

"Carlisle," Mireille addressed my father seriously, taking a breath for courage before she explained the idea she had imagined two months earlier.

"I want to take self-defense lessons."

Startled, but not unduly so, Carlisle sat back in thought over the idea in totality. His thoughtful expression kept Mireille riveted to her spot, waiting on a response.

Having examined all sides of the issue, no matter how trivial, Carlisle couldn't seem to help smiling as he finally replied, "I think that's the best idea I've heard in weeks."

Within an hour of returning home, I created a list of at least thirty different defense instructors in the region while Mireille ate an early dinner. There was more to consider than simply who was the best instructor to sign Mireille up with. If it became too obvious where Mireille went, her advantage in taking the lessons might become negated by rumors of her new skills. Price was no object, of course, but the curriculum, skill level, and credibility of each establishment stood for a thorough background check.

Carlisle's approval of Mireille's self-defense idea had lifted everyone's mood by a long shot. Rosalie still emoted a molten pit of fury whenever she thought of Vanessa, but the idea that Mireille would learn how to defend herself filled my sister with a small sense of acceptance – a _very_ small sense, but it was something.

While Esme and I took to the task of examining each instructor's history and place of business, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie began physical spot checks to last throughout the night. Jasper suggested as much to ease Rosalie's restless need for action.

Meanwhile, Mireille had changed into a far more comfortable maroon tee, leopard pants, and tan loafers before curling up beside Alice in the living area to see any future occurrences at each location.

"I have to concentrate on both you and the business you decide on," Alice explained to Mireille with a serious air. "With so many up in the air, I won't be able to see too much, but if you make a decision that you'll follow through and enter a single place, I just might be able to see the initial outcome."

Nodding her understanding, Mireille breathed deeply and tried to convince herself she was going to walk into the door of the first place on our list.

Less than a minute later, Alice frowned. "No, that's not working. Try again, Mir."

Again, Mireille tried to convince herself of entering the business, and again Alice impatiently shot her down. "No. Try again."

After several different attempts at bullying her mind into a genuine choice, only to have Alice cut her short for a failed try, Mireille exhaled sharply and tried to calm herself from growing frustration.

Alice shook her head with growing impatience. "Nothing is happening. I don't think you're actually making a decision to go inside any one location."

Expelling a short sigh, Mireille threw her hands up. "If I can't picture where I'm going, how can I decide to go there?"

"You don't have to see a specific bathroom to decide you need one," Alice argued, her reasoning logical but her tone overly vexed under the circumstances. "It's not about seeing yourself in a specific spot. It's about seeing what you plan to do, no matter what spot you're in. Now try _again_."

"This is useless," Mireille retorted in frustration, standing from the sofa in abrupt irritation. While it had seemed such a wonderful idea at first, her thoughts now became resentful of the activity she couldn't seem to succeed at. "Before I can see what I plan to do, I have to know what type of place I'll be in, what kind of equipment I might use, what ways I might posture my body during the lessons… I have to know _what_ I'm doing before I can imagine myself doing it. Period."

"Mir…" Alice tried to intervene more calmly, hurriedly recognizing the effect of her excessive vexation on Mireille's expectation of success, but the girl in question stalked towards the staircase in a foul mood, ignoring Alice's long-suffering call.

' _She's so irritating_ ,' Mireille thought to herself, rapidly backtracking with a warning for me, ' _And don't you tell her that, Edward Cullen!_ '

Under better circumstances, I would have laughed at the mental chastisement.

"Mireille, wait," Alice tried again to no effect. As the brunette disappeared upstairs without a word, my sister released a very long, slow breath and let Mireille go without any further fuss.

My mother, on the other hand, almost immediately decided Mireille needed someone supportive.

Given Mireille's current trend of negative expectations and drudging disappointment, I quickly put a hand on Esme's shoulder to stop her. Sharing my gaze long enough to see the need for patience, Esme sighed tiredly over the whole difficult circumstance Vanessa had put us all into – particularly Mireille.

"She's just frustrated with everything," I offered gently in the quiet of the room, tossing down an ink pen with listless finesse.

"I know," Alice sighed quietly, wearily leaning her head on her palm. "I think that's consistent across the board right now."

' _Poor Mir must be so overwhelmed_ ,' my mother thought sadly, returning to her computer search with a shake of her head.

' _Maybe we shouldn't have tried this_ _,'_ thought Alice. ' _The list is still very full. With so much undetermined, Mir could hardly be expected to pinpoint one choice_.'

"I think it's best left alone," I cautiously agreed. "Let's just wait until everyone is home again."

"That sounds like a wise choice," Esme concurred with the plan. "Perhaps Carlisle can calm Mireille."

"I was hoping for that," I admitted ruefully, bringing a laugh from my mother and sister as we settled in to wait out the others.

* * *


	37. Chapter 35: Incredible - Part II

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** You will find a reference to Ben Stein in this chapter. If you don't already know, he's the ongoing host for 'Clear Eyes' eye drops commercials. Watch one commercial and the reference will make a lot more sense. ;)

In this chapter, there's conversation Edward hears through others' thoughts. It was confusing to keep that text regular font so it **will** **be in bold** here.

Just a reminder, I intend for this chapter to flow right into Mireille's POV in Chapter 36, no rehashing. So we won't expressly see Mir's POV of the events in this chapter or those at the end of Chapter 34. If that feels too problematic, please let me know.

**Previously** – From Edward's point of view… Edward observed Mireille's anxiety throughout school and shared in the memories of her attack. Edward recalled his view of the attack, his attempt to help, his bloodlust overwhelming him, Mireille's thoughts of dying, and Carlisle decision to change Mireille if the need arose. Alice said the day would go badly if Edward missed class. Edward attended class for Mireille's benefit. The Cullens argued about Vanessa and protection while Mireille did homework upstairs. Edward decided on a plan to protect Mireille and took her to see Carlisle. Mireille realized Edward was present the night of the attack and he admitted he was unable to help her. Mireille showed Edward she wasn't disappointed by his difficulty. Mireille decided to learn self-defense and Carlisle agreed. The Cullens investigated defense instructors while Alice and Mireille tried to induce visions and determine the best choice. Mireille became irritated with Alice and walked away. Edward explained Mireille was only frustrated and they decided to hold off their search.

> **Chapter 35: Incredible - Part II**

To our great misfortune, by the time Carlisle finally arrived at home, Mireille had completed the rest of her homework and gone to bed. The amount of agitation still withheld in her stubborn heart worried me more than I cared to admit, but sleep would be an excellent asset for the coming school day, so I didn't stop her.

Esme rushed up to embrace Carlisle warmly as he came through the front door, bringing a chuckle out of him at her energy. In the midst of trading coat and boots for a sweater and loafers, Carlisle inquired quietly, "Is Mireille upstairs?"

"Sleeping," I informed him, letting my concern show on my face.

Frowning as worries flooded his mind, Carlisle simply nodded once and disappeared to the third floor.

A laugh fell unexpectedly from my lips when I understood his purpose in going up. Checking Mireille's general health for his own sanity, Carlisle settled his nerves as he declared her healthy and well. Upon his return downstairs, I couldn't help smirking at his fatherly anxieties coming to the fore.

' _That's enough from you_ _,'_ Carlisle thought for my benefit, a wry expression crossing his features.

"Carlisle, we need to talk more about self-defense," Esme brought up the most recent drama with a sigh. "The way we're going about finding an instructor is only feeding Mireille's anxiety – more than I think she realizes."

"What way is that?" Carlisle queried, confusion gracing his mind and expression. His thoughts were incomplete, leaving me as confused by him as he was by us.

"Trying to find the best one, of course," said Esme in subtle surprise. "We have a list of establishments in the area and we've been researching them ever since Edward and Mireille returned home."

"Oh!" Carlisle exclaimed, laughing in surprise himself as he turned to me. "I misunderstood why you came up, then. I do apologize, Edward."

Gaining a much more lucid view of my father's preconceived ideas that afternoon, I began to chuckle right along with him as Esme questioned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I already called Charlie about the situation," Carlisle continued to chuckle.

"I didn't see that!" Alice fairly well burst, popping up from Jasper's bicep to sit ramrod straight.

"It was a very last minute decision," Carlisle shrugged gently, conscientiously withholding a laugh at Alice's expense.

"What did you find out?" Esme asked him, leaning forward in interest.

"Charlie's deputy, Mark Wright," Carlisle revealed, "has a contact in self-defense training who works in the area."

"So Mireille would train outside Forks," Rosalie deduced with a remarkably thoughtful frown.

"That's a good play to keep Mir's lessons quiet," Emmett commented.

Nodding in agreement with our brother, Jasper thoughtfully decided, "It would be easier for us to watch over an individual training session rather than a full class."

"How do we know he's more trustworthy than any of the places we've researched?" Esme worried.

"Mark's wife, Tracy, took some lessons about three years ago," Carlisle explained for everyone. "He said she felt very secure with the man. No unnecessary physical contact, no vulgar insinuations. Straightforward without being overly cynical…"

Carlisle went on with greater detail as to the nature and character of Mark Wright's contact person, but my mind switched rapidly from my father's memory of his phone call to the suddenly unsettled consciousness of our human resident.

Mireille's dreams took an unhappy turn through the bathroom incident at Homecoming before I decided to intervene. With Carlisle now taking the lead in our research of self-defense instructors, I felt safe to quietly remove myself upstairs.

In an expanse of sea-colored blankets, Mireille appeared as tiny as Alice ever had, with the exception of the full, messy head of hair which pooled around her slumbering features in golden-tinted waves. Curving downward in displeasure, Mireille's brows set the tone for her increasingly unpleasant dreams. The hallway encounter with Vanessa took prominence now and I winced at the tense atmosphere of Mireille's subconscious.

Considering only a moment what would help reinstate the soft, peaceful face I had become used to seeing each night, I moved almost unthinkingly for Mireille's favorite classic.

Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata', smooth and dark as an ironically moonless night, filled the room as the piano rose and fell with tender strokes. At first, the haunting, melancholy tune seemed to change nothing in my roommate's darkening dreamscape.

Yet with the marvelous overtones of the B-section, at last Mireille's mind eased back from nightmarish tendrils of the black forest and into a far more indulgent place under the stars, hair tangled madly by the wind as she lay contentedly in the tall grass. Settling into a desk chair with noiseless movements, I watched the muscles loosening in her forehead, returning to an even surface of soft human skin.

Gazing at Mireille's smooth, gentle features as she finally rested comfortably, her face free of scars only by Carlisle's nimble expertise and sheer miraculous fortune, I felt suddenly as if everything in life meant so much more than it once had… if only this warm human soul could experience life without fear. Even the barest notion that this young woman might be hurt any further by the world caused a wealth a pain in my chest. A powerful surge of protectiveness welled up within me.

Events with Bella Swan, the Quileutes, or the Volturi may have become changed. Our future may have become uncertain. Yet in the wake of that unsteady journey, I swore one thing to myself with ironclad assurance.

No matter what the future held, if anyone – or anything – ever threatened Mireille Whitlock again, nothing would stop me from saving her. No thirst, no fear, no weakness would ever hold me back as it once had.

"Wait," Alice sharply interrupted further commentary downstairs, sitting even straighter in her seat. Startled, I honed in on her thoughts as a new vision burst into being.

We experienced the moving scene together as Carlisle and Charlie both sat chatting on the sidelines of a large training mat, watching a tall man with salt and pepper hair show Mireille how to break a hold. The trainer's face was kind, patient, and calm. Mireille seemed completely at ease and totally focused on her new training, even snorting at her first terrible move before the vision faded away.

Returning to our family with new hope shining in her eyes, Alice ventured her input at precisely the same moment I did.

In synchrony we murmured, "He's the one."

Quietly leaving Mireille to Beethoven and the stars in her dreams, I hurried back downstairs to help find our mystery self-defense instructor.

From a physical perspective, it sounded quite simple to determine the identity of Mireille's future trainer. Compounding that search with a complete lack of any other detail, however, seemed wildly impossible.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, by the time Mireille rose to get ready for her second day of high school, the seven of us had found absolutely nothing to corroborate the apparent trainer from Alice's vision. I had just about decided to stalk the streets of every city in Washington when Alice nearly shrieked at an incoming vision.

"There he is!" my psychic sister clapped her hands giddily, jumping in place with incredible excitement at the sight of Carlisle walking down the street and finally entering a small gym to meet the very same man we had seen earlier. "That was a perfect decision to make, Carlisle!"

"Thank you, Alice," our father laughed lightly at the compliment. Retraining my mind onto Carlisle's to understand what he had decided, I marveled at the ultimate similarity of our thoughts.

"Now I wish I hadn't suppressed the urge earlier," I commented for his benefit, inciting Carlisle to laugh again.

"Stop keeping secrets and tell us what happened," Emmett grumbled. Even Esme and Jasper seemed to agree with him for once.

"Carlisle decided to check different parts of the city and then walk into each place he found," Alice explained enthusiastically before the good doctor could speak. "He found the right man!"

"How did you see him earlier, then?" Rosalie frowned deeply. "Carlisle didn't decide anything until just now."

"I don't know," Alice frowned suddenly as well, freezing mid-bounce and slipping back down onto her heels. "That's odd. Did anyone decide anything else earlier?"

A slew of negative replies left Alice frowning again, but I recalled my vow to protect Mireille and considered the strange coincidence with fresh eyes.

After an awkward moment, I mused pensively, "I think I may have inadvertently caused the first vision… although I'm not entirely certain _how_."

"What decision did you make?" Alice prompted me curiously.

"Nothing to do with finding a trainer," I shrugged, uncomfortably aware of the way I broadly avoided the question. My decision was my own, a private one I had no intention of sharing, but I still felt badly for omitting it from the conversation. "I suspect it was the kind of decision that created a chain reaction somehow. Once I chose one thing, someone else would inevitably choose the next, and so on."

"That's probably it," Alice ended the subject with narrowed eyes directed at my unmoved expression.

We always understood each other's abilities like clockwork. The word 'probably' had only rarely graced our discussions of each other's gift. Yet here it seemed we had failed to understand each other. Soon enough, Alice turned away with a delicate shrug, but the discomfort in her mind quietly remained.

"Whatever happened," she announced all too casually to the rest of our family, "we know who he is now."

"What's his name?" Jasper prompted his wife.

"Daniel Griffin," Alice answered with absolute certainty. "He works at a gym called 'Body Balance.' I think it's in Olympia. One of the neighboring shops looked familiar."

"That's the same contact from Mark Wright!" Carlisle exclaimed, stunned.

"You never did say his name," Esme realized with a slight laugh.

"I was so absorbed in describing his character, I simply forgot," Carlisle laughed as well. "I'll talk to Charlie in the morning. He promised to accompany us for the first lesson."

Once again thoroughly excited, Alice replied brightly, "I saw that, too!"

Laughing together, everyone dispersed to dress for school and work accordingly. Downstairs in the kitchen, Esme started making breakfast for Mireille with a smile on her face.

The young woman herself had awoken quite disgruntled despite the relaxation of sleep, but as she put together her school supplies again and began to head downstairs, guilt settled into her head as I expected it would. Rolling my eyes at her consistency, I slipped on a gray and blue sweater with my jeans and rushed downstairs with a far brighter outlook than I had felt in ages, settling at the piano for a brief moment of performance.

Shortly after I finished one of Chopin's nocturnes, Mireille finally traversed the central staircase wearing a stone gray sweater, dark jeans, black knee-high boots, and a firm bun at the back of her head. As she dropped her purse, coat, and accessories on one of the white sofas in the living area, I allowed a frown to cross my face over the atypically plain outfit.

Mireille never touted the extremely outlandish clothes my sisters often did, but given money with which to liberally choose her wardrobe, she usually favored colorful, eclectic, or charmingly pretty clothing. Of those few times I witnessed Mireille in extremely simple and plain clothing such as she wore this particular morning, necessity rather than desire had generally informed her choice.

Abruptly halting in the middle of a less mutinous Rachmaninoff piece than I previously preferred, I greeted the awkwardly still human in our family. "Good morning, Mireille."

Starting with uncomfortable recognition from her blank stare into the fireplace, the brunette acknowledged me quietly, "Morning, Edward."

I filed away the lack of a positive adjective for a later date and nodded, turning back to the piano with respect for the memory Mireille attempted to suppress. If anyone has asked me, I could easily have told them she would feel terrible in the morning for how she acted last night.

Alice's vision seconds later only confirmed the fact, but the tiny vampire merely smiled and continued changing out purses up in her room.

While Esme took a few minutes to talk with Carlisle before he left for the hospital, Mireille attended her breakfast with resignation to the school day ahead, her thoughts straying to Vanessa one too many times for my liking.

' _I hope I don't see her again_ ,' Mireille sighed mentally. ' _One time was enough to last the rest of the semester_.'

Agreeing with her sentiment, however silently, I continued with Rachmaninoff a tad more furiously than intended. Snapping out of her subdued mindset, Mireille almost winced as she understood the cause of my momentary vexation.

' _I'm sorry, Edward_ ,' she thought for my benefit.

Laughing quietly at the gradual, inevitable return of Mireille's ever-thoughtful persona, I stopped playing and appeared in the seat beside hers, putting elbows on the island counter and setting my eyes on the last few bites of her breakfast. Pausing mid-bite, Mireille hesitated a moment in self-conscious indecision, then shook her head and went on eating as usual.

' _Always watching me mutilate my food_ ,' she thought wryly, mind touching on the previous morning when my familiar habit made her feel more normal.

Smiling wider in response, I shrugged unapologetically. Not eating human food lent a quality of mystery to the activity. Mireille happened to eat rather oddly, as well, which tended to increase my curiosity. Few humans ate the same way.

"I thought we agreed to stop apologizing," I commented nonchalantly, contentedly eyeing the nearly empty plate and glass of milk settled before Mireille. Eating her fill was a good sign; she enjoyed good food too much for it not to be.

"Apologizing for what?" my companion wondered innocently, but her thoughts gave her away immediately.

"You for thinking and I for hearing it," I explained all the same, recalling the agreement made on Mireille's second day in Forks, and our disastrous shopping trip in L.A. in which I had carelessly ignored that agreement.

Repressing a laugh with much difficulty, I remembered the last thing Mireille said before stalking into the bookshelves.

_Every single word I speak isn't tailored especially towards pissing you off!_

All things considered, it had been a bold move for her to make. Her ensuing thoughts, like her livid retorts, were actually quite hilarious when I looked back on them. I could now see the humor of the argument, as well as my stupidity in taking my frustrations out on Mireille. She only wanted the best for me, for my future, and I refused to accept her insightful encouragement based on foolish negativity. Reluctantly, I admitted my melodrama to be more realistic than I ever expected.

"Yes, well, we both seem to have forgotten at various points," Mireille eventually alluded with subtle grace, pushing away her empty plate.

A laugh flew from my lips in response. Hand it to Mireille to make things sound so much less catastrophic in retrospect.

"Time to go or we'll be late," Alice's chipper voice intruded on the conversation earlier than I'd hoped, but at least she had warned me several seconds earlier.

Regret clouded Mireille's slight uplift in mood, the young woman sighing quietly and standing to face Alice uneasily.

"Alice?"

"Yes, Mireille?" my sister voiced with uncharacteristic formality, practically standing at attention before the girl in question.

"I'm… sorry," Mireille tentatively iterated, hands twisting as they sometimes did under pressure, "um, for last night. I was just… stressed. I mean, I'm not saying it's okay because of that. I just want you to know I didn't mean to be so rude."

Relaxing her stance, Alice gave up on stiffness and waved off the apology. "Don't worry about it, Mir. I was rude myself. Pressuring you so impatiently didn't help anything. I suspect I was _very_ irritating last night."

Biting her lip to withhold instinctive laughter, Mireille offered Alice a guilty expression of agreement. When I revisited her brief parting shot the previous evening, I didn't even bother to hide my amusement. Alice burst into laughter, citing Mireille to start giggling along with her. Their pleasant, forgiving thoughts put me at further ease.

"If it makes you feel any better…" Alice began with reasonable calm, but her enthusiasm rapidly cut through it, "We found you an instructor!"

"What! You didn't!" Mireille yelped excitably, eyes widening to crystal pools of blue. She and Alice both gleefully bounced where they stood and I let my eyes roll towards the ceiling as I stepped away at last. Women would be women, I supposed.

"His name is Daniel Griffin and he works in Olympia," Alice offered happily. "I already saw part of your first lesson. He looks very patient and even-tempered from what I saw in both of my visions."

"That's just what I need," Mireille exhaled with relief. "What else do you know about him?"

"We'll talk later," my sister promised, checking the time with concern. "We need to leave for school right now or we really _will_ be late."

With Mireille in such good spirits, I felt very positive that classes would pass by with surprising simplicity. Mr. Varner assigned homework up to the gills, clearly prepared to make up for the students' enjoyable break, but even that seemed less nerve-wracking for Mireille. Following her thoughts as I was, I couldn't help the sense of satisfaction Mireille's newfound joy brought me.

Retaining a sharp lock on Mireille's mind became my main focus as second period began. Giving her privacy in the locker room, I kept tabs through Emmett until the young woman reentered the gym looking astoundingly peaceful. Lauren continued to give snotty looks, but Mireille paid the other girl no mind and enjoyed learning more about basketball with Emmett. When Emmett toned down his practical jokes, he was a remarkably good teacher. Perhaps a remnant of his human days with so many younger siblings, I considered.

Upon realizing Coach Clapp intended to switch up partners for the next activity, I joined Emmett and Mireille in their concern. Luckily, however, Lauren Mallory and her friends were not paired with Mireille. A narrower focus on the coach revealed his direct intention was to keep them apart.

For that I was grateful, truly.

However, while Mireille's new partner was no bully… Mike Newton was certainly not my first pick for Mireille to spend time with. I knew it was ridiculous to expect Mireille might avoid one of our classmates like that. Yet he seemed _very_ interested in the girl who stood up to Vanessa the previous day.

Eyes narrowing substantially, I listened very closely to the conversation as they partnered up in the gymnasium. Mike's mind paid all too close attention to Mireille. His focus became nearly claustrophobic as he noticed every fine detail of that diamond-shaped face – so distinctive for the soft yet defined cheekbones and framed by deep golden-brown tresses.

Rounded almond eyes turned up slightly at the outer corners, the bold, crystal blue iris riveting in its brightness and intensity. The upturned shape of the nose balanced itself with a smooth bridge and gently rounded tip. A full lower lip matched surprisingly well with the slightly thinner, soft-pointed upper.

Newton's thoughts thankfully faded from detailed observation, but the blond-haired sophomore retained a definite appreciation for his pretty new classmate.

**"** **Hi, I'm Mike Newton,"** the boy greeted Mireille with a confident smile. I barely restrained a roll of the eyes at his obtuseness. Obviously she knew his name; Coach Clapp had just called it when he paired them together.

**"** **Nice to meet you, Mike,"** Mireille responded with her usual willingness to give most everyone a chance. **"I'm Mireille Whitlock, which I'm sure you've heard by now."**

**"** **Yeah, you're really…"** Newton fished for the least insulting words, but eventually finished pathetically, **"uh… well-known."**

**"** **I have no doubt,"** Mireille dryly remarked, leaving me in a fit of barely-repressed laughter as her thoughts took a turn for the sarcastic and her brow rose.

Coach Clapp called for the students to get practicing, leading to an abrupt halt in conversation as Mireille and her new teammate squared off.

Silent minutes of practice passed until Newton worked up the gall to ask, **"So, is it true Dr. Cullen's your uncle?"**

Not especially startled by the thoughtless query, Mireille nevertheless answered imperatively, **"Yes, of course it's true."**

Thrown by the strength of her reply, Newton decided he had wandered into the wrong territory and thankfully let it go.

Not ten minutes later, the boy dared to ask another impossible question.

**"** **Not including the crazy things that have happened,"** Newton shrugged a bit awkwardly, **"how do you like Forks so far?"**

**"** **It's growing on me, I think,"** Mireille replied noncommittally. **"It takes time to adjust after…"**

As the words trailed off uneasily, her thoughts focused on the total change in reality. Yet her phrasing lent to the aura of a grieving daughter, sufficiently drawing Newton's sympathy with consideration of Mireille's recent loss.

**"** **I'm sorry about your dad,"** Newton had the decency to say, growing quieter in the wake of his sentiment.

**"** **Thank you,"** Mireille replied softly, turning away before her emotions betrayed her. Amusement might not have shown well after such a tender topic.

**"** **Oh, hey, I'm sorry!"** the boy was suddenly terrified he had misspoken, stepping forward with great hesitance. He lifted one hand as if to touch Mireille's shoulder, then thought better of it. Lucky for him; I could barely restrain a growl at the unbidden gesture from a complete stranger. **"I shouldn't have brought it up."**

**"** **No, it's okay,"** said Mireille, forcing away an even stronger bought of humor for Newton's reaction. **"I'm fine now."**

Finally returned to a normal state, Mireille insisted upon returning to practice, leaving the conversation at a stalemate until the end of class.

Spanish brought another admirer to the table, one whom Jasper apparently already suspected the previous school day. My brother's annoyance with Tyler Crowley amused me and encouraged my own suspicion at the same time. To my frustration, Tyler mentally noticed Mireille's looks with the same irritating frequency and detail as Mike Newton. The only thing more annoying about Crowley's observations was the fact that Tyler had already noticed such details the day before.

Ben Cheney behaved with respectful manners, at least, not paying so much attention to Mireille's looks as her reading preferences.

**"** **Oh, I liked that one a lot,"** Mireille remarked with substantial energy as she glimpsed the front cover of the book Ben held.

**"** **You like comics?"** Ben queried in pleasant surprise, lowering the comic book to talk with the girl ahead of him. Jasper seemed mightily amused by the conversation as they waited for the last bell to ring.

**"** **I** ** _love_** **comics,"** Mireille enthused gleefully. **"Especially Batman. He's one of my favorites."**

**"** **He's one of my favorites, too,"** Ben agreed joyfully, thoroughly excited to find a kindred spirit. **"What other–"**

If not for Señora Goff's entrance, Ben would have happily continued talking about comic books with Mireille, and she with him. Class prevailed, however, and Mireille turned to work with Jasper on the scripted conversations in the textbook while Ben turned to work with Tyler. At the end of the period, Mireille escaped Crowley by a hairsbreadth as she followed Jasper out of the room. Ensconced with Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice in the hall, Mireille became very much off limits to the boy.

Chemistry passed without incident, much to everyone's satisfaction. Rosalie and Emmett walked Mireille straight to the lunch room without any trouble. Vanessa caught sight of their backs in the hallway, but by some miracle she decided it wasn't worth messing with my angry sibling. Snickering at the bullying girl's humiliated memory of Rosalie's wrathful, beautiful features the previous day, I silently thanked my sister for her bold vindictiveness.

Alice and Jasper stared in curious confusion at my amused face, but I waved them off wordlessly. Some things were better left unspoken.

Mireille's startled reaction caught me off guard within seconds of my humorous reasoning. I feared Vanessa had changed her mind, until I saw Angela approaching the brunette, mentally considering what she might say to Mireille. Smiling at the girl's generous spirit, I relaxed and allowed myself to wander back to a hovering presence in Mireille's mind, simply using my prodigious hearing to listen to the conversation across the cafeteria.

"Hi, Mireille, Rosalie, Emmett," Angela greeted the brunette and my two waiting siblings with a smile. "I know you're eating lunch with your family, Mireille, but do you have just a second?"

"Sure, what's going on?" Mireille answered confidently, happiness emboldening her attitude. I thanked higher powers for that merciful improvement and hoped it would remain that way.

"Well, Katie and I both mentioned our sleepover to you," Angela started, regret overflowing in her mind, "When we talked about it on the phone last night, we both felt bad for not asking you."

"You don't have to feel bad," Mireille waved the girl off. "I haven't been here very long and we're all still getting to know each other. Besides, Jessica and I haven't actually met yet. Sleepovers are for close friends."

Mireille made it easy for her friend to absolve herself of undue guilt, and for the most part it worked. What Mireille didn't realize, however, was that Angela – and Katie, if Angela's thoughts were correct – genuinely liked her. They wanted to get to know each other and _become_ close friends.

Back in October, when Alice told Mireille she could mingle where we couldn't, it hadn't been a ploy to make her feel better. Being human, Mireille would never be able to put people off the way we could. In addition, her natural state welcomed people in rather than drove them away. I supposed charisma could feel like quite a pain to the reserved person Mireille sometimes was, but I welcomed her acquisition of true friends outside the safety net of our family.

"I think a sleepover is actually a great way to get to know each other," Angela spoke now. "Anyway, Katie's asking Jessica right now. Oh, there they are!"

Angela waved the two girls over with a grin. I groaned quietly at Jessica Stanley's irritating mind as it came closer. Mireille's looks once again became a foremost thought as the black-haired girl looked her up and down with absolutely no subtlety. Reaching the unhappy conclusion Mireille might actually be of interest to Mike Newton, Jessica felt far less inclined to welcome the newcomer to her circle of friends, but with Angela involved, even Jessica felt inclined to be a little nice.

"Hey, Jess," Angela greeted the curly-haired girl. "This is Mireille."

"Or just Ray," Katie added helpfully, thinking that a nickname lent a friendlier air to the new acquaintance in their midst.

"Interesting nickname," Jessica commented less than truthfully.

"I blame Ben for that one," Mireille half-laughed as she recalled the addition of another nickname to her list, smoothly ignoring Jessica's obvious judgment. "I know it's not exactly a normal nickname, but I'm starting to like it. Plus it's easier and quicker for people to say."

"I guess that's true," Jessica responded with reluctant agreement, hating that Mireille seemed so likeable.

"So, we've all met," Angela spoke again, hopeful they could all hang out. "How about we get to know each other better at the sleepover?"

"No problem with me," Jessica shrugged. Her agreement revolved around further sizing up her new competition for Newton's affections, but Jessica nonetheless genuinely agreed without issue and didn't have any plans to antagonize Mireille, thank God.

"I'm not sure," Mireille hesitated, mind dwelling on several awkward issues of the situation.

' _Doesn't it seem strange not to invite Alice along with me?_ ' Mireille worried to herself. ' _We're supposed to be the same age, after all. Even worse, the Cullens won't be getting involved like this. How can I do it, if I'm supposedly a part of their family?_ '

"It could be a lot of fun, Ray…" Katie wheedled the brunette.

Biting her lip thoughtfully and concernedly, Mireille tried to think of another way out, but found it difficult. "Well, when is it, first of all?"

"This Friday at seven," Angela offered instantly. "It's at my house."

"Are your brothers going to keep running in on us again?" Jessica nearly whined to the honey-haired girl.

"Josh and Isaac are staying overnight for Jeremy's birthday," Angela answered easily, but slightly bothered by the insinuation her brothers were a problem. "They'll be gone by the time you get there."

Relieved by the absence of the two rambunctious boys, Jessica relaxed again.

"So, Ray, what do you think?" Katie pressed again.

"Hey, this is what we talked about, right?" Angela put in with a small grin. "You have to come and pick up the muffin tin you let us take home at your birthday party. So you owe me a visit anyway."

"I'll have to ask Carlisle and Esme," Mireille offered at last, dry humor gracing her voice as she recognized her own inefficiency at dissuading the girls from their wishes. She had argued successfully with Angela at her party and now Angela brought that argument right back to her.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Angela tacked on with sudden remembrance, "My parents said they'll buy pizza and that they'd pick you guys up if you need it."

Clearly, Angela already expected the answer would be yes. I would have laughed out loud if I could.

"Carlisle or Esme would want to drop me off themselves, I think," Mireille shrugged resignedly, Vanessa running through her mind. Until self-defense became truly viable and useful, Mireille would undoubtedly need to be escorted, but at least it was only a temporary fix.

"Okay, then I'll give you my phone number," Angela announced, pulling a piece of paper and a pen from the small purse she carried. "You can call me when you have your answer."

Handing over the paper, Angela smiled at Mireille's wry expression.

"And please, please, help us think of better movies to watch," Jessica complained with a sigh. "We've watched _The Wild Thornberrys_ and _Lilo & Stitch_ way, _way_ too many times."

"I love _Lilo & Stitch_," Angela countered quietly.

"That's great," Jessica remarked with a put-upon smile. "I just need a break from it, okay?"

Hoping to avoid a conflict, Mireille intervened pleasantly, "I'll make a list and we can talk about it over the phone."

"Great!" Katie agreed, "but you'll need our numbers, too, so we can all talk. Here, I can add it next to Angela's."

Katie and Jessica both wrote their phone numbers in tiny print above and below Angela's slightly larger note, leaving Mireille to sigh internally at the unprecedented involvement in school and Forks.

"Okay, let us know," Angela told Mireille knowingly.

"I will," Mireille responded helplessly, almost amused by her hapless friendship as they all separated to pick up their lunches.

Finally sitting at our table with pepperoni pizza and bottled tea in hand, Mireille eyed my face and Alice's with a sense of doubt. Our lingering amusement certainly didn't help her out.

"There isn't one, single thing I can do about this," she assumed lowly, pursing her lips in mild discomfort. "Is there?"

"Not really," Alice announced cheerily, smiling widely despite not showing her teeth.

"Can you stop being so ungodly cheerful about it?" Mireille asked with a huff of frustration, still keeping her voice quiet.

"There's no reason to be so depressed about it, Mireille," Alice clucked at the brunette, rolling her eyes broadly.

Sensing the tension would increase exponentially before this debate ended, Jasper and I took deep breaths and prepared to weather the storm. Not one of us felt like intervening in an argument between Alice and Mireille, but for Jasper and me, it took twice as much effort to avoid interception. Hearing and feeling what Emmett and Rosalie could not, we held a much testier view of when real trouble began to manifest.

"I told you before homecoming, Alice," Mireille ground out the words, "getting involved is _not_ a good idea."

"And _I_ told _you_ that it's going to work out," Alice returned, quickly becoming snappish at the slight affront on her ability. "Stop being so paranoid, will you?"

"Paranoid?" Mireille snapped back in disbelief, food left untouched while she argued. "If the incident in November doesn't tell you anything, then please at least consider what happened at the dance before that!"

"What happened at the dance was – just like November – Vanessa and Greg's fault," Alice countered swiftly, growing irritated once again at the constant battle over future events. "That was on them. _They_ took the lead."

"It doesn't mean no one else will notice there's a difference between me and you!" Mireille half barked at last, teeth clenched as she smacked the tabletop similarly to how Rosalie had the previous afternoon, but within the context of her more fragile human capabilities.

Regardless, Jasper had enough of the war and immediately flooded the six of us with a wave of calm. Gauging the thoughts of those nearest our spot in the cafeteria, I couldn't help but concur. Uneasiness began infecting the minds closest to the quiet argument.

"Anymore arguing and people will become suspicious," I threw in, pushing Mireille's lunch tray back towards her. I wondered if she even knew she'd knocked it away in her annoyance.

Both women sat back, still fuming, but unwilling to threaten our image any more than had already occurred since our arrival. With a markedly reduced appetite, Mireille reluctantly ate her lunch, but she didn't enjoy it at all.

Throughout history and English, Mireille and Alice both gradually lost their agitation, but the contradiction between Mireille's choices and ours continued to be a sticking point in the brunette's mind. We had little idea how to assuage the concern with her, which led to inevitably quiet relations on the way out to the car and on the drive home.

While Mireille dropped her things upstairs and took off her boots, each of my siblings talked over each other to inform a waiting Esme of Mireille's situation. Knowing how much Mireille preferred to handle her own business, I refrained, but with our efforts having failed to ease the young woman's mind, I _did_ agree with Esme's involvement – just on Mireille's terms.

"Wait, wait!" Esme halted every voice with a stern command, quite different from her usual warm, motherly presence. Given enough extreme emotion or confusion, my mother could be intensely serious and demanding; I had always secretly believed that hidden quality to be her second greatest agent in being a mother figure to five impossibly stubborn, self-sufficient vampires. The first agent being her loving heart, of course.

"Now," Esme breathed deeply, returning to patience as quickly as she had lost it, "the only thing I heard in that chaos was something about a sleepover. I may have heard Mireille and Angela thrown into the mix somehow. What did I miss, Edward?"

Not bothering to withhold my smile, I explained simply, "Angela, Katie, and Jessica invited Mireille to a sleepover on Friday. Mireille is conflicted."

"And why is she conflicted?" Esme continued to ask pertinent questions.

"She's concerned because she's the only one," Alice explained more calmly, although her answer didn't quite match with Mireille's true reasons.

"Actually, she's concerned because she thinks becoming involved could significantly increase our chances of exposure," Rosalie's analysis hit dead center with Mireille's worried thoughts.

"She knows better than that!" Alice retorted with an eyeroll.

"Does she?" Rosalie came back firmly. "We already had to rearrange some of her room so no one would realize Edward doesn't technically have a room of his own."

"It was easy to take care of," Alice brushed aside the reasoning as invalid.

"Will it still be easy when Mireille's friends want to visit more often than once a year?" my blonde sister put forth the million-dollar question. "How many times can they visit before something doesn't _quite_ get put away? What if someone becomes nosy and decides they want to look in another room? We can't hide everything, every time, everywhere. Eventually something will be revealed."

"Connecting further brings the residents of Forks closer," Jasper added grimly. "Even Bella, distant as she was in the books, had a hard time keeping her human friends away. We really should have thought of this sooner."

"But Mir's already made some of those friends," Emmett commented uncomfortably. "If she doesn't keep bonding with everyone, that'll turn out just as bad, won't it?"

For once Alice stood speechless, even her visions giving no answers to the catch twenty-two presented. We had encouraged and bolstered Mireille so much in regards to making friends because we wanted her to be happy. Yet we only rarely considered the growing difficulty of keeping our distance while Mireille drew closer.

Rationally, I knew protecting our family's secrets was of utmost importance. In my heart, however, I also knew Mireille needed to be happy. We would never let Mireille suffer for our protection, but the balance had become rather precarious.

Sighing heavily, Esme slumped ever-so-slightly where she stood. "I don't know, Emmett. What I do know is that Mireille can't keep herself isolated as we do. She's not a vampire with the natural ability to keep people away. Without that, I can't imagine what she could do to retain some sense of distance from other people. I'm not even sure I want her to. We still have no idea how her future will unfold and if she leaves one day…"

Esme found it singularly difficult to think of our days and nights without Mireille in them. Judging the rest of my family's thoughts, no one disagreed. Certainly we had considered our human friend would find her own path some day, but at the same time she had become so much a part of us in the short time we had known her.

Shaking myself from the depressing line of thought, I moved the conversation forward with abrupt dismissal, "One way or another, we have to have a convincing argument when Mireille discusses this with you and Carlisle."

"I agree," Esme nodded at me in understanding, even as her thoughts traveled down the same depressing path as mine, mere seconds before. "Let's just move on with our evening for now and wait until Carlisle comes home. If anyone knows how to ingratiate themselves in the population without becoming too close, it's Carlisle."

The sensible suggestion still left each of us at discomfiting loose ends for a few hours. Completing the assignments for our schoolwork was an experiment in speed and accuracy, but no actual brainwork. Carlisle returned home that night to definite appreciation while Esme fixed dinner for Mireille.

"What has happened _now_?" Carlisle begged the question incredulously as he viewed the hint of desolation in each of his children's posture and expression where we sat in the living area.

Despite our difficult quandary over Mireille, everyone burst into some form of humorous noise over the unexpected remark.

"At least you can still laugh," our father sighed wearily and let his bag thud to the ground. "What's happened? And this time, I would prefer an answer, please."

"You're not the kind of dad who sits back and lets Mom handle things, are you?" Mireille's voice traveled to our ears from the staircase where she stood leaning on the railing, expression sardonic.

Unimpressed, Carlisle offered his supposed niece a pair of raised brows and crossed arms. Heaving a compliant sigh, Mireille completed her trek down to the main floor and came to stand in front of her 'uncle.'

Giving the human girl a distinctly long-suffering look, Carlisle eventually asserted, "My intuition tells me this revolves around another crisis at school, so I imagine you can explain it to me?"

Phrased as a question, the words nonetheless prompted a sure answer.

"There's a sleepover on Friday, starting at seven o'clock," Mireille replied, straight to the point. "Angela and Katie invited me. Jessica will be there. We'll watch movies and more than likely gossip about our classmates. And I will prove the difference between my erstwhile relatives and myself, which leads to suspicion you don't need. Which means I shouldn't go. Yet Alice insists I should go."

A pause filled the room as Carlisle digested the bulleted list of details and Mireille's static, near-monotone presentation of them. She could have been reading from the dictionary, so bored was her tone.

The consequent conclusion in my father's mind nearly undid my composure completely.

_'_ _She sounds exactly like Ben Stein_ _.'_

Had Mireille not been staring in my direction, looking for clues of Carlisle's reaction underneath the stillness of any decently-concentrated vampire, I might have been able to control myself.

As it was, I burst into full, loud laughter over the crackling wit Carlisle so rarely exhibited.

"She does, doesn't she?" he turned to face me suddenly, a grin crossing his youthful features with golden, albeit exasperated, joy.

A tumult of confusion and irritation pressed on our family's minds, but only Mireille was annoyed enough to respond, "Are you _seriously_ talking about me in your head right now?"

Returning focus to Mireille with a far easier countenance, Carlisle exhaled in fond weariness and stepped forward to grasp the aggravated girl's shoulders with gentle hands.

"Mireille," Carlisle sighed again, more wearily than anything else, "I know – _I_ _know_ – how difficult it is to wage constant battle over your choices and how they might affect you, your human acquaintances, and especially our secret. However… one day – and I don't know when that day will be, but somehow I know it will come – you will decide to strike out on your own, independent of us. There is a world full of human beings waiting for you to brighten their lives with your bubbling enthusiasm, your understanding, and your many talents. I want you to allow for that. Allow for your future, no matter what it might be."

"But Bella is going to come here in a year," Mireille disputed with a wave of thick emotion, eyes welling up without warning. Caught off guard by the intensity, Jasper nearly staggered where he stood. With Alice's help, he held himself firm as Mireille continued in a wavering voice, "A year, and then another year or two after… Two or three _years_ where my presence, my actions, my choices will all define how everyone in this town looks at your family and how Bella's life intertwines with all of yours."

Stunned by the unprecedented strength of feelings and ideas we had thought obliterated over the past two months, no one could speak into the deafening silence left behind. A barrier of some kind seemed to have broken and whatever was left of Mireille's tempered confidence and joy burst from it.

With seven minds caught up in shock over the outrageous responsibility Mireille took onto her own shoulders, it took several minutes before one finally broke free of their intimidated shell.

"That is the most ridiculous load of claptrap I have _ever_ heard," Carlisle's voice sliced the air with sharp dismay.

Mireille leaned back as though struck, startled as much as we had been by her overloaded emotions.

"Mireille," Carlisle sighed anew, reaching out to take her shoulders again. "I hope, someday, to understand how your mind becomes so knotted and tangled in such a short period of time."

Released from frozen postures by new surprise, every member of our family laughed with sudden relief at the rapid return of Carlisle's witty humor.

In conjunction with Esme, Carlisle gave us a look demanding quiet, before he went on more normally, "For now, I will settle for understanding why you, and you alone, are single-handedly responsible for the future happiness of seven fully-grown vampires. Can you explain that to me?"

Left with understandable speechlessness, Mireille failed to answer.

"It seems to me," Carlisle decided gently, wise golden eyes locking with incredibly young, insecure blue, "that we are the masters of our own fates, no more and no less. With that in mind, I ask the same of you that I asked a few moments ago… Allow for _your_ future. Allow for being the master of _your_ fate. If you allow for that, and we allow for that… then all the rest will fall into place as it is meant to be – no matter _what_ it is meant to be. Can you do that?"

Gazing more contemplatively than I had expected after such a self-destructive speech, Mireille struggled with her feelings for what seemed an eternity. Jasper struggled along with her, trying not to influence her emotions, no matter how much he wished to give Mireille the acceptance she needed to move forward once and for all.

Looking back up into Carlisle's forever compassionate gaze, Mireille blinked away fresh wetness from her eyes and finally, with a jerking motion, nodded her agreement.

"Good," Carlisle smiled widely, squeezing small shoulders with reassurance and tucking a stray lock of hair behind Mireille's ear.

After so much heavy restraint on her emotions, Mireille burst into tears at the simple, fatherly gesture and propelled herself forward to hug Carlisle around the torso. A sympathetic laugh escaped my parents as a unified pair, Esme coming forward to help encase Mireille in the parental warmth she had – save a few precious years with her grandparents – lacked almost since birth.

None of us fooled ourselves that Mireille's fears and sense of responsibility had entirely evaporated, but we remained hopeful for continued improvement. Perhaps we overestimated our capacity for persuasion in previous attempts, but from that moment on, we would pay far closer attention.

Pulling back after a few minutes of comfort, Carlisle disappeared and reappeared with tissues in hand, offering up a handful for Mireille to work with. Blurting out a short laugh, Mireille murmured, "Thank you."

"I expect you need to look up some films," Esme spoke after a while.

"I guess so," Mireille agreed tiredly. "I think I'd better pick some comedies. Just to be safe."

Laughing together, each of us relaxed even more and my siblings allowed themselves to disperse from the challenging conversation. Granted, Jasper left more from a need to recover than anything else, but I didn't feel the need to explain that to Mireille in her delicate mindset.

"Don't forget to call Angela," Carlisle smiled still. "She'll be glad to hear your answer."

Eyeing the good doctor with slightly embarrassed humor, Mireille nodded. Taking only long enough to blow her nose, our sentimental human traveled back upstairs to her cell phone and laptop with much more definite plans than before.

The inexorable phone call fifteen minutes later held my interest up to the point that Mireille and Angela began discussing movie ideas. Afterward I released a long, slow breath and moved to the piano. Chopin's moody and dramatic piano pieces seemed a fitting way to relieve the immense pressure Mireille's worries had brought over me.

Esme returned to making dinner, very shortly thereafter running a tray up to the third floor where Mireille had moved on to doing homework.

"Are you all right?" Carlisle inquired of my dramatic musical pacing.

"I could be worse, you know," I told my father in response to his less obvious thoughts, unable to help smirking over that truth.

"Oh, I have learned that over the years," he chuckled, laying a hand on my shoulder. "I also know Mireille's thoughts and feelings have a prominent effect on your outlook."

"She's so hard to read sometimes," I confessed with a frown. "It's not as though she's actively blocking me, and it's not like Bella's shielding ability in the books… but Mireille has a way of thinking that leaves me struggling to find her most prominent thoughts at any given moment. This outburst was just as complicated as anything in her mind has ever been. Maybe more so."

"She should get better, in time," Carlisle sighed a bit sadly. "It's still hard for her to adjust between fiction and reality here, I think. Particularly the idea the she is now a permanent part of this reality, rather than a fan looking in from the outside."

"Let's hope watching comedic films with three human girls will help correct that," I suggested with heavy doubt.

Two and a half days passed in excruciating stagnancy. Mireille fought the constant worry of being an invader on our future while trying to do her best on schoolwork and her public façade. I tried to both assuage that fear and also watch for Vanessa's thoughts in case of danger. Alice continued to watch for any signs that Mireille might say no to the sleepover or that her involvement would make anyone more suspicious of us. As it stood, Mireille's involvement was just about the only thing that kept suspicion away most days.

Emmett and Rosalie kept eyes and ears open for any sign of danger from our classmates. Esme worked twice as diligently to remind Mireille she was part of our family now. Jasper steadied us all with collected calm and a dash of optimism I suspected he didn't actually feel, but derived from Carlisle's genuine well of hope and faith. Carlisle led the way, as always; his positive encouragement almost solely responsible for Mireille's truest smiles.

Mireille validated all four of her movie choices by angling separate phone calls with Angela, Jessica, and Katie. Surprisingly, Jessica gladly agreed to every one without complaint and seven o'clock on Friday night approached quietly and unobtrusively. Everything had been laid out with expert analysis, thanks to a combined family effort that left Mireille feeling far easier in her mind.

While Mireille had chosen her clothing, purse, and necessities for the night, it was Esme and Alice who jointly checked it all over to avoid any nosy investigation on the part of Katie, Angela, and especially Jessica. By all accounts, Mireille Claire Whitlock would appear to be the sixteen-year-old she was purported to be.

"You can always call if you need anything," Esme reassured Mireille with a warm smile, helping the young woman into a dark gray tweed coat. My mother smoothed the fuchsia, blue, and white scarf around Mireille's neck with extra care as her charge fussed at the edges of the plaid fabric. "It looks fine, sweetheart, just leave it."

Listening to the instruction with a sigh, Mireille reluctantly dropped her hands and pulled on the pair of black, fuchsia-edged gloves Esme handed over.

"Try to have fun, all right?" Esme insisted pleadingly with the brunette, once more giving the girl's shoulders an encouraging squeeze.

"I'll try," was all Mireille felt capable of offering.

Releasing a resigned sigh, Esme nodded acceptingly and let Carlisle lead Mireille out to the Mercedes with one arm around her shoulders and her possessions hanging from the other.

Hardly had the car left our range of hearing than did Alice gasp in surprise as a vision overcame her.

Eleazar, Carmen, and the Denali sisters looked all too stunned as they appeared in our home and then rushed up in my shared quarters, sniffing the air with increasing horror and judgment. In the background, Mireille's wall calendar very clearly displayed the month of January.

Returning to our family from the unwelcome scene, Alice and I shared a significant look.

"What's happening this time?" Emmett demanded, preparing himself for a fight already.

"The Denali coven is going to be stopping by," Alice explained more daintily than her mind conveyed.

"When?" Jasper queried in surprise, face dropping into a deep frown.

"They'll be here on January twenty-third," I answered grimly.

"That's only two weeks from now!" Esme exclaimed with a gasp. "Are we able to speak with Carmen alone?"

"From this particular vision, it appears not," Alice breathed deeply as the words permeated the air.

"Oh, _that's_ going to help," Rosalie retorted sarcastically, crossing her arms and broadly rolling her eyes.

I couldn't help but agree with my sister.

Upon Mireille's return to the house, it would be impossible and utterly wrong to hold out such an incredible secret. For now, no one wanted to ruin her attempt at a normal girls' night, but ultimately, it would be a short-lived victory. I anticipated a very long, difficult fourteen days once Mireille found out about our supernatural visitors.

* * *


	38. Chapter 36: Inhibition

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** Back to Mireille's POV in this chapter. Hopefully my interpretation of teenage girls, sleepovers, and interacting parents can hold its own. I really had a blast writing it and I feel excited for Mir's human encounters; they're always very interesting. ;)

**Previously** – From Edward's point of view… Carlisle arrived home and Mireille had already fallen asleep. Carlisle admitted he already discussed instructors with Charlie. While the family talked, Edward checked on Mireille and put on music to ease her dreams. Edward promised himself he would protect Mireille at all costs. Alice finally saw the instructor and Carlisle made a decision that revealed Daniel Griffin in Olympia. Mireille apologized to Alice and Alice told of Daniel Griffin. Mireille met Mike Newton and bonded with Ben over comics. Angela and Katie invited Mireille to a sleepover. Mireille met Jessica Stanley and argued with Alice about getting so involved. Carlisle convinced Mireille to live her life. Mireille chose movies for the sleepover and Esme and Alice helped her prep for it. Once Carlisle and Mireille left for the Webers, Alice had a vision of the Denali Coven coming to visit.

> **Chapter 36: Inhibition**

Despite an ongoing state of underlying stress and worry, driving to the Webers' home with Carlisle on Friday night felt comfortable and safe. Dressed in a heathery charcoal and berry sweatshirt, blue jeans, black and gray winter boots, and a slouchy gray beanie, along with my tweed coat and plaid scarf, I felt pleasantly warm after the cold air outside. Carlisle seemed to understand my need for silence, leaving me to my thoughts as we drove and adding to the aura of stability and comfort.

I entertained no delusion that Carlisle _willingly_ remained quiet, especially after my apparent relapse into the inhibitions and doubts I had fostered up until Carlisle and Esme's anniversary. At that time, and even after the attack, I never realized just how deeply my personal life would affect the Cullens' public faces.

Oh, I contemplated the notion often enough, but until the intimate setting of high school burst in my face like an overblown bubble, those notions never occupied very much of my mind – or very deeply. With the Cullens encouraging and bolstering my public relations so adamantly, I lived without considering how Bella's entrance in Forks and the Cullens' appearances in general would be dogged by the fifteen months of public entrenchment I would have under my belt when January of 2005 came around.

Inhaling quietly as my already-numerous connections sprung to mind, I tried to think of where I might have gotten too friendly or too close – anything that could have been avoided in order to repress invitation to a sleepover I shouldn't really be involved in.

Tyler Crowley and Mike Newton had taken a liking to the 'ingénue' as Rosalie had named me, without any help on my part. Tyler had been quiet the last few days, a fact I appreciated silently. I also hadn't been paired up with Mike again in gym, and by some strange miracle, I never got paired with Lauren or her friends.

With Angela, Katie, Ben, Austin, Lee, Conner, and even Jessica, it was much more difficult to draw a line. Overall, I supposed I simply should never have gotten so close to Angela, since knowing her had led to all the rest. In what manner I could have rejected her friendship, however, I had no idea.

Angela had made the choice to visit during my recovery, one decision for which I had no say-so. The Cullens had chosen to attend the Hospital Christmas party and Angela had introduced me to the other sophomores under direct observation of the entire Cullen family, so those were two more incidents I couldn't have really helped.

Angela had also made the choice to visit for my birthday. Other than running in the opposite direction – which would undoubtedly have hindered more than it helped – I hadn't been given a choice, except to talk with Angela. Granted, I could have let her walk away rather than argue about cupcakes and future visits, but I had a feeling Angela would still somehow have felt led to invite me to the sleepover.

Sighing with weary resignation, I accepted my inability to change anything about my current circumstances. Besides, there was nothing to be done now. Carlisle swept through town precisely at the speed limit, but even at that speed we were still very near to Angela's house already.

"That sounds like a promising exhale," Carlisle finally spoke, a wry yet hopeful tone to his words as he glanced in my direction. "Might you be accepting what I told you Tuesday night?"

Those inspiring and heartfelt words the doctor had spoken to me three days earlier were still as fresh as spring in my mind. Listening to the wisdom of this compassionate being had brought to mind Esme's warm thoughts on their anniversary. They wanted to include me, to help me live my life well. So much love and care encompassed the Cullens, but particularly Carlisle and Esme. To have been offered such beautiful sentiments by both of them at different times was truly a blessing.

Fighting for a simple explanation of my convoluted thoughts, I settled for something that would represent the greatest part of my realizations.

"I don't think life has been giving me much of choice, but to accept," I responded softly.

Frowning mildly, Carlisle prompted more gently, "Meaning what, exactly?"

"None of the things that have happened with other students was really my choice," I explained in more detail, taking a breath to add even more seriously, "From Vanessa to Angela, and all the students in-between, I tried to imagine where I could have chosen differently; chosen in a way that would keep distance rather than draw closer."

"And what did you find?" Carlisle asked gently, face easing from the frown of before.

"Of all the times I made a decision about how I interacted with people," I tried to answer as straight to the point as possible, "I can't think of a single time where I chose to do anything but simply _fit in_ with your family. And in spite of that, I'm still being pulled closer to this town and its people. Maybe… maybe I'm _meant_ to make those connections after all."

Coming to a stop outside Angela's house and putting the car in park, Carlisle allowed my words to settle in the air before replying warmly, "I'm glad you've decided to see it that way."

"You know what, Carlisle?" I wondered with surprise, a smile crossing my face as I answered my own question, "So am I."

Chuckling at the startled emotion swirling in my eyes, Carlisle patted my shoulder and stood from the driver's seat to retrieve my tribal print duffle bag and violet sleeping bag out of the trunk.

While my 'uncle' went through the motions of a human retrieval, I got out of the passenger side with my dark berry tote purse, casting an observant look at my new friend's living quarters. The craftsman style, two-story house had been painted sage green and finished with gray shingles and white trim. The dark brown front door had been painted to match the wide porch, the base of which boasted crosshatched trellises matching the house color. Fairly standard in design, with a matching detached garage far in the back, the structure nonetheless felt comfortable and warm against the white snow, gray paved sidewalk, and overcast skies.

"Ready?" Carlisle asked with an easy smile, arm outstretched to encompass my shoulders.

Slipping beneath the welcoming arm, I took a preparatory breath before answering lightly, "Let's go."

As we walked up the porch steps, the front door opened to reveal Angela's smiling mom in a gray sweater and blue jeans.

"Glad you could make it," she told us cheerfully, stepping back to allow us to walk past and into a brown themed living room spanning the whole front wall.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weber," Carlisle greeted the sandy-haired woman with a mild smile as he guided me ahead of him. Just inside the doorway, I took off my winter boots and set them on the mat against the wall.

"Oh, we're at the sleepover stage. Go ahead and call me Julie," Mrs. Weber corrected him with a slight laugh.

Chuckling slightly, Carlisle agreed politely, "Well, then Esme and I would prefer first names as well."

"Happy to accommodate you," Mr. Weber spoke as he stepped off a staircase behind the living room wall, coming to stand beside his wife with a wry smile. "Glad to you see you again, Carlisle. Please call me Dale."

"Of course," Carlisle agreed again, reaching out to shake the pastor's hand. The steady humor in his golden eyes nearly made me laugh out loud, but I was just able to stop myself. "I hope we're not too early?"

"No, certainly not," Julie assured us easily, waving the idea away. "Angela will be happy you're early. She wanted to show Mireille her room first."

"And how is this young lady doing, by the way?" Dale inquired of me, him and Julie offering me a warm smile together.

"Getting better all the time, aren't you?" Carlisle turned to me with a conspiratorial smile, hand squeezing my shoulder reassuringly. No doubt his mind strayed to my decision to learn self-defense.

"Definitely getting better," I concurred quietly as footfalls sounded from the staircase.

Wearing a blue and white striped sweater, blue jeans, and white socks, Angela came down the stairs looking pleasantly excited. "Hi, Mireille! Hi, Dr. Cullen!"

"Hi, Angela," I greeted the girl with a blooming smile. She was remarkably bubbly compared to what I knew of her. It just showed what friendship could do for someone, I guessed.

"Hello, Angela," Carlisle added with a nod of acknowledgment.

"I'm glad you're already here, now I can show you my room," Angela informed me, bringing a laugh from our three parental figures as the earlier prediction's truth.

"Katie and Jessica have been here before, right?" I verified, restraining my grin.

"Yeah, me and Katie go back to kindergarten and I've known Jess since third grade," Angela told me informatively, but a little sheepishly.

"That's neat," I allowed myself to grin a little at the close knit acquaintanceships.

"Come on, I'll show you my room," Angela waved me over towards the stairs. Picking up the duffle and sleeping bag Carlisle had set down near the door, I nearly jogged up the stairs after my friend for a night with all human company.

Hovering on the steps just out of sight of the Webers and Carlisle, I thought of a night spent without the Cullens. We wouldn't be seeing each other or talking at all. I had never spent a single night without at least one of the Cullens nearby.

"It was very kind of Angela to invite Mireille," Carlisle spoke quietly with the Webers on the other side of the wall when I clued back into the conversation. "I was worried she might not blend well with other students, but Angela's friendship is definitely helping her adjust."

Carlisle was actually stalling, I realized with fondness. The doctor had heard me pause on the steps, obviously, and now gave me room to retreat if I needed to. I could certainly give a good enough reason, of course, but it still wouldn't help much of anything in the future if I kept running. Nevertheless I had already begun to miss the Cullens. Unbidden, my eyes watered a little at the thought of Carlisle intentionally extending conversation to give me an out.

Settling my cargo carefully to one side of the steps, I hurried back down the staircase and rushed the compassionate vampire with a hug.

An 'oof' escaped Carlisle in partial surprise as I bumped into him. While he had heard my returning steps, I had a feeling hugging hadn't been his expectation.

"See you tomorrow," I murmured against the front of his navy coat, leading him to sigh fondly over my sentimentality.

"It's only until the morning," Carlisle assured me softly, patting my back comfortingly. "You'll be back before you know it."

With the Webers listening in, I knew there wasn't much else he could say. Pulling back from the doctor in embarrassment, I just nodded and turned back to the task I had tried to accomplish a few minutes before.

"Sleep well tonight," Carlisle offered in parting, and I gave a small wave of farewell in return as I made my way back up the staircase.

Angela waited on the stairs with a patient, understanding expression as I finally made my way up to her. We didn't talk on the way down the hall until we stopped at the conjunction of two hallways.

"My parents' room is on the right and my brothers share the room across from them," Angela explained, pointing at the doorways down the perpendicular hallway.

"This is my room," she gestured at the doorway behind us, letting me go inside first.

The tall girl's space took up the whole forward half of the second level – and took me completely by surprise. While the ceiling, trim, windows, and built-ins were all white, the walls had been painted banana yellow and the queen size bed in the far right corner stood out in bold orange with a little hot pink. An orange cushion bedecked the small window seat across from the door and a rug in the same wild orange and hot pink covered most of the cherry hardwood floor.

In the other half of the room, the left side played host to a big, old-fashioned white desk and three tall, narrow bookshelves. On the right side, orange and pink bean bags sat in front of a media center with a small television, a DVD player, and a brief collection of DVDs that mostly appeared to be animated features. Beside the main door, a white chest of drawers displayed Angela's few stuffed animals, most of which looked very well weathered.

"Woah, I think I need sunglasses," I teased Angela with a laugh, belatedly noting a blue cooler waiting off to the side of the room.

"It's kind of… loud," she admitted, laughing with me. "Orange and pink are my favorite colors, but my mom said the walls had to be less… crazy."

Laughing together at the truth in that, we moved further into the room while Angela pointed out important features to me.

"That's my closet there," she gestured at the white doors to the right of her bed, then to a separate door further down the wall. "The bathroom is next to that."

"Anywhere special you want me to put my things?"

"You can leave them in front of the closet," Angela shrugged, "but it doesn't really matter where."

Setting the duffle and sleeping bag in the indicated location, I took the time to escape the growing heat of my coat, gloves, scarf, and hat.

"I'm glad you could come," Angela told me happily, sitting on her bed while she waited.

"Thanks for inviting me," I replied with a small smile, smoothing out my hair after its confinement.

"Angie, Jessica's here!" Julie's raised voice carried up the stairs, drawing Angela to her feet immediately.

"You can just relax here if you want," the tall girl informed me. "I won't be long. Jess likes to come right up – something about parents being weird to talk to…"

I laughed at the strange logic as Angela shook her head and went downstairs to greet her second guest of the night.

In the meantime, I made my way to the window seat facing the front yard and glanced outside. A burgundy Chevrolet Impala had joined Carlisle's Mercedes where it remained parked out front and a light blue Ford Focus wagon pulled up while I stared. Was Carlisle still talking with the Webers downstairs? Surprised, I wondered if the doctor waited to meet the other girls' parents as well. He and Esme had already met Katie's parents at the hospital Christmas party, however. That only left meeting Mr. and Mrs. Stanley.

Just when I decided to ask the next morning, my cell phone buzzed in my sweatshirt pocket, startling me from contemplation. Looking at the screen, I saw one unread message.

Opening the message with a thoughtful frown, I read and re-read the note from Alice with a burst of confusion.

_A lady's honor needed defending._

Scrunching my nose over the odd message, I tried to decipher the strange code, but couldn't understand it at all. Another coded message popped into being ten seconds later.

_No cherry trees were harmed in the making of this defense._

Cherry trees…? Sudden comprehension incited a strangled laugh from me.

So Carlisle had to defend Esme somehow. I considered which set of parents made the offensive remark that Esme required protection from, but it didn't take long to pinpoint Jessica's parents as the probable culprits. Dale and Julie simply weren't the type and based on Katie's personality, her parents probably weren't either.

As I watched out of the window, Jessica's carefully groomed and slightly overdressed mother – made evident by her matching curly black hair and short stature – drove away in the well-maintained Impala. Katie's auburn-haired mother and redheaded father left immediately after in the more weathered Ford Focus wagon.

By the time three pairs of feet trudged up the Webers' staircase, Carlisle had made his way to the Mercedes. Happening to glance up towards the window at which I sat, Carlisle smiled encouragingly and waved farewell before slipping into the car and driving away shortly thereafter.

Closing the messages and putting my cell phone back in my sweatshirt pocket, I turned just as Angela entered the room with Jessica and Katie in tow.

Carrying a bright pink and turquoise sleeping bag, aqua and pink tote bag, a mostly-pink dotted duffle, and the same bright pink hobo bag she had carried all week at school, Jessica wore a conversely neutral tan sweater and black jeans with loose curls.

Hair pulled into a ponytail, Katie matched dark blue jeans with a striped tee and mustard yellow cardigan, one arm hefting an olive green sleeping bag and the other holding a duffle in black and white polka dots that matched the backpack on her shoulders.

"Hi, Ray!" Katie greeted me enthusiastically; had she been free-handed, I suspected she would have waved avidly.

"Hi, Katie, Jessica," I said hello with a slight wave, finally pulling away from the window.

"Ugh, please, call me _Jess_ ," the black-haired sophomore groaned as she and Katie dropped their bags near mine. "I hate my full name."

"Oh, sorry," I sheepishly replied.

"So, what are we doing first?" Katie asked of the room in general, arms held out from her body in curiosity.

"Let's figure out where everyone's sleeping," Angela decided, pointing at our collection of gear by her closet. "My mom put extra pillows in the window seat and you can lay out your sleeping bags so they're ready later on."

"I don't feel like laying it out now," Jessica complained. I had a bad feeling she would be doing that a lot throughout the night.

"You _never_ feel like it," Katie pointed with a snort. "Let Ray pick first, since she's new."

"Yeah, go ahead, Mireille," Angela gestured at my rolled violet bag.

Looking around the room for a few seconds, I found myself drawn to the window seat.

"How about in front of the window seat?" I verified hesitantly.

"Go for it," Angela encouraged pleasantly.

"I'll sleep by the bean bags," Jessica decided. "They're really cushy."

"I'll take the empty space on the rug," Katie rounded out our choices with the section of area rug in front of Angela's bed, right between mine and Jessica's chosen spots.

The doorbell rang through the house, causing Jessica to ask, "You don't have anyone else coming here, right?"

"It's probably the pizza," I suggested, knowing for a fact it was just the four of us that night.

"Definitely pizza," Angela agreed. "Dad ordered it a little bit ago, so that should be it."

"Are we doing sundaes again?" Katie inquired energetically, bringing a laugh out of Angela.

"No, I thought that would be too cold," Angela told her with a shaking head. "Mom made a bunch of cookies and brownies, though."

"Mmm," Jessica finally appreciated something. "I love your mom's cookies. Did she make the marshmallow-stuffed kind?"

"Yes, she actually did," Angela laughed. "She knows how much you love them."

"Your mom is awesome," Jessica stage whispered and I found my humor growing almost in spite of myself.

"I'm all in for brownies and marshmallows," Katie grinned, rolling out her sleeping bag.

"Chocolate is my thing," I added hesitantly, following Katie's lead.

"Oh, try the chocolate chunk, then," Angela suggested eagerly. "Mom puts a _ton_ of chocolate in them."

"Now I'm really hungry," Katie groaned.

"Good thing pizza is here, then," Mr. Weber interrupted from the doorway, the pastor pausing at the threshold with an amused chuckle and his arms full of pizza boxes, plates, and napkins. Mrs. Weber followed her husband into the room with containers full of cookies and brownies.

"Your marshmallow cookies are right here, Jessica," Julie teased as she nodded to one corner of a clear container.

"Yes!" Jessica punched the air excitedly. Amusedly I noticed she didn't correct a parent on the use of her full name. "Thanks, Mrs. Weber."

"You're welcome," the sandy-haired mother laughed in reply and set the containers on the desk, along with the four DVDs we had decided to rent for the night.

Mr. Weber put the stack of pizzas on the low cabinet by the door, making sure to place a few paper towels under it.

"Don't forget your drinks are in the cooler," he reminded us all before he headed out with Julie.

"Do you need anything else before we go?" Mrs. Weber asked, hand on the doorway as he looked at each of us in turn, ending with her daughter.

"No, we're good. Thanks, Mom," Angela smiled gratefully at her mother.

"All right, you girls enjoy yourselves," Mrs. Weber told us all with a smile and closed the door behind her as she left.

With four different flavors of pizza on our plates and cans of soda in hand, the four of us settled around the television while Angela pulled up the DVDs with an inquisitive gaze.

"Which should we watch first?"

"I vote _Scooby-Doo_ ," Katie pointed at the colorful movie case in question.

"Yep, me too," Jessica agreed instantly, "I've wanted to see that for a while."

"I say yes, too," I voted, leaving Angela to happily slip the DVD in the player and return to her cushion on the floor. She had been nice enough to let us take the three bean bags.

"All right, here we go!" she announced as the movie started. Nearest the door, Katie shut off the lights and left us in the near-darkness from outside and the light of the film as it began to play.

We laughed ourselves silly at the movie and its ridiculous characters, and my mind grew so light I felt truly at ease for the time being. I hadn't been at a sleepover since middle school, but at the time I hadn't felt comfortable hanging out with the other girls; my inhibition at openly sharing of myself had been impossible to manage. Here, after having grown into a deeper sense of security with my personality and my social interactions, I allowed my persona freedom to develop.

Carlisle, Esme, and all five of their children wanted me to live my life, and that's what I planned to do.

Once _Scooby-Doo_ ended, the four of us took a break to use the bathroom and recharge our food plates, Jessica eagerly going back for a fourth marshmallow cookie.

"That was really funny," Katie remarked on the movie, contemplating the supreme pizza with interest. Finally, she just shrugged and took another piece.

"I love Freddy," Jessica sighed a little dreamily. "Sooo cute."

"Cuter than _Mike_?" Katie teased, emphasizing the 'k' of the name with a giggle.

"Well, duh," Jessica rolled her eyes irritably. "But he's a celebrity, so that's a given. Mike's cute in an average boy way."

"We all know who you really like, anyway," Katie pressed further, her eyes alight with humor. "Hey, maybe Ray will hook you up now, huh?"

Stunned by the sudden inclusion of my name, I realized exactly what Katie referred to. Uncertain whether I should respond or continue to act confused, I thanked Angela's blessed little heart for interceding first.

"Katie! Mireille is still new here. Be nice!" the tall girl frowned at the redhead.

"Oh, I was just kidding, Ang!" Katie rolled her eyes lightly.

"I don't really understand," I commented as nonchalantly as I could, shrugging slightly for effect.

"Jess has a crush on someone you know," Katie explained broadly, but her eyes still sparkled with amusement.

"Shut up, Katie," Jessica scowled at the red-haired girl, losing interest in her cookie.

"You can only ask, you know," Katie insisted all the same. As for me, I prayed the topic died out quickly. I had no idea how to explain away a certain Cullen's disinterest in the girls at school.

"You know what? I will," Jessica startled all of us, turning to me with her lip caught between her teeth. "So, Mireille… okay, you know how Edward is totally gorgeous."

"Uh…" I tried to find a safe way of answering that question, but Jessica cut me off rapidly.

"Oh, come on," she rolled her eyes to the ceiling and back. "It's not like you're blood related or anything, I mean he's adopted. And you didn't grow up together, you _just_ moved here. You can admit he's hot, right?"

Blinking away my shock took a minute, but at last I moved enough past it to reluctantly confess, "He... um… he has a nice face, yes."

"A nice face?" Katie giggled, slipping deeper into her bean bag. "That's the biggest understatement ever!"

Heaving a sigh, I tried to move forward, "Look, this is just awkward to talk about."

"You can just... kind of... put in a word or two, right?" Jessica forced herself to ask. "See if he'd be interested in me. Okay?"

"Edward is really, really academically focused," I came up with randomly, rather than agree to such a crazy idea. I couldn't even believe Jessica was asking me so boldly after only meeting each other twice – even if one of those meetings _was_ a girls' night. "I don't think he's looking for dates right now."

"Seriously? He's only a sophomore," Jessica argued a little more desperately. Honestly, it was kind of pathetic to watch. "He's got lots of time to date and still do great in classes."

"I thought he did really great in class anyway," Katie inquired surely. "Ang, didn't you see the Cullens on the honor roll?"

"Yeah, they were," Angela sighed, offering me an apologetic look. I just shook my head in reply; it wasn't her fault.

"Just hint casually," Jessica promoted her case one more time, thankfully leaving it alone after that.

Throughout watching _Legally Blonde_ and _My Big Fat Greek Wedding_ , I felt like the joy had been sucked right out of me. Whatever peace I garnered when watching the first movie, it was absolutely destroyed for the rest of the night, no matter how much my 'friends' laughed over our movies. I wanted to glare at Jessica for her ego and desperation to have a 'hot' boyfriend. Clearly, she didn't know how to take a hint.

Rolling into my sleeping bag at one-thirty in the morning with the other girls, I listened as their breathing evened out and Katie emitted tiny snoring sounds near me. I tried to sleep, truly, but my brain simply wouldn't shut down. I felt odd without my stuffed penguin, although the sensation left me feeling foolish and childlike. I also missed the Cullens as they went about their nightly activities, and Edward sitting in the alcove like a guardian angel, and music in the background of my rest, and Emmett startling me awake by fighting with Jasper...

After forty minutes lying there uselessly, I finally sighed deeply and sat straight up in my sleeping bag.

"You okay?"

Startled at the unexpected whisper, I whipped around to find Angela leaning on her arm up in bed.

"Can't sleep," I explained to the tall girl in a similar whisper. She, at least, had been kind about the discussion of Edward.

"Is there anything that would help?" she asked with a small frown, still whispering.

"I don't think so," I shrugged.

"Maybe you just miss home," Angela predicted thoughtfully.

"Probably," I agreed more quietly than before, hesitating for many reasons over the connotations of the word 'home' and what it meant for me now.

Biting her lip for a long moment as she thought over my predicament, Angela came back with a strange suggestion. "Why don't you call your uncle?"

"At this time of night?" I countered, slightly incredulous. While I knew perfectly well the Cullens didn't sleep, Angela certainly didn't.

"My parents always let me call home if I missed them," she explained a tad awkwardly. "No matter what time, they would talk to me. Even I woke them out of a dead sleep… Dr. Cullen sure seems like he'd be the same way."

Having said her piece, Angela left me to think and rolled back over in bed.

Once her breathing also evened out and deepened, I rose from my sleeping bag, grabbed my phone from the duffle beside me, and sat in the window seat to decide what I wanted to do.

Taking a breath, I told myself it was silly to call. I was twenty-one years old, for God's sake. It was only a sleepover; I would be back in the Cullen's house in several hours. Besides that, if I couldn't handle being away for one night, how would I ever handle leaving in the future?

Leaning my head back against the wall, I continued to argue with myself, ending up sitting on the window seat far longer than anticipated. A long while later, the rising daylight out of the window caught me off guard. A quick look at my phone proved it was almost seven-thirty in the morning. Six hours I had sat there debating. Scowling at my stupidity, I decided to remain there until the other girls got up.

When the three sophomores started to wake around eight-thirty, I quietly pulled on socks to match my hot pink pajamas, hoping to ward off the cold of the hardwood floors as I headed into the bathroom first.

Not having cared enough to pay attention to anyone's pajamas the night before, I had to laugh inside when I exited the bathroom and took notice of Jessica's cow print pajama pants and her pink and aqua sleep shirt that claimed ' _Mooooody In The Mornings!'_ While I still didn't like her attitude or what she asked of me, the pajamas _were_ a little funny as she passed me with squinting eyes and headed into the bathroom next, her whole tote bag hanging off her arm.

Katie eyed me in sleepy confusion as I walked past already wide awake with groomed hair pulled into a ponytail; her yellow and gray owl pajamas appeared to be her only source of warmth as she curled up on a bean bag, bare feet tucked as close to her body as they could go and vibrant hair a mess behind her head.

"Why didn't you just stay in your sleeping bag?" I couldn't help asking amusedly.

Something approximating a shrug was Katie's only reply a she laid there half asleep still. Shaking my head and laughing quietly, I let her stay where she chose. How a sense of humor had returned to me so quickly, I didn't know, but I was glad of it. Perhaps it was the thought I wouldn't be there much longer.

"Morning," Angela yawned when I passed the bed and started rolling up my sleeping bag. The tall girl stretched high above her head, light pink and emerald green striped pajamas hardly a shock after the vivid orange of her room.

"Good morning, Ang," I said instinctively, realizing only belatedly I had used the nickname her friends all gave her. "Sorry, I don't know why I called you that."

"That's okay," she shrugged and yawned again. "We're friends."

I hid a smile over the term by digging through my bag for the outfit I wanted to wear for going home.

By the time I laid out my outfit and packed up my bags, Katie had finally woken up and headed into the bathroom while Angela made her bed and Jessica lounged on a bean bag, her sleeping bag still laid out.

"Morning," Katie spoke with far more lucidity as she stepped out of the bathroom, hair no longer a mess and her eyes not quite so squinty anymore.

"I'll only be a second," Angela announced, making her way to bathroom as well. "Mom's making pancakes."

"Hungry again," Jessica remarked with a resigned sigh, moving to put away her sleeping bag, too, and clear the pile of stuff she had laid beside her makeshift bed.

Pancakes didn't even cover it when we went down to breakfast in our pajamas. Mrs. Weber appeared to have made a table full of pancakes with several toppings circling the wagons.

"Good morning, girls," Julie smiled at us, wide awake and still setting the table for us. "Plates are on the counter there. I hope you're hungry."

"We're always hungry," Jessica commented and grabbed a plate along with Katie. I didn't really understand how Jessica ate so much for her size. She was small just like I was, but in the cafeteria at school she put twice as much food as I did on a lunch tray. I supposed she could have a high metabolism, but I didn't really think so.

Shaking the thought away, I left Jessica's eating habits alone. There could be any number of reasons.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weber," I told Angela's mom gratefully, following more slowly with Angela. After sitting up all night debating with myself, I felt ravenous.

"Oh, you're welcome, hon," Julie smiled at me.

Everyone ate slowly, little conversation passed around the table while we focused on our delicious pancakes. The doorbell made everyone freeze halfway through, until Mrs. Weber went to check on the visitor.

"Good morning, Monica," Julie greeted the guest.

From the dining table, I couldn't see the front door and immediately wondered whose mom it was, but Jessica groaned quietly, bringing restrained laughter from Katie and Angela. Jessica's mom, I quickly realized.

"Morning, Julie, I know I'm probably too early," Monica laughed lightly, the sound very put-on and unconvincing.

"Only a little," Mrs. Weber allowed as kindly as her daughter. "The girls are eating breakfast in the kitchen."

"Oh, I'll just wait, if that's okay," Mrs. Stanley requested with that same fake light laugh.

Jessica sighed at her half full plate of pancakes and reluctantly began to rise from the table.

"You can finish your pancakes," Angela told the short girl quietly, with a resigned air. Frowning, I wondered if this was a common ritual.

"No, I can't," Jessica sighed again, just as quiet as Angela. "I have to go change. Mom wants to leave right now."

"Whatever she's doing, it can wait long enough for you finish eating," I said firmly but quietly, upset by this new aspect of Jessica Stanley's life. Self-interested or not, I didn't like the idea of a parent rushing their daughter out of eating her fill. I had an uncomfortable sensation this happened all the time. While the dark-haired girl didn't appear to be starving in any way, apparently she didn't get to eat as much as she might need at home. Was this why Jessica ate so much during the sleepover and at school?

To my marked surprise, Jessica actually paused in indecision at my statement. Seeing an opportunity to help her out, I repeated, "Jessica, you should eat. There is _nothing_ wrong with that."

Struggling only a moment more, Jessica did exactly as I said and sat down to finish her breakfast. Angela passed me a startled look, to which I shrugged delicately. Whatever made Jessica listen to me, I was glad of it.

Jessica and I finished our meal at almost the same time, both rising from the table. I could hear Monica and Julie talking quietly in the living room as we passed the doorway on our way upstairs to change.

I let Jessica take the bathroom first, pretending to fool around in my bag even though I had everything ready before we headed down to breakfast. It took a very short amount of time for Jessica to get ready, but even so her hair looked fresh and her pink-hued makeup impeccable to match the pink top she wore.

Taking my own outfit past the black-haired girl on my way to the bathroom, I hoped she didn't have as difficult a time with her mom's views on appearance as I had faced with my own mother.

Before I could enter the bathroom, Jessica stopped me suddenly, "Hey, wait… um…"

Turning back to give her my attention, I waited patiently while she attempted to say what was on her mind. After a minute of futile efforts, Jessica finally settled for a simple, awkward, "Thanks… Ray."

Smiling a little, I nodded and said, "You're welcome, Jess."

When I returned from the bathroom in a pair of dark jeans and a burgundy fringe top, Jessica's things were all gone and I heard footfalls heading back downstairs in a hurry. Stuffing my pajamas into the duffle, I grabbed all my baggage and accessories and followed the other girl's path.

From a vantage point at the foot of the stairs, Mrs. Stanley looked even more high-maintenance than I originally thought. Clothed in a very long, pale gray leather coat with fur trim and linings, the small town bank employee looked rather overdone on first glance. The fact became more deeply apparent when pairing the coat to tight black jeans, excessively perfect ringlets, and gray suede boots over the knee with excessively high heels.

The items Monica wore didn't look bad; she obviously had stylish taste in coats and footwear, and her light gray leather handbag also seemed very fashionable.

However, decked out in such high style, the woman seemed positively outlandish for a simple Saturday picking up her daughter from a casual sleepover. French manicured nails topped off her overall maintained appearance with a sharp edge as she waited by the front door with a slightly sour expression on her otherwise decent-looking face.

Turning the corner to drop my bags, I understood exactly why her expression looked dour.

Effortless caramel waves billowed around Esme's heart-shaped face as she stood calmly and gracefully in the Webers' living room. Her straightforward umber wool pea coat, blue and tan dotted scarf, and slim navy pants tucked into plain tan leather boots outshone Monica Stanley's gilded appearance without trying. Even were she still human rather than a flawless vampire, Esme would undoubtedly have outclassed Jessica's mother.

I felt my every muscle and nerve relax with Esme there.

"Good morning, sweetheart," the loving woman greeted me gently, smiling warmly at my pleasantly surprised features.

"Good morning, Esme," I offered with a matching smile, very happy for her soft yet strong company as I hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry Carlisle couldn't be here," Esme explained apologetically as she squeezed me gently in return, brushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear with cold fingers as we pulled back, "but Jeremy Wright's appendix burst less than an hour ago."

"Poor Jeremy," Julie clucked, concern on her face. "And right after his birthday, too."

"I still wonder how they missed his stomach pains," Esme sighed a little, her mothering coming to the fore. While 'mom talk' progressed, Jessica and I took a moment to pull on cold gear and winter boots.

"They might have thought he ate too much cake," Monica added in with a firm, unnatural smile spread across her face. Jessica looked humiliated by her mother's ridiculous comment and I actually felt secondhand embarrassment for the girl, no matter how annoying she might seem at times.

"Mark and Tracy are on top of things, usually," Julie frowned thoughtfully. "I wonder if Jeremy was afraid to tell them. He doesn't like doctors much, so…"

"Ah, that's probably it," Esme agreed, nodding understandingly.

"Uh oh, that means the boys will be home early," Mrs. Weber announced suddenly. "They're going to be cranky."

"And _hungry_ ," Angela laughed from the kitchen doorway on her way to the sink with Katie.

"Good thing I didn't put away the pancake mix," Julie laughed with Esme and Monica. "I'm so sorry to rush, but I'd better call Tracy quick-like. Glad to see you again, Esme. Clarissa will be sorry she missed you, but she's running late at work."

"Oh, Mom loved talking about gardening at the Christmas party, Mrs. Cullen!" Katie called from somewhere in the kitchen.

Exhibiting another laugh at the comment, Esme responded lightly, "Well, thank you, Katie. Tell her I enjoyed it too, will you?"

"I will!" Katie called back happily over the noise of running water. "Bye, Ray!"

"See you Monday!" Angela called out as well.

"See you at school!" I replied fondly to Angela and the surprisingly bold redhead. Based on Katie's description – or lack thereof – in the books, I would have thought her a wallflower. That was definitely not the case.

"It's always a pleasure, Julie," Esme gave a muted smile to the mother of three before turning to the other mother in the room. "And Monica, it's so nice to have met you."

Her now gloved hands unnoticed in the winter weather, Esme easily partook of a cordial handshake with Jessica's mother.

"A pleasure," Mrs. Stanley said tightly, forcing a smile and rapidly turning to Mrs. Weber, "Thanks, Julie, we'd better leave before the day's wasted. Jess, honey, come on."

The endearment seemed false to my ears and I tried not to put any more negative connotations on the woman before I really knew her, but it was very hard to do.

"See you Monday, Jess," I smiled encouragingly without really knowing why. I just felt like it was something she needed.

"I'll see you and Edward in Algebra," she agreed as she grabbed her things and followed Monica to the door. Thankfully, Jessica didn't seem to be hinting anything overt about our awkward talk during the sleepover.

"Come on, Mir," Esme smiled more casually as she guided me in the same direction as the Stanleys, picking up my duffle and sleeping bag before I could do so.

"Enjoy the weekend, you two," Julie offered one last parting shot and moved to the kitchen in a hurry, grabbing the cordless phone along the way.

Every step out of the house was one more link off the heavy chain I felt so keenly most of the night. A slow breath released whatever anxiety remained as I sat in the passenger seat of the gray Mazda Esme had been gifted for Christmas.

Sitting there while Esme put my bags in the trunk, I happened to glance in the rearview mirror. With a short laugh, I realized the Cullen mother had already applied her baseball mom decal to the back window.

"What's so funny?" Esme asked as she settled in the driver's seat, eyeing my quiet amusement with interest.

"Your decal," I pointed towards the back of the car, still grinning. "I didn't know you had it up already."

"Oh!" Esme laughed brightly at the reminder. "You know… I actually didn't put it on until this morning! When we decided I would pick you up, I thought it was a perfect time to add it."

"I love it," I agreed, relaxing into my seat as familiarity and ease washed over me. "Oh, thank God that's over."

"Was it that terrible?" Esme sympathized, patting my hand on the middle rest as she turned into the street and drove away.

"It was just Jessica," I sighed. "Has Alice said anything about the sleepover?"

"Only about Monica's comments on my presence," Esme answered somewhat uncomfortably. I frowned slightly at the strange emotion. I wouldn't have thought something so petty would bother her that much; it never seemed to before… "And of course, she mentioned that you couldn't sleep."

"She must have seen me decide to call and then not call about fifty times," I admitted sheepishly.

"That's perfectly all right," the caramel-haired vampire laughed delicately, dark golden eyes still focused on the road ahead as she added, "Mir, how soon would you be ready to start your self-defense lessons?"

"As soon as Carlisle and Charlie are able to go," I answered cautiously.

"How does Monday sound?" Esme wondered, just a _tad_ over-enthusiastic about the idea.

"That sounds perfect," I responded, still cautious as Esme smiled over my agreement.

Silence overtook the vehicle for a few moments, comfortable still and yet tempered with my continuing wariness.

When the bridge over Calawah River came into view, Esme asked more normally, "Did everyone like the movies you chose?"

Allowing my suspicion to subside only slightly, I nodded. "They loved them. Everyone was laughing most of the night."

"That's wonderful," Esme nodded along with me and then returned to silence. The closer we came to the house, the more uncomfortable she seemed to become.

Not two minutes later, the lovely vampire asked another question, almost as if she forgot she wanted to talk to me, "What was it about Jessica that troubled you?"

"Mainly her fascination with Edward," I murmured, brows furrowing deeper every minute.

Conversation with the loving lady of the Cullen house had never been this stilted before. Between the two of us, even the most trivial topics could become grand, thoughtful analyses. Everyday things were no longer dull and average, but vastly fascinating in their commonplace details.

As the discussion, so-called, lapsed into another bout of discomfiting quietude, I couldn't hold back any longer.

"Esme, is something wrong?"

Glancing at me in subtle shock, the caramel-haired vampire bit her lip nervously as we pulled up the long drive to house. She sighed with abrupt resignation, obviously troubled, but failed to respond before we parked close to the house.

"Esme?" I prompted her more concernedly, brows now pulled very tightly together.

"Come inside and settle yourself," she told me rather than answer the inquiry, allowing her lightness to fall away under the acknowledgment of my comprehension.

Worried exponentially, with the pressure of absolute certainty that something had gone dreadfully awry, I followed Esme's lead all the same and walked into the house beside her.

For some inexplicable reason, the house felt remarkably empty. Everything seemed to be in its place from what I could see, but there was something off about the atmosphere I couldn't explain.

"I'd rather not get into a discussion without all of us present," Esme sighed wearily in the entryway as I took off my outerwear. "Carlisle should be home in two hours. Could you find something to distract yourself until then, Mireille?"

Esme didn't usually call me by my full name; this was certainly going to be an unpleasant conversation, whenever it came about.

"I guess so," I allowed tentatively. A niggling fear in the back of my mind wouldn't go away. Gathering the bravery the Cullens said I possessed in spades, I posed the query to Esme, "I didn't do anything… to expose you guys, did I? I didn't say anything wrong at Angela's? Or anywhere else?"

Startled by the rapid-fire questions, Esme shook her head, "No, sweetheart. You haven't said or done anything wrong."

That, at least, was true and clear by her mildly humored tone and the fond exasperation infusing her tired expression.

"If you say so, Esme," I accepted her reply and reached for my bags. "I can take my time putting these things away, for a start on activity."

"Go ahead," Esme exhaled some of her tension, but only a little, as she handed off the baggage. "I'll be in hearing range if you need me. All right?"

"Okay," I nodded, startled a bit when the motherly vampire disappeared in a rush of air. "Well, that was quick."

Shaking away my much too snarky comment, I headed up to the third floor with the air of a woman going to war. What on earth could have happened? Unable to answer the question, I sighed irritably and set to the task of unloading my duffle bag.

With everything settled from my short visit in town, I checked the time and unhappily saw only twenty minutes had passed since I began. Now I would have to find something else to do, but as anxious as I felt, there were very few things capable of holding my attention. Movies, CDs, books, video games… none of it would help.

Taking a moment to glance around the room for further inspiration, I pursed my lips disappointedly at the definite lack – at least until I glimpsed the antique Victorian music box Edward gave me at Thanksgiving. With little else to do, I picked up the musical item and turned the key as far as it would go. ' _Moonlight Sonata'_ in its most basic form tinkled in the large room like wind chimes. The soft tune eased my nerves a little, but still left me mostly unoccupied. Cradling the music box with gentle hands, I returned to the main level to try and find something else to focus on.

Wandering and trying not to think about the strange atmosphere I still felt in the house, I walked casually past the piano, releasing one hand from the music box to trail my fingers along the ebony and ivory with mindless movement.

Stopping as the music box finally reached its slow dirge near the end, I considered the song I loved and Edward's frequent choice to play it even on a normal, comfortable day. Sitting gingerly on the piano bench, I carefully placed the musical box atop the smooth cover of the instrument and ever-so-slowly picked out the beginning notes of my favorite Beethoven composition.

* * *


	39. Chapter 37: Importance

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** This is a pretty big chapter. Not size, necessarily, but the plot includes something huge for Mireille: starting self-defense. I don't know much about self-defense or how you move/fight, but I've looked up some beginner techniques and I'll try to write them effectively.

No Denali coven interactions yet. Sorry about that! It just didn't make sense for Mireille to wait more than 2 weeks before starting self-defense, so I brought that in first. Definitely having Denalis in the next chapter, however. :)

**Song Inspiration:** **  
** _Believer_ by Imagine Dragons

**Previously** – Carlisle drove Mireille to the Weber home and Mireille realized she couldn't have helped getting close to the students. Mireille missed the Cullens already. Angela showed Mireille her colorful room. Alice texted Mireille and explained Esme had to be defended against a rumor. Mireille, Angela, Katie, and Jessica watched _Scooby Doo_. Jessica asked Mireille to see if Edward likes her and Mireille lost interest in the other movies. Mireille couldn't sleep and Angela suggested calling Carlisle. Mireille never called and stayed awake all night. The girls had breakfast and Jessica's mom arrived. Jessica reluctantly stopped eating and planned to leave. Mireille convinced Jessica to finish breakfast. When they both went upstairs to change, Jessica thanked Mireille. Monica Stanley looked overdone and was annoyed by Esme's simple loveliness. Mireille realized something bothered Esme. Esme asked Mireille to wait until Carlisle came home and left. Mireille began to practice 'Moonlight Sonata' on the piano.

> **Chapter 37: Importance**

Time passed, but I wasn't sure how much as I made headway on ' _Moonlight Sonata'_ , determining which notes to play, which keys went with which hand and finally gaining a solid rhythm with my right hand to play the general melody of the song.

"You're learning very swiftly," Edward's gentle velvet tone caught me unawares and I was glad I had earlier set down the music box; had it remained in my grasp, I would have dropped it without a doubt.

"Don't do that," I scolded him mildly, not entirely sure I meant it as I turned to gauge his expression.

Edward's eyes sparkled amber in his vague amusement. "My apologies, Mireille."

"You seem strangely well-humored after the way Esme acted," I informed him rather drolly.

"Product of over-thinking things every day, I suppose," he smirked and reappeared beside me on the bench.

"What time is it?" I inquired.

"Ten forty-five," Edward replied with a check on his watch. "Would you like the sheet music for ' _Moonlight Sonata'_?"

"I wouldn't argue it," I shrugged one shoulder. "It would take a good deal longer than ' _Spring'_ to perfect, but at least I could practice it with actual notes and not guesswork."

"You've done excellently so far," he smiled slightly as I replayed the notes of the right hand. After a few seconds, a pale hand flashed up onto the keyboard, Edward's cold arm settled against my back as he added in the left hand notes to match the melody of my right.

"That sounds wonderful to me," Edward decided once I reached the end of what I had practiced so far, his long arm reaching over my head to flip through my piano book on the instrument's music rack.

"You want me to play ' _Spring'_ again?" I wondered at his choice once he stopped flipping pages.

"And why not?" he countered lightly.

Shrugging casually, I rearranged my hands to begin the piece, each quick succession of notes a zipping joy of completion as I played, without stopping, until the very last note.

" _I_ think," Edward stressed with a tiny lilt to his voice, "you have mastered this piece, Miss Whitlock."

"Oh, really?" I questioned with stiff politeness, turning to him with a pleasantly surprised expression and leaning my head formally in his direction. "Thank you, Mr. Cullen."

Chuckling at my unusual humor, Edward returned the music book to its original state.

"Carlisle will be here in…" the bronze-haired vampire checked his watch again with an instantaneous flick of his wrist, "one hour. Shall I?"

Gesturing in a sweep from music box to keyboard, Edward hinted at a performance I would never refuse.

"Please do," I smiled gladly at his offer.

I would have risen from the bench to free up the expert pianist's space, but his arm had already returned to the keyboard from behind my back, effectively trapping me beside him on the bench. Forgoing any argument, I simply settled in for a consistently marvelous rendition of ' _Moonlight Sonata'_ , undisturbed by the line of cold behind me.

With a raised brow as the last dark note descended, Edward segued into Vivaldi's ' _Winter'_ with a gushing enthusiasm I had only ever seen him adhere to Rachmaninoff's dramatic flare. In all of the intensity, Edward never once jostled my position on the bench.

Ending the piece with a slight rallentando, Edward left me grinning with enjoyment at his great energy.

"Thank you," I laughed slightly at his long-suffering face.

"You're welcome," he shook his head and sighed fondly. "We still have forty-five minutes before Carlisle arrives at the house. Then we'll explain what has everyone tied up in knots."

"Good, then we can get to the bottom of this depression," I stated firmly, pausing as I considered the unexpected pun in my phrasing.

Edward sighed humorously and shook his head again. "Oh, Mireille."

Ignoring his amused exasperation, I moved to the living area with the musical vampire and settled into one of the white sofas beside him.

"So why are you here and no one else?" I asked out of the blue, kicking off my shoes and curling up into the cushions.

"The others are still having fits," Edward answered nonchalantly. "I was upset at first, too, but when we tried to plan for what's happening, I realized we should be asking you to help us."

"Aside from the obvious fact of keeping me in the loop," I wondered, "why is my help so important?"

"Your plans always seem to make the most sense," Edward threw out a hand in hapless confession. "You bring a refreshing point of view to our stagnant minds. Besides, your plans are usually the most effective, as well."

"I haven't planned _that_ much," I rolled my eyes at him.

"No, you only planned your entire backstory," He lifted a brow, going on before I could speak, "Including every single reason to back up our connections – or lack thereof – with you, your mother, and your father. You planned for your mother's name to match Carlisle's in uniqueness, and the reason behind losing contact with your father's friends you supposedly lived with after his death. You planned who would best read each chapter in the books and for Jasper's troubles with bloodlust. Even if you never had to use it, you _had_ a plan in mind for getting me back into this house after the attack – and it would have worked, believe me. You also planned to take self-defense to protect against Vanessa. And while you may not have planned it, you certainly determined excellent ideas when dealing with the other students, with Charlie, even with Mrs. Cope the day you registered at the school. I'd say all of that represents an excellent mind for strategy, as we have discussed numerous times before."

"So then… this means I can at least have a hint what this is all about… doesn't it?"

My all too innocent expression brought another chuckle out of Edward.

"Well… I want to, but…" the seventeen-year-old confessed, lifting one shoulder helplessly.

"… _but_ you don't want me to panic before the others – especially Jasper – get here," I completed his reason without having to hear it aloud. "And _they_ won't be here until Carlisle is here."

"That's close enough," Edward smirked at my knowing thoughts.

"Well, let's talk about something else, then," I shrugged acceptingly.

"What shall we talk about?" he asked me with a raised brow.

"Let's start with what Monica Stanley said about Esme," I began with a frown at the memory of Jessica's fake, overbearing mother.

"Last night, Monica had to nerve to remark on Esme's absence at the Webers' house when dropping you off," Edward rolled his eyes. "Carlisle explained it away, of course. Something along the lines of making sure the rest of the brood does their homework."

I laughed out loud at the ridiculous description and the probable relish with which Carlisle had uttered it.

"Oh, he loved it," Edward laughed with me. "Mrs. Stanley always has something to think or say about Esme."

"Simple jealousy?" I figured after seeing the woman's dour face at Angela's house.

"Yes," Edward rolled his eyes. "It's too bad more people can't be like the Webers."

"Agreed," I nodded emphatically.

"Ah, how did Jessica take your… description?" Edward inquired very casually, face impassive.

_Much_ _too_ impassive.

"Of what?" I prompted him in a sharp tone, staring ahead for a moment to gather my patience before I turned to catch his gaze.

"Oh, nothing," he replied with shockingly uncharacteristic lightness in his voice, waving away the issue with a strange quirk of his lips that looked incredibly unnatural.

"Please, just stop," I groaned suddenly, head flopping back against the sofa. "You are absolutely _terrible_ at sounding blasé."

"Only when I'm amused," Edward smirked wickedly at me, throwing away all pretense.

"If Alice saw it, why ask?" I grumbled at him, crossing my arms.

"To see your inevitable reaction," Edward laughed.

"So you _are_ trying to humiliate me," I sighed exasperatedly.

Edward smacked my arm lightly with a pillow as he replied, "You're starting to share my melodrama. Have you realized that?"

"No comparison," I scoffed loudly.

"You're right," he agreed, to my surprise. With a roll of his eyes, however, Edward continued, "We're even."

When I tried to counter the remark, Edward cut me off with abrupt seriousness, "Humor me for a moment, Mireille. Consider two times – just two – where you have dramatized your place in our lives to the point of excess."

Again I tried to interrupt and again Edward interrupted in return, "The first time, on Carlisle and Esme's anniversary, you pulled yourself away as though you were no more than a common intruder stealing our time and affections."

One more time I attempted to argue, but the bronze-haired vampire wouldn't have it, speaking before I could, "The second time, just four days ago, you placed sole responsibility on your own shoulders for how an entire town would view our family, as well as for how all of our futures would turn out. That's not even mentioning when the books appeared in Alice's closet. You were nearly hysterical, blaming yourself for ruining something which has yet to even occur. All three times, you doubted your importance in the world and placed your own worth beneath everyone else's. I could accept the first two times, but after we reassured you and included you so deeply, why did your fears resurface? It doesn't make any sense to me."

Struck by the description of my worries and fears as Edward finally went silent, I hesitated with a slight sigh, eventually just taking the plunge, "I know those instances seem very alike, but they're really not… The first time, on Carlisle and Esme's anniversary, I was afraid of intruding on your personal family bonds, stepping on your toes as though I had always been a part of the family. Does that make sense?"

Pursing his lips in shrewd thought, Edward tilted his head uncertainly. "I suppose so… But go on."

"The second time, with the sleepover," I continued a little more confidently, "I was afraid of ruining your environment for the future with Bella and everything. It was about my unexpected presence threatening the stability of that future, whatever it stands to be."

"So, in the one instance," Edward tried to clarify, irritation growing in his amber gaze, "you worried that your presence would intrude on our past history. And in the other instance, you worried that your presence would intrude on our potential future."

"That's about it," I confirmed tentatively. It seemed as though the other shoe was literally about to drop.

"Literally," Edward scoffed and put his thoughts out there plainly. "No matter what you do, you think your presence is an intrusion, an invasion upon our world. Past, present, or future, you can't possibly have a place in our lives without ruining absolutely everything. Isn't that about the strength of it?"

"That's not really what I said," I tried to argue.

Edward cut me off sharply, "No, but it's what you _meant_."

Caught out with my deep feelings about being a sudden, seemingly unnecessary part of the Cullens' world, I could hardly debate the statement to the determined face of my most frequent companion.

"I thought not," Edward concluded, irritation becoming anger within a heartbeat. "You have no idea how many things you've helped each of us to make amends with or how much of our own natures you helped us to conquer. You can't even comprehend any of it because you're so hell-bent on ensuring our future is completely perfect! Nothing is going to be perfect, Mireille. _Nothing_. If our future takes the exact same path as the books, then there will have been a thousand things we failed to improve upon. Even with errors and mistakes, our lives with Bella, the wolves, the Volturi… all of it could still be so much better than the books allowed for. You're helping us with that, don't you see?"

Mute in surprise, I could hardly think through Edward's speech. It was a lot to process in all of a few minutes, and before I could really digest it all, he sighed in frustration.

"I don't know what to say," I murmured uncomfortably, watching my hands beginning to twist together.

"I can tell," Edward murmured in return, exhaling more calmly and turning to face me, the fire in his gaze thankfully extinguished. "I'm sorry if I seem too… fanatical. It's so difficult to see a bright life like yours becoming burned out by anxiety over futures you have no real control over."

In the wake of such a mindset, I had no words with which to argue. There was little left to say, anyway.

"The others are here," Edward muttered resignedly, settling more deeply into the sofa.

"Such happy discussions today," Alice sighed wearily as she and Jasper settled together on the other side of Edward, the pixielike vampire happy to sit on her husband's lap. Jasper laid a soothing hand on her neck, leading Alice to smile gratefully at him.

"It certainly seems to be the day for it," Emmett complained, appearing in a blur on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"Misery loves company," Rosalie remarked dryly, taking a place on the fireplace surround near the burly vampire she loved.

"Is Carlisle close?" Esme inquired, the last to join us as she sat on the opposing sofa.

"Three minutes," Alice answered simply, reveling in Jasper's fingers weaving through the short hairs at the base of her neck.

"I can't wait to hear what has you all this worked up," I muttered with raised brows.

"Believe me, you can," Rosalie commented in a monotone, examining her nails without any real interest.

"Esme, did you get your muffin tin back?" I wondered randomly in the ensuing quiet.

"Oh, yes, I did," the motherly vampire smiled slightly. "Julie made sure to hand it over when I came in."

Nodding, I settled back into the silence that overtook the seven of us until Carlisle came through the door. The doctor failed to be surprised by the melancholy spread across the room, leaving me to guess somebody had called him with forewarning.

"We told him after he came home last night," Edward explained to my unspoken thoughts. "Alice saw it after you left for Angela's."

Accepting the explanation with a calm nod, I turned back towards Carlisle when he sat with Esme across the way. The caramel-haired vampire leaned immediately onto her husband's shoulder, his arm coming around her waist automatically.

"I hope you at least enjoyed the sleepover?" Carlisle inquired of me with a wry, long-suffering look over our continual bad luck.

With a noncommittal shrug, I answered, "Some of it."

"Well, that's something," he sighed and rapidly cut to the chase. "Mireille, we have a slight problem."

"Slight?" I repeated with some incredulity. After all the stress, tiredness, worry, and hesitation the rest of the family had shown so far, I doubted it was 'slight' in any way, shape, or form.

"I beg your pardon," Carlisle nodded understandingly, chuckling a little grimly. "Straight to the point, then… The Denali coven is going to be here on the twenty-third of this month. In Alice's vision, they did not appear in any way accepting of a human presence here. We haven't seen any actions that would expose us to the Volturi, but it doesn't seem the Denalis will be very tolerant regardless."

Blinking for a decent stretch of time at the incomprehensible words, I finally shook my head to clear it. To say I was shocked didn't cover my feelings on the subject. Edward winced at my loud thoughts.

Overwhelmed with a flash of anxiety, I fairly burst, "And you actually thought I would be _calm_ about this… simply because you're all here with me? _Really_?"

Seeming to have expected this kind of reaction, Carlisle took a deep breath and attempted to explain, "We merely thought it would be helpful if, rather than stressing yourself without a plan in mind, we could all discuss it and find a solution together. That generally tends to calm you in a stressful situation, so we believed it the best option."

"Consider it officially _not_ the best option!" I exclaimed disbelievingly, hating that I sounded so petulant, but unable to see further in the midst of such a far-reaching revelation. This wasn't just a human encounter gone wrong, this was the Denali vampires – all five of them – clearly taking issue with the Cullens allowing a human into the circle.

"Mireille," Edward tried to intercede, hand reaching towards me in placation I didn't particularly feel like accepting.

"Look, I understand you were worried about my reaction," I continued despite Edward's attempts, ignoring his outstretched hand. "And I was fine with the waiting game. But just what solution are we even trying for? You said yourself Alice has seen them upset about this and not likely to accept your choice to allow me here. Based on all of your reactions, that hasn't changed in the least!"

"We've tried to see what would happen if we cleared the main floor of your scent, but it didn't change anything," Jasper offered up, eyes keenly concerned over my rugged emotional climate. He seemed to think jumping straight into discussion would help keep the situation on track.

"Is that why the house felt so strange when we came back?" I asked exasperatedly of Esme as I sat straight in my seat. It was no longer comfortable, anyway. "That emptiness was because all the scents had been swiped clean for a time?"

"Yes, we cleaned everything early this morning," the motherly vampire answered apologetically.

"Why would you try to hide my presence from them?" I wondered, even more frustrated. "That would just make them think they can't trust you!"

"This is why we need you to discuss the problem with us," Edward intervened loudly at last, facing me with equal frustration.

"Not to be my usual offensive self," Rosalie cut in wryly, brows nearly touching her hairline, "but I'm confused how that's anything _we_ couldn't think of?"

"Thank you!" I gestured at the blonde vampire with my hand, thoroughly irked.

"The only thing we have tried to do so far is stop their upset reaction," Edward exhaled shortly, hand smacking his knee. "Did any one of us think to ease them into that upset, rather than preventing it directly? I didn't even think of it until Mireille just said as much!"

"I didn't even remotely say that," I argued with a scowl. "That was all your own strategy, so you clearly didn't need me for _that_."

"No, but we need your perspective all the same," Edward calmed himself admirably.

"Why?" I asked loudly, completely done with his insistence.

"What would you do if you met them suddenly, Mireille?" Jasper took over for his brother, genuine curiosity in his gaze. He appeared to have caught on to whatever Edward had been thinking – lucky him.

"Try not to freak out?" I suggested sarcastically.

"Be serious, will you?" Rosalie rolled her eyes slightly.

"I have no idea," I threw my hands up. "I'd probably make some stupid pun about Kate's 'shocking' ability and make myself look like a total idiot!"

"That's not idiocy," Jasper interrupted again, the intensity of his expression giving my pause. "What you consider 'stupidity' is precisely what draws people to your personality. It's a natural amiability and charisma you don't even realize you have. When you make those dry remarks, it puts people at ease. They feel comfortable with that part of you, because you're easy to get along with."

Jasper's strikingly succinct, detailed explanation caught me off guard.

"I always thought it was just my… I don't know, my… _personal insulation_ … going on full alert," I professed much more quietly than before. Even without using his ability, Jasper had calmed me. "It was a barrier, I guess. An easy way to slip out of a conversation I didn't know how to participate in."

"It probably feels that way to you," Jasper went on. "You're such a private, reserved person at times and I'm sure you don't always enjoy social situations, but when you're true to your natural character, you bring everyone else the same satisfaction."

"I still don't understand how this helps _anything_ ," I pressed, stressed and confused in the face of a seemingly impossible circumstance.

"Based on what you've already said," Esme considered pensively, "I think I understand what Edward is suggesting now."

"I would love to be let in on the secret," I sighed, exhausted from the arguing and tension. Everyone seemed to understand now, except for me. Whatever Edward said about my strategic mind, I didn't feel a jot of it just then.

With surprising gentleness and a light touch on my hand where it rested against the arm of the sofa, Emmett added his thoughts to the situation, "Mir, you always try to see the good in people. Look at Rosie…. She's a persnickety persimmon sometimes, but you even got under her skin somehow. And you're always sincere; it makes people trust you. So just be yourself, penguin lady. You'll knock 'em dead… Well, as dead as they can get nowadays."

Staring as the bulky vampire showed his sweet, brotherly side, I suddenly found laughter exploding from my lips. The surprisingly loud sound expanded in the air of the house with a resonating echo. Emmett's grin and accompanying dimples lit up the whole room. In that moment, I could truly picture him as a big, brawny young guy with sparkling blue eyes and a roguish grin on his handsome face.

Rosalie smiled secretively at her husband, a sentimentality there that I rarely had the opportunity to see, but it was quite adorable.

"What you're suggesting is just… to let them meet Mireille right off the bat?" Jasper verified with Edward as my laugher subsided.

"Not that alone," Edward deferred. "We need to explain, of course. I'm not sure how much they should know, but if we don't give clear reasons for Mireille's place in our lives, it won't be easy to convince them it's safe."

"You're still going to try and see Carmen first, aren't you?" I wondered with a slight frown.

"If possible," Esme agreed with a sigh that told me how unlikely that was.

"I would be satisfied with Eleazar and Carmen together," Carlisle nodded tentatively, leaving everyone in a mild funk at the unlikelihood of either circumstance.

"That's better!" Alice exclaimed out of the blue, sitting straighter as her eyes glazed over. "Thank goodness, Carlisle. I hadn't tried to see Eleazar and Carmen together. It's so much smoother now!"

"Are we sure that possibility will remain in tact by the time they arrive?" Rosalie frowned pensively.

"Well, not precisely," Alice confessed unhappily, "but at least there's a very good chance now. When I tried to see Carmen on her own, it never worked out at all."

"It still might not," I bit my lip anxiously, but felt too tired to think up any better solutions. The wave of anxiety emphasized my lack of sleep even more keenly. "Is this really our only option?"

"I don't want them to start mistrusting us," Edward explained, finally at ease. "I want them to meet you and know without a doubt, just as we do, that you would never expose us. There are no words that would explain your trustworthy presence unless they met you. It's just something they have to experience firsthand."

"I suppose that's the only thing we can do," Carlisle conceded. "As you've said, they would find us untrustworthy if we hid this. Is there any other issue we need to consider?"

"Nothing," Alice concluded, eyes focused elsewhere in the universe. "Hopefully this choice will give me a lot more to work with than what we've already seen."

"I have one thing," I remarked as a wave of tiredness overcame me at last.

"What's that, dear?" Esme queried, confused by Edward's quiet laughter.

"Is one o'clock too early for bed?"

The family's combined laughs followed Esme and I upstairs as she swept me away, pulling down the covers while I changed into the same pair of hot pink pajamas. This time, I didn't have a single problem falling asleep in them.

Monday rolled in the same as most every other day the previous week, thankfully lacking any kind of contact with Vanessa Travis. Whatever her reasons for not getting involved in another verbal attack, I was all too happy about the absence.

Jessica sat quietly in first period, a startling change from her loud, chatty personality the last time we shared a class. Another change, much to my shock, included Jessica not flirting with Edward at all. She took the same seat in front of us, said hi to us both, but never once turned back with the odd, flirtatious faces of before. Edward snorted very, very quietly as I marveled over the change, and I realized Jessica's thoughts hadn't changed, just her outward actions. Perhaps she felt she had exposed too much of herself in front of me and didn't want to further the situation.

In Spanish, Ben and I chattered a little over Batman and the comic book the boy continued to read, something I appreciated for its ordinary nature.

All three of my friends from the sleepover stopped to greet me in the cafeteria as I walked in with Rosalie and Emmett. The boys stopped as well, the group of four now expanded to include Mike and Tyler. Both boys looked overly interested in my presence, a fact I nearly rolled my eyes at, but I reluctantly withheld the gesture.

Angela spoke happily with me – and a little with Jasper, surprisingly – in History, followed by the same in English with Edward. Both vampires' amused patience with the tall girl's unusually excitable persona made me smile as we left each class.

Really, I should have known Edward would have words for me eventually that day. He had grinned all too devilishly at lunch as Katie kept passing Jessica a teasing look and the shorter girl glared slightly in the redhead's direction. I realized quite discouragingly that Jessica's request had not faded.

I was fortunate enough that Edward waited to broach his high humor until Carlisle had nearly reached Olympia for my first self-defense lesson that night. Instead, the bronze-haired vampire allowed me to do some of my homework first.

Edward's presence had been a last-minute choice – more than likely so he could tease me rather than do anything useful.

Scoffing through a laugh, Edward shook his head at my thoughts. "Don't be silly, Mireille. Alice saw it going even better with me there."

"Only because you're going to pick the guy's brain and look like a fighting prodigy," I countered with a scoff.

"Just an average teenager who took a year of self-defense," the bronze-haired vampire shrugged, his grin never fading.

"Average, my foot," I retorted almost under my breath. Carlisle laughed up in the front seat at our banter.

"Well, 'average' does fit me," Edward remarked, a smirk growing on his features as he added, "After all, I only have a _nice_ face."

"Jessica calls you 'gorgeous' and 'hot' yet I'm the one whose words get made fun of," I debated exasperatedly. "There's something seriously wrong with that, Edward."

"Jessica wouldn't be embarrassed," he laughed at my pink cheeks, "Nor would she be nearly as fun to tease if she _were_ embarrassed."

"Shut up," I groaned, which only made him laugh more. Carlisle even joined in, to my dismay. "Et tu, Carlisle?"

"I am sorry, Mireille," the doctor chuckled still, forcing back his humor to continue driving – at the legal limit, even.

Granted, the Forks cruiser ahead of us kind of prevented a speed binge.

The chief of police had left Forks in his deputy's capable hands while he attended this first defense meeting with us. Mark may have known the instructor better, but Charlie knew us better. Besides, Mark's son Jeremy was still recovering from his burst appendix and subsequent surgery on Saturday.

Carlisle generously offered for the chief to join us in the Mercedes and save on gas, as well as prevent any more wear and tear on the cruiser, but Charlie refused multiple times. His final reply on the topic had made me laugh out loud.

"I really don't need a lift," Charlie had shaken his head, but added with a surprising crinkly-eyed grin, "Anyway, people take the speed limit signs a little more seriously with a cop car around."

Grinning still over the chief's little joke, I saw – as Bella had – why Renee Higginbotham had fallen into an early marriage with Charlie Swan so long ago.

As we pulled into the parking lot of Body Balance, my anticipation notched itself higher, but it didn't deter my mild excitement to experience something new and learn to protect myself.

Edward smiled more casually at my thoughts as we exited the car and joined Charlie walking into the building.

"You ready, kiddo?" the chief inquired with muted quirk of his lips, opening the door for us.

"I've been ready for a while, Charlie," I smiled appreciatively at his gesture and followed Carlisle into the building.

Body Balance was a bright, cheerful gym with walls painted a gentle beige and highlighted in bold tones of aqua and lime. In the cardio area, two people exercised on the elliptical and the treadmill. A third person lifted weights on the opposite side of the room.

"Hi there, what can I do for you?" a sure voice asked, and I turned to find the very same instructor we were there to meet, dark hair liberally flecked with gray and brown eyes shining in a friendly light.

"Charlie Swan," the brown-haired chief of police introduced himself first, shaking the muscular man's hand firmly. "I called earlier this week."

"Daniel Griffin," he introduced himself with a nod and slight smile. "I remember your call. We talked about teen self-defense instruction."

"Yes, we did," Charlie agreed, plainly pleased at the man's quick memory. "I was calling for Dr. Cullen, here."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Daniel offered a hand to the doctor.

"A pleasure, Mr. Griffin," Carlisle smiled mildly in return, careful not to show his teeth overmuch. "This is my son, Edward, and my niece, Mireille."

Daniel shook our hands as well, asking up front, "Will they both be learning to defend themselves?

Carlisle calmly explained, "It's Mireille who would be learning from you. Edward has had training before."

"How long did you train, Edward?" Daniel addressed the mind-reader directly, clearly pleased.

"A year, sir," Edward nodded in confirmation.

From the athletic appearance of his black sweatpants, black track shoes, and long-sleeved gray t-shirt that had been pushed back to reveal the defined muscles of his forearms – all planned, I had no doubt – it didn't take much to believe the white lie. Besides, Jasper _had_ trained him on self-defense already, just not the human kind.

"Glad to hear it," Daniel nodded in approval. "Everyone should know how to protect themselves. Let's take this to my office and we'll arrange everything, all right?"

Carlisle and Charlie agreed gladly and led the way to the small office off the side of the main gym area.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to just get some general information about why we're here," Daniel addressed us in general while Carlisle went through a slim stack of paperwork, pen scribbling away.

"Go ahead," Carlisle nodded as he signed the bottom of a page.

"How old are you, Mireille?" the kind-faced instructor asked first.

"Sixteen just this month," I answered.

"Are you into sports or any physical activities?"

"I'm not into anything at school, but I do a little exercise every day."

"Even a little bit helps," Daniel told me. "Now, is there any special reason Mireille hasn't been trained like Edward, Dr. Cullen?"

"Mireille came to live with us just this fall," Carlisle explained, seeming hesitant to reveal the reason for that move. Inwardly, I applauded his acting skills despite knowing they were excellent.

"Your parents?" Daniel asked me kindly, blunt and yet sympathetic to my feelings.

"They're gone," I offered simply and quietly, and it was true in many ways I didn't care to analyze anymore, even before my mother died and my father pushed me out of his life.

In some ways it had been a long time, but at the same time it hadn't been long at all; I couldn't really explain the contradiction, even to myself. I just knew whatever pain had come with those circumstances; it had long since become a mere reminder of what I never had.

Edward's hand touched mine beneath the level of the desk, the one person who knew what paths my mind traveled.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Daniel sighed, genuine in his sentiment. "I'm glad you're with someone who's keeping you safe now."

A moment of quietude passed in which the instructor seemed to be giving me time to recover myself before he moved on, "So what made you choose to start self-defense?"

The question sounded rather general in its terms, but it clearly focused on me. Looking over at Carlisle for approval, I smiled slightly when he nodded encouragingly.

"In November, I stopped for gas on the way home one night," I started bluntly and yet picked my words carefully, trying to give a good enough idea without offering more than necessary. After talking with Edward about the attack and the horror we had both experienced, it was strangely effortless to discuss that terrible night now. "Before I could get back in the car, the lights went out. I knew something was wrong, but I was just…"

"…frozen," Daniel finished the thought for me, face grim and full of understanding.

"Yes," I confirmed with a nod, pressing on more steadily, "Someone hit me and I lost my breath before I could scream. The covered my mouth and dragged me deep into the trees. I don't even know how many times they hit me, but I do remember the knife in my back. It was like fire… I've never hurt like that in my life… but then something scared them away. Maybe an animal or something… All I know is they left."

"Was it you who found her?" Daniel asked gravely of Charlie, who looked ready to spit fire, even after having arrested Greg Overman for the crime. But then, Charlie believed me when I told him two attackers came after me; I had the feeling he wouldn't give up the case until he knew for sure one way or the other.

"I found her first," Carlisle answered tightly, facing enormous difficulty not clenching his jaw closed. "Mireille was supposed to be home an hour earlier. She never shirks responsibility, so I knew something was wrong. I called Charlie immediately."

"When he called, I already had a gut feeling it was going to be bad," the chief of police took over, voice burning with anger even now. "We found the car at the gas station, trashed like nobody's business. There wasn't much to follow at first, but Carlisle's got a surgeon's eyes; found a trail where I couldn't and followed it before I could even get a foot by him."

"I'm very quick on my feet," Carlisle continued, no sign of humor anywhere on his face at what normally would be an amusing inside joke. "And in that situation, knowing something was wrong, I…"

"You ran like hell," Daniel completed the sentence with strength in his voice when Carlisle couldn't seem to do so. "You knew your girl was hurting and you weren't going to wait on anything or anyone to find her for you."

"Yes," was all Carlisle could say, reaching over to squeeze my shoulder as firmly as he dared. My eyes watered unbidden at the pain in his golden eyes.

"You've been through this," I couldn't help but speculate, the ferocity in Daniel Griffin's brown eyes striking me all of sudden.

"My little sister," he answered without hesitation, although his lips tightened at memories I couldn't see. "Laura was eighteen. She was shopping for Prom in Seattle, just enjoying life, when this guy followed her to the parking lot… Like you, Mireille, she was responsible. When she didn't come home in time for dinner, we knew something was wrong. My dad wouldn't wait for anyone to find his baby girl. I thought he was losing his mind… They never caught the man who tormented Laura."

Stunned by the terrible history of this man who seemed so kind and open, I prayed the man who hurt his sister had been taken off the board. I didn't _want_ another human being to die, but this man hadn't acted like a human being and I couldn't bear the thought of more victims like Laura Griffin.

Edward squeezed my hand in reassurance, and I wished he didn't have to see everyone's god-awful memories like this.

"Is that why you teach people to protect themselves?" I asked, despite how obvious the answer seemed.

"Partly," he nodded. "Eventually Laura couldn't stand the thought of leaving the house and we didn't know how to help her. I started boxing to release the anger and my trainer set me up with a self-defense teacher. I started showing my sister what I learned. Twenty years later, she owns a gym in Georgia, teaching the same as I do."

Amazed by the siblings' journey, I marveled at how the suffering of Laura's life had not stopped her from living. She became powerful in spite of her pain and gave others the chance to be powerful, too.

"You're both very strong," Carlisle commented sincerely, a furrow in his brows at the tale.

"Thank you," Daniel smiled firmly. "Are you ready to start protecting yourself, Mireille?"

"I don't want to be hurt again," I responded determinedly.

"Then let's get training," Daniel clapped his hands with firm encouragement.

With the paperwork and payments squared away, I took a few minutes to change into an aqua tee, gray spandex capris, and gray tennis shoes, then pulled my hair up into a half ponytail.

Carlisle, Charlie, and Edward all sitting to the side of the large mat, watching as I took my first steps into the foray of self-defense, made me feel very uncertain and insecure, but Daniel's no-nonsense, get-up-and-go attitude drew my attention enough that the eyes following my activity became more like background noise rather than a full distraction.

"All right, first thing," Daniel began, "is about willingness. This is of the utmost importance, no matter what your skill level… When you're defending yourself, you have to be willing to hurt someone. Now, I don't mean that you relish someone being in pain or you feel good because you hurt somebody. What I mean is that you have to be willing to make someone hurt in order to free yourself. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," I nodded seriously. After freezing twice when under threat, I was ready to start acting rather than reacting.

"Good. Next thing is speed," he went on in a teaching voice. "When you're in a bad situation, you have to be quick when you're moving. You can't hesitate; you can't wait and see what you've done to your attacker before you decide to hit them again or run away. You need to attack in return and make it fast, constant. Otherwise, they're more likely to get the upper hand, okay?"

"Got it," I nodded pensively. After the speed of Greg and Vanessa's attack, the way they had so swiftly hit me and gagged me to stop a scream of warning, I knew speed was essential in protecting myself and getting help if I needed to.

"One of the first things I want to teach you is how to break holds," Daniel explained. "An attacker could grab you anywhere and try to hold you, but they're more likely to grab what's in easy reach, like your wrist, throat, waist, or hair. The first one we'll look at is your wrist… Edward, why don't you come up and help us out for a minute?"

Startled as much as Charlie and Carlisle appeared to be, I shared the bronze-haired vampire's gaze as he placidly rose from the chair and crossed the floor to our place on the mat. Suspicion filled my eyes as I looked over his athletic outfit through a new lens, my gaze narrowing just slightly. A glint of humor speared Edward's dark golden eyes as he challenged my suspicions.

"Thank you," Daniel nodded at Edward. "What I need you to do is grab Mireille's wrist while I show her how to break your hold, all right?"

Nodding his understanding, even as my eyes glared at his sneaky involvement, Edward grasped my left wrist in a very firm, cold grip.

"This is just one variation on breaking a wrist hold," Daniel informed me. "Now, first off, what would you do to try and get out of Edward's hold here?"

Thinking of all too many reasons why that would be impossible under normal vampire circumstances, I ignored the vast humor in Edward's eyes and answered as honestly as I knew how, "Well, I'd probably try to yank my hand out of his grip. I mean, I know it probably wouldn't work in most cases, but I'm trying to imagine myself in a panic. If that failed, I'd probably try to kick him or hit him."

"Those are all natural reactions for the average person," Daniel nodded at my estimation. "One problem is that you probably can't break the person's grip. The other problem is… when you're hitting or kicking them in this pose, you're actually propelling yourself closer to them. What if the attacker has you right next to their car? You could propel yourself right where they want you."

Frowning at the obvious difficulty, I wondered how you could possibly escape. "How do I get away, then?"

"One thing you need to do is twist your wrist so the narrow side faces the opening of Edward's fingers," Daniel explained, moving my wrist in the intended direction. While uncomfortable under the firm grip, it was doable. "That's so your wrist can slip from his grip more easily… The next thing is to plant your feet apart and get a good foundation under your body."

As Daniel told me the words of how to bend my knees slightly and widen my stance, he showed me with his own feet. "Okay, now you're in position. From here, as we already said, you can't break your attacker's grip, but… what you want to do is bend your body down and push your elbow under and over at the same time; like an upside-down rainbow. As your body bends down, your elbow comes in under Edward's grip and then at the end of that rainbow, your elbow should meet his. When you do that, you put your arms in such a position that your attacker's hand can't grasp your wrist anymore. When your arms are side by side like that, it's physically impossible because the wrist only moves a certain angle. Let's try it one move at a time."

For the rest of the lesson, we focused on breaking a single wrist hold, Edward playing the attacker and Daniel physically practicing the moves along with me. By the time we were done, I had started to perform the breakaway faster than a snail's pace, something Daniel seemed very excited about.

"Mireille, I think you're going be a natural," he had smiled encouragingly at me as I went to change into my warm clothes for going outside.

In the car on the way back to Forks, I examined the schedule Carlisle and Daniel had set up for my training before we left. Every day of the week, Daniel would train me for an hour and a half on his chosen self-defense style – Street Jiu Jitsu. The name alone sounded intimidating, but after how simply and gradually we had begun the lessons, I felt much easier in my mind. On Friday and Saturday, my training would increase to two hours. In addition, I had to start conditioning my body; Jiu Jitsu in any format wasn't something you could breeze through without being fit. To be fair, I wasn't going to be learning an all out assault-scale art, but even basic techniques would be a pretty good workout as we upped my skills over time.

We hadn't given Daniel our actual address in Forks, a measure for safekeeping. Charlie had thankfully been preoccupied with the story of my attack and hadn't noticed Carlisle writing down the P.O. box in Aberdeen he'd already arranged.

To my exasperation, Edward would be coming with me to all of my lessons rather than Carlisle. After classes every weekday, we would drive straight from school to Olympia, Edward driving at his standard ridiculous speeds to save as much of my extra time as possible. For once I couldn't argue the need for speed. Generally it took three hours to reach Olympia from Forks, then another three on the way back. Add in an hour-and-a-half to two hours for the actual training and my entire day would be gone.

Not only would Edward be helping at my daily lessons, he would be helping me practice outside of my training hours. Daniel loved the idea of someone I trusted, who already had defensive skill, now helping me to improve my technique. While sitting beside me as I worked on the rest of my homework at our shared desk, Edward laughed himself silly over my exasperation with his involvement, but I ignored him in favor of completing my assignments.

Between going to school, watching out for Vanessa, learning self-defense, doing homework, helplessly encouraging Angela's friendship, and facing Jessica's occasional push to somehow 'hook her up' with Edward – not to mention casually interacting with Katie, Conner, Lee, Austin, Ben, Tyler, and Mike – I had little time to fully panic about the Denali Coven and their impending visit to Forks.

When I did think about it in any solid mindset, my subsequent anxieties gave Jasper's skills quite a workout. The Texan vampire snickered at my apologies more than once, but I felt badly all the same.

After a week of intense nerves that never fully left me alone, it was to the point that I even made a card for Confederate Memorial Day. It wasn't a major holiday by any means, but it seemed a fitting time to put my apology for extreme anxiety into a written format. The written word was my strength, so I felt much better having put my thoughts on paper for Jasper.

Alice giggled incessantly the whole day until I finished my handmade card, the front covered in a confederate flag cut from scrapbook paper. Jasper sighed exasperatedly at the small notion as he opened it, particularly the continued apologetic words, but after reading the entire card, he did offer me a grateful smile for the gesture.

Four days later, Friday the twenty-third smacked me in the face like a weighty novel. At some time between ten-thirty and midnight, the Denali coven would be upon us. All throughout classes, every Cullen tried their best to keep me focused, but the end of sixth period was all too nerve-wracked for their assurances.

After returning from my defense training, I sat down to dinner and tried not to drive Jasper up the wall with my growing anxiety. Undoubtedly I failed on the latter goal, but at least the honey-haired vampire accepted my nerves as natural and simply fed me a store of calm. Once dinner passed my uninterested lips, my homework took much less time than I hoped, as usual in a stressful situation.

Most of the Cullens settled together at the cleared dining table to discuss, for the hundredth time, the best ways to explain my presence to Eleazar and Carmen without exposing the books. How they expected their rationale to extend to the three law-abiding sisters, I had no idea. Rather than join in the cyclical conversation again, Edward played tune after tune on the piano as another effort to calm me in the last hours before the Denalis would arrive in Forks.

* * *


	40. Chapter 38: Intuition

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays.

**Notes:  
** The Denalis have arrived! And I finally included the Cullen crests everyone wears! I meant to from the beginning, but totally forgot (except for Carlisle, obviously). So it's subtle and I've changed Alice's choker to a bracelet, but they're all included. :)

This chapter _may_ seem controversial or OOC to some, but I tried very hard to make everything reasonable, with supporting framework. I love this chapter and the many things I got to do outside the box.

**Song Inspiration:**  
 _At My Best_ by Machine Gun Kelly ft. Hailee Steinfeld

**Previously** – Edward joined Mireille at the piano and Mireille practiced 'Spring'. Edward played 'Moonlight Sonata' and 'Winter' for Mireille. Edward and Mireille discussed the sleepover and Mireille's self-doubts. The Cullens explained the Denali visit and Mireille was stressed. Emmett reassured Mireille and Edward said the Denalis simply have to meet Mireille for themselves. Edward teased Mireille about her comments on his looks. Mireille drove to Olympia with Carlisle, Edward, and Charlie. Mireille met Daniel Griffin and began learning self-defense. Daniel suggested Edward help Mireille with lessons. Mireille stressed over the Denalis as the Cullens waited for them to arrive.

> **Chapter 38: Intuition**

"Do you still see Carmen and Eleazar arriving early, Alice?" Esme queried of the pixielike vampire, biting her lip as she stared out over the landscape in her sights, which had become slush instead of snow; chilled air remained, but startlingly less than I expected near the end of January.

"Yes," Alice nodded definitively, eyes still glazed with foresight. "The sisters won't arrive for thirty minutes at the least, but Eleazar and Carmen are already close. Twelve minutes out."

Another twelve minutes and the two Spanish vampires would be there in the back yard asking questions we still weren't sure how to answer. Without revealing the books and my jump between universes, I didn't see how the certainty of my trustworthiness could ever actually be a sealed deal, but the Cullens seemed to think there was a chance.

Looking over the vampires all lined up before me out in the gray surroundings, I felt equally protected and vulnerable; protected because of their stance around me, yet vulnerable because they needed to stand there in the first place.

At the head of the group, Carlisle in a standard light blue work shirt, beige sweater, and navy slacks stood with Esme in a navy blouse, beige pants, and cream belted cardigan. The well-matched couple waited with their arms around each other's waist, ready to greet their visitors out in the back yard. Emmett and Rosalie fanned out behind and to the side of their parents while Jasper and Alice stood closer to the inside behind their bolder siblings.

In such a tense atmosphere, the jewelry bearing the Cullen crest caught my eye. Leather wristbands stood out in stark relief on the forearms of Edward, Jasper, and Emmett. Alice and Esme's firm yet delicate silver bracelets seemed to shine. Rosalie even placed her jeweled necklace in a place of prominence within the v-neck of her red jacket.

Rosalie's jacket was the one thing out of all our outfits that Alice had not planned to a tee for the Alaskan coven's appearance in Forks. Beneath the vivid red piece, Rosalie had still acquiesced to Alice's request of a gray blouse and dark pants, choosing a pair of black leather leggings, charcoal peplum top, and black stiletto boots. Emmett remained dressed in a gray pullover and gray jeans to match his wife.

Alice wore an outfit just as stylish as her sister, having picked jeans and a teal silk blouse with matching suede ankle boots and moto jacket. Complementing Alice's outfit, Jasper wore a teal sweater and dark brown leather jacket.

Placed behind Alice and Jasper at the back of the group, I felt a little awkward in the fashionable outfit Alice picked out for me. She had paired black blazer, black jeans, and high-heeled black leather ankle boots to a dark violet blouse boasting peach and plum beads embroidered along the neck, front, and wrists.

Standing directly at my back where I swayed anxiously just inside the doorway, Edward had been dressed in an all-black outfit consisting of a pullover, jeans, and well-fitting jacket. As I glanced back up at him in nervousness, Edward offered me a half smile and laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder to still my restlessness.

"They're here," Alice announced so softly I barely heard her voice.

Every one of the Cullens stood to sudden attention, all heads facing forward. Carlisle and Esme stepped a bit further out, leaving just enough room for me to see our guests through the line of vampires.

Clothed in rugged, neutral outfits of leather, suede, and denim, ebony-haired Eleazar and Carmen looked elegant and beautiful even in simple traveling clothes. That was all I could see before the ranks closed in on me again, leaving me to listen as diligently as I could to the unfolding scene.

"Carlisle, my friend?" Eleazar's voice carried across the yard, the shock all too plain to anyone listening.

"Eleazar, Carmen," Carlisle greeted the couple placidly despite Esme's nervous grip on his arm. "Welcome to Forks."

"You have visitors, I believe," Carmen said inquiringly, voice a picture of awkwardness.

"We have no visitors," Esme responded to the other vampire as calmly as her husband, and I applauded both her fortitude and Jasper's help.

Behind me, Edward hummed almost soundlessly in amusement, gripping my shoulder to convey his humor over my thoughts.

"What have you done?" Eleazar asked, audibly stunned as he realized the human presence he smelled and heard was no mistake.

Silence spread between house and yard, lasting an uncomfortably long time until Carlisle spoke again, a hint of resignation in his tone, "Why don't you join us and we'll explain?"

There was another silent pause over us all, that small window of time full of all the discomfort I had envisioned thirteen days earlier when the Cullens first told me of this visit. In spite of the unease surrounding everyone, at last Eleazar and Carmen must have decided to come nearer, because the Cullens began to fan out slightly across the back of the house. Carlisle and Esme came to stand before me on the steps leading into the house, both vampires reaching back to grasp my hand and offer a worried yet comforting expression.

When I finally saw the Spanish couple at close range, two pairs of darkened golden eyes became plastered to me with incredible surprise.

Standing the same height as Carlisle and Edward, Eleazar looked even more regal up close, even when he also appeared ready to blow a gasket of inestimable proportions. Carmen – who stood a mere inch or so above Esme's height – seemed remarkably less startled than her mate, but I couldn't understand why; something in her face turned completely accepting within moments and I wondered what had made her change her mind so quickly.

"Who is this new member of your family?" Carmen inquired respectfully, the slight accent of her homeland now more obvious.

"This is Mireille," Carlisle explained, turning to offer me a tight smile that bespoke his uncertainty and concern, mixed with hope for the encouraging view Carmen had taken of my presence. "She has only recently come to stay with us."

"A pleasure, Mireille," Carmen greeted me with a warm smile, offering a delicate hand between Carlisle and Esme's shoulders.

"I'm glad to meet you, Carmen," I replied with unnatural confidence as I accepted the handshake. Casting a mild frown in Jasper's direction, I tried to make it clear I didn't need _that_ much help. Withholding a smirk with the barest of grace, Jasper nodded only slightly to let me know he understood. The nerves returned just enough to make me feel more myself, something I relished with a tiny breath of relief.

"Does she know… about us?" Eleazar questioned quietly, careful in his wording.

Based on Eleazar's cautious choice of words, I suspected that he thought the Cullens' earlier lineup to be a method of restricting my sight; perhaps he believed they wanted to limit what I saw and knew of vampires. Concerned what the Spanish vampire's reaction would be once he found out the opposite, I found my hands twisting. Seeing the worry in my mind, Edward once again gave a squeeze to my shoulder; I hoped his assurances could keep me as calm when the sisters arrived.

"She knows," Edward spoke up shortly, the first of his siblings to do so. Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice still stood silent in waiting; while the smallest of the four watched continually for the future, the other three vampires remained focused on our first two visitors with unerring single-mindedness.

Eleazar didn't seem capable of tolerating such a blatant faux pas, but Carmen laid a restraining hand on his arm. The gesture made the taller of the two calm enough to ask another question, this one decidedly more impossible to answer.

"How much has she found out?"

"Whatever she needed to know," Esme replied simply, firmly, leaving no room for dispute.

"And how did this happen?" Carmen inquired before her partner could do so, attempting to keep the peace as much and as long as possible.

Breath caught in my chest at the boldfaced question; it was the most complicated to answer, as well as the most necessary.

"I'm not sure we can answer that question just yet," Carlisle put it as delicately as he could. Eleazar moved frustratedly to speak, but the doctor cut him off with a placating hand, "Not _yet_ , Eleazar."

Reluctantly accepting that for the time being, Eleazar added another question to the mix – one that equally surprised me and didn't surprise me at all.

"Are you going to turn her?"

"We have no immediate plans to do so," Edward once again intervened, answering with the very words Eleazar didn't want to hear.

"Is Mireille your mate, Edward?" Carmen asked suddenly, ending her husband's attempts at dispute more quickly than a vampire could move.

At first startled by the abrupt query, I swiftly recognized the assumption wouldn't be unexpected from the Denali coven. Even more to the point, Edward and I stood right beside each other with his hand on my shoulder, both of us wearing clothes that matched in the same way the other Cullen couples' outfits did. Eyeing Alice suspiciously, I considered she may have done it on purpose, but ultimately I couldn't see a point in lying about such a thing. When the Denalis were invited to the wedding I expected to take place in a few years, it would become quite obvious who Edward's mate really was and at that point, trust would be essential for a certain baby's existence.

"No, I'm not," I found the answered leaving my lips, thinking of Bella with an increase of nervousness. How on earth the Cullens expected to convince the Denalis to trust my presence if I was no one's mate and had no clear reason for being there, I couldn't even comprehend.

Carmen and Eleazar both eyed me shrewdly, the former coming away unsatisfied but accepting; most likely Carmen's dissatisfaction stemmed from a combination of Edward still not having a mate and my human knowledge overriding the Volturi's laws for no other apparent reason.

"Why is she here, then?" Eleazar gave voice to his deepest concerns. "For what purpose did you offer her the truth about our world?"

"They didn't tell me or show me anything," I asserted strongly, surprisingly angry by the other vampire's assumption and momentarily forgetting how careful my words needed to be. "The Cullens don't go spewing their secrets to the nearest human to come along."

"If they did not tell you or show you, then how could you possibly have known?" Eleazar cut to the chase in a heartbeat, looking vindicated.

Instantly, I regretted my decision to speak. Cursing my own stupidity, I accepted Edward's restraining hands on my upper arms as a deserved reminder to think before I spoke.

"Mireille has a special kind of intuition," Alice entered the conversation cryptically, eyes coming back into focus to hold Eleazar's surprised gaze. "She observes and comprehends things most humans can't fathom."

"Gifted?" Eleazar queried with fresh interest. The subject seemed to put his disappointed reaction on hold.

"Very gifted," Carlisle added almost as cryptically as his tiny daughter, black eyes glittering. "Mireille has a talent for… divining the truth, you might say."

Carlisle and Alice exuded a strangely conspiratorial air, their odd comments shaking up the entire group. Caught off guard by the sneaky conspiracy going on between father and daughter, I tried to determine what exactly they were planning to do, but came up empty-handed. Even Jasper didn't appear to understand what was happening.

"Mireille's gift allowed her to see through your human façade," Carmen concluded in fascination. Inaccurate though her conclusion was, I thanked higher powers for the reprieve Carlisle and Alice's half-truths bought us.

"Quite captivating," Eleazar eyed me more calmly and academically, shoulders relaxing almost in spite of himself. "It is a reasonable explanation for her knowledge."

"Truly, Eleazar?" a new, unfriendly voice startled everyone into staring out across the back yard.

Breathing sharply, I took astounded stock of the three beautiful blonde vampires waiting out in the slush-covered grass – fur and suede comprised the main elements of their wardrobe.

Each woman's face and stature looked different and yet their blonde locks and general vampire appearance made them seem precisely like the sisters they were described as. Comparing the women to a drawing Esme had made of the three Russian vampires, I easily picked out each one. Straight-haired Kate stood tallest of the three, but slightly shorter than Rosalie. Irina with her wavy locks matched Esme's height, while curly-headed Tanya stood as short as I did.

Whatever I had expected of the three women who were considered so desirable, I hadn't counted on the reality of each one glaring furiously at all of us with such fiercely beautiful faces. For a moment, I felt the strongest urge to curl up and back away into the relative safety of my companion's presence, but Edward's fingers pressed lightly into my bicep with reassurance that steadied me.

Facing the circumstance more rationally, I reminded myself that I had withstood Rosalie's ice and wrath with my back straight and head held high. There was no reason not to do the same now.

Edward actually snorted with laughter, strangled though it was, and I had to force back a smile at his returned humor.

"You seem amused, Edward," Tanya remarked across the way. While she stood smallest of her sisters, it became clear she definitely led the pack, so to speak.

"Mireille thinks of the most amusing things sometimes," the bronze-haired vampire called over my head, something now recklessly bold in his behavior.

"You disregard the Volturi's laws," Kate informed the Cullens, brows knit together in displeasure.

"The laws were made under fear of exposure," Carlisle countered, impeccably confident. "Mireille will not expose us, so there is no danger."

"She should not be here," Irina remonstrated the entire family with a heavy frown.

"Not as a human," Kate supported her sister's view.

"And yet here she will remain," Carlisle remarked sternly, a far stronger English accent overtaking him than I had ever heard before.

"Is she Edward's mate?" wondered Irina with keen, narrowed eyes.

"Apparently not," Eleazar shrugged, finally taking a part in the conversation, however distant his voice seemed. With my eyes riveted to the sisters, I didn't bother to check why he seemed so far away in his thoughts.

"Then why and how would she know of us?" Irina continued, incensed.

"She has a gift," Carmen explained, interest still beheld in her far gentler voice. "It allowed her to see past the Cullens' façade of human behavior."

I hated encouraging that kind of lie, but I knew we had no choice if we wished to keep the books a secret. While the Cullens trusted their 'relatives' with the information contained within the books, it was too dangerous if the Volturi ever had reason to question them. Even worse, if Aro ever had occasion to read any of the Denali vampire's minds, no matter what the reason or situation, it would be disastrous for everything the Cullen family needed and deserved. A close-vested secret would be the best policy until happiness was assured for the Cullens.

"An intriguing tale," Irina remarked, her voice sharp and mocking. "So, she confronted the truth to your coven. And instead of leaving her behind and disappearing… you invited her to live with you and learn even more of our world's secrets!"

Struck by the unfortunate view of our story so far, I prayed someone else in the family had a sudden brainchild, because I had no idea how to assuage the sisters. I couldn't risk turning around to check Edward's reaction, but he had become astoundingly still.

"How could you flout our laws in this way, Carlisle? Or you, Esme? Edward?" Kate pressed. If I had to label the look in her eyes, I would have said she was hurt more than anything. Irina appeared equally as pained as her taller sister continued, "You know what we went through."

"We have done nothing to harm you or expose any of us," Rosalie put her thoughts into the debate, an intense frown on her golden features, but the words only made further invitation for crisis.

"That is exactly what you have done!" Irina retorted, burning memory passing through her eyes. Sasha's destruction weighed heavy on each woman's mind, of that I had no doubt.

"Irina," Esme reached out sympathetically towards the blonde, but Irina ignored the warm gesture with mistrustful eyes. If this was how the sisters felt about a human learning the Cullens' secret, it was no small wonder Irina went to the Volturi in Breaking Dawn over Renesmee.

Feeling a wave of foreboding discomfort, I reached out to grasp the sleeve of Esme's cardigan for reasons I didn't completely understand. Perhaps her comfortable, motherly presence reassured me in such an immoderate scene, but whatever the reason, I was glad she turned back to squeeze my hand with fretful darkened eyes.

Almost everyone stepped forward to argue their own points, save Esme who stayed a little ahead of me, still holding my hand. Edward even removed himself from behind me to stand toe-to-toe with Irina.

Once more examining each Russian vampire's expression to determine how much more they would take from the Cullens before abandoning the conflict, I was surprised to find Tanya missing from her sisters' sides. Frowning in concern, I searched the area until I found said woman near Carmen off to the edge of the dispute. The Spanish woman's worried face remained fair and peaceable; it made me like her more than I had already started to.

Tanya, however, confused me. With so much pain over her vampire mother's death long-ago, the short blonde strangely failed to display any overt drama as her two sisters did. Her expression, by contrast, boasted pensive curiosity that thoroughly unseated my impression of the circumstances.

With eight vampires all arguing in circles around each other, the world became disastrously chaotic in a heartbeat . Everyone grew angrier by the minute and in the mess, Kate moved unwittingly closer to where I stood by Esme to watch the madness with troubled thoughts, fighting our own slowly growing anger with clenching hands.

Smelling me with a sudden inhale, Kate turned with those angry eyes to glare directly at me.

"You don't belong here!" she accused me almost violently, stepping even nearer. "This was not the way we behaved with the Cullens until _you_ came here! _You've_ created this mess!"

"You're the one making stupid assumptions!" I spat in return with a sudden fury that took me by surprise.

Confused and frightened by the burst of unbelievably potent wrath, I stepped back from Kate's impending face with a frown and looked around myself at the mess of hissing, snarling debates. No one remained on the sidelines now. Edward and Alice stood at arms with Irina, who looked positively irate. Carlisle looked atypical of himself where he stood with Rosalie, both blond-haired vampires snapping at Carmen, who had become strangely upset of a sudden. Even Esme, one of the slowest to engage in the verbal war, had now joined Emmett in arguing with Eleazar.

Gasping in sudden realization even as Kate loomed with more accusations spewing from her lips, I searched for a familiar head of honey-blond hair in the surge of vampires.

Standing alone and at odds with an absolutely enraged Tanya, Jasper nearly looked ready to rip her head off, such was his infuriated expression and the abrupt blackness of his eyes.

"Jasper! …Jasper Whitlock! …Major! …Jasper!" I called desperately and repeatedly to the empathic vampire, trying different names to get a reaction, but he didn't hear me amidst the racket of the vampires all squabbling with unnecessary force. Giving up on any kind of personal dignity, at last I fairly well screeched, "JASPER HALE!"

The use of a name Jasper only ever utilized amongst the Cullens seemed to startle the infuriated vampire from his clash with Tanya and into determining who called his name so wildly. Catching my blue eyes at last, Jasper paused with blank ebony orbs for the longest minute of my life.

The anger started to fade only gradually from my system as Jasper realized what he had been doing so mindlessly, the vampire trying valiantly to rectify his unthinking error. All around the back yard, the vampires very slowly began to recognize and release their anger, but Jasper's intervention was not fast enough to prevent the one scene which blindsided us all.

Everything slowed down, every second of my thoughts felt like an eternity as I watched the most unprecedented, unanticipated event take place.

With the unnatural, engorged sense of anger still so heavy in her system, Kate couldn't seem to restrain herself from reacting out of pain and the awful memory of her vampire mother's destruction under the laws that now so dominated the three sisters. The suffering housed in those dark golden eyes forged great sympathy in my chest for all that Kate, Tanya, and Irina had lost when Aro destroyed Sasha and Vasilii.

There was no time to retreat when Kate's hand came rushing towards me. Those electrified fingers stretched with a senseless fury that even Kate herself could not fully comprehend.

In the background behind Kate, I was somehow able to spend my few precious seconds watching the others as they returned to themselves, so unaware of the silent scene unfolding in the doorway of the Cullens' home. All except three.

Alice, Edward, and Jasper stared in horror, the speed of the moment too much for even the fastest of the three to respond. Not that Edward didn't try. A blur of bronze and black began to rush toward us, but he would never make it; Kate stood much too close.

Barely reacting to the likely physical and mental damage it would cause, and the agony I would feel, all I could muster was to close my eyes in apprehension just before the blow.

Out of the mute moment arose a strangled, winded sound of surprise and stunted pain, the sound reverberating in my ears.

The burst of electricity I expected to feel… never fell.

As I opened my eyes, I was left to scream shrilly with sudden understanding. Echoing shouts and screams rang around me as everyone saw what I could never erase from my memory.

Under the weight of Kate's mindless iron grip, Esme fell hard on her knees. The most terrible scream or cry could not compare to the choked agony in Esme's throat as she struggled through the shocks.

A rush of air preceded snarling Edward as he leapt between Kate and his mother. Seconds too late to stop the terrible incident, the fierce vampire moved with a fury that matched my own as he thrust Kate with such brute force that she landed on the opposite side of the clearing. The few seconds Edward felt the force of Kate's buzz didn't appear to affect him at all as he stood there clenching and unclenching his fists to regain control of himself.

Esme slumped, gasping, onto her hands in the slush and dirt.

Hitting the ground in a rough slam on bent knees, Carlisle appeared at his wife's side with wide, terrified eyes and the deepest concern I had seen on his golden features since he found me lying broken in the woods.

"Esme? Darling? Esme, please, say something," Carlisle called insistently of his other half, hands moving along Esme's arms as if to make sure she was still there with him.

"I'm all right," Esme murmured, a shaky inhale accompanying the words.

Swallowing hard, Esme finally lifted her head and allowed Carlisle to sweep her face between his nimble, gentle hands. Regardless of company and situation, Carlisle kissed his wife hard on the mouth and wrapped her into his arms. Esme hardly argued the gesture, slipping her arms about Carlisle's chest as her face slipped into the crook of his neck.

"I-I'm sorry!" Kate's voice carried over to us in greater shock than anyone. From twenty feet away, Kate stood with her sisters, Eleazar, and Carmen, all of whom looked aghast at what path events had taken. The tallest of the three blondes, visibly shaken, stared at Esme with impossibly wide eyes clouded with a wetness that would never form tears. "I didn't mean… I didn't meant it! I don't know what happened! I'm sorry, Esme, I'm so sorry! I—"

"No," Jasper cut the blonde's apologies short. Alice slipped her hand in Jasper's with sad, soulful eyes. In the tall vampire's expressive gaze – now returned to its golden state from before the emotions clouded him – the former soldier bequeathed to himself a deep-seated disgust as he added darkly, " _I'm_ sorry. For not controlling myself. I let the anger carry all of us to a very extreme place. This is my fault."

"No, Jasper," Carlisle denied his empathic son's self-blame, a residual sharpness in his tone. "The anger should never have become so potent in the first place. It had no place here to begin with."

So saying, the usually compassionate vampire offered a keen glare to the sisters across the way. The implications of his statement could not be denied as he held Esme close to his chest.

Frowning with new anger on top of her shock, Irina had the nerve to remark, "Our feelings are justified, even if they became more extreme than the situation required."

"You had no right!" the half-growled words burst from my mouth before I could stop them, a strangely tunneled sense of being overtaking me.

To see Esme endure the pain of Kate's 'gift' had knotted my stomach a thousand different ways.

_Esme_. Sweet, warm, gentle Esme.

I thought about all she had gone through as a tender human – Evenson's evil, losing her precious newborn son, lost and confused as she leapt to her death… The woman who cooked for me just because she could, tucked me into bed when I was exhausted, reconstructed an entire room for me, and cried at the merest thought of me living without friend or family. A person so loving that she willingly and knowingly stepped in the path of pain to protect me.

Watching with paralyzing fear as beloved Esme froze in such pain, even for such a brief a moment, filled my entire being with rage so far-reaching I felt drowned in its depths. Any sympathy I had felt for Kate as she rushed towards me with outstretched fingers now evaporated in a puff of smoke.

While I knew, ultimately, that it wasn't Kate's fault, I couldn't seem to stop my emotions getting the better of me.

Every vampire's eye moved to stare as I glowered at Irina with fiery intent, speaking further before I could be interrupted, "The Cullens trusted you! They called you friends and trusted you to give them the benefit of the doubt! I will _never_ expose the Cullens or anyone else. Not to other humans, not to the Volturi… _No one_! They trust that, trust me. That should have been enough for you! But it wasn't and now you hurt Esme because of it. _Esme_! Of all the _people_ —"

As my voice gave out, Esme called out to me with deep emotion, "Oh, Mireille."

Her hand reached out from the circle of Carlisle's arms, eyes glassy as she watched me snap. Unable to withstand my own blazing feelings, I felt my eyes welling and my throat close in on itself.

Cold hands settled gently around my neck, startling in the midst of my powerful emotions. In the blink of an eye, my heart calmed from its racing tempo and the raging sadness drifted away enough that I felt human again. Breathing deeply to calm my mind as much as my body, I leaned back against Jasper with relief.

"Thank you," I told him quietly, eyes closing of their own volition.

Jasper didn't speak, but guided me inside the house at a tortoise's speed, hands never leaving my neck. Another set of feet, this one much lighter and softer upon the ground, joined our trek into the warmth of the living area.

"Alice?" I wondered almost sleepily.

"We're here, Mir," she told me lowly. A small hand descended on mine where it hung at my side, squeezing with reassurance. "Everything will be all right after this. I promise."

"Thank God," I murmured as we finally settled on one of the sofas, Alice lifting me up and onto the cushion between the two of them while Jasper continued to apply calm.

We sat in silence after that, for what seemed like forever, but I stopped myself from trying to guess at just how long it really was. I didn't need any more considerations clouding the rationality I had regained.

As it was, I already had a difficult time repressing my curiosity for how things outside had progressed after our departure from the scene.

"It's mended… somewhat," Edward's voice intruded on my thoughts a long while later, bringing my eyes open at last. Standing before us in the same dark clothes, albeit dirtied from his slight tussle with Kate, the bronze-haired vampire looked insatiably agitated.

A bark of laughter from the seventeen-year-old filled me with a peaceful acceptance I hadn't realized I needed. If Edward could laugh, then things were going to be okay.

"You do have an astounding effect when you're that angry," he smirked at me, to which I just rolled my eyes.

"So… we're in the clear?" I tentatively inquired.

"Oh, yes," Alice answered me, her voice also returning to a slightly more chipper tone. The darkness of what everyone witnessed wouldn't leave for a long while, I suspected, but at least we were starting to feel like ourselves again.

Seeing Rosalie stalk into the room with a fierce glare and crossed arms, I realized 'feeling like ourselves' didn't always mean smiles and good moods.

As Edward moved to the ground in front of me, he chortled at the exception, but otherwise remained quiet.

Tanya, Irina, Eleazar, and Carmen all walked inside together, the Spanish couple standing off the side while they talked with each other in quiet tones. Tanya and Irina followed Edward's gesture towards the opposite sofa and waited for the last of our group to join us.

"I told you, Kate, it's all right," Esme's stern but caring voice reached my ears, and I smiled more gratefully than ever at this particular normalcy as I turned to watch Esme walk in the house, arm in arm with Kate and Carlisle. Judging by the way the latter vampire's hand crossed over to lock around Esme's bicep, Carlisle didn't look ready to let go of his wife any time soon, and I bit my lip as the usual sentimentality filled me with warmth.

"No, it isn't," Kate and Rosalie argued at the same time, one sad and the other angry.

"Rose, it was all a mistake," Esme disagreed with her daughter, no nonsense in her words.

"How could it be a mistake to hurt you that way?" Rosalie snapped.

Esme pushed Kate to sit with her sisters, their shamed faces easing any residual anger I might have felt over the accident in the yard.

While I had been furious at Kate not that long ago, I also knew it hadn't been a conscious choice for her to hurt me or Esme. Jasper had become engrossed in the feelings of everyone around him, sending out the vibes tenfold in response. Subsequently, it pushed Kate's memory of grief over the edge and she lost sight of herself. Rosalie's anger wouldn't bring anyone peace or consolation; it wouldn't fix anything. From this point, only talking and forgiveness would fix what happened.

"Rosalie," I called firmly to the tallest woman in the room, bringing her stinging gaze to mine. Emmett looked a little surprised by my intervention, whether because of my earlier tirade or because I was arguing with Rosalie, I didn't know. "Kate didn't know what she was doing. She couldn't help it with Jasper's ability enhancing everything she felt."

"We're able to shake off Jasper's influence," Rosalie countered severely.

"Not when everyone's so close to hunting," I debated just as strongly. "The only one who's hunted recently is Jasper. That's how it works best, but even he can be overwhelmed when everyone gets so angry. There are twelve other people Jasper has to keep track of – and in the middle of a serious disagreement. That's a lot of negative emotion flying around between friends and family."

"That's no excuse, Mireille," Jasper shook his head at my logic before Rosalie could speak. "All these years I've spent with Alice, with this family… and yet my past still overshadows me."

Beside me, Alice stiffened with upset, but she didn't correct or interrupt her husband.

"What do you mean?" Rosalie asked of her brother, frown deepening.

Heaving a sigh, Jasper fidgeted very unlike himself for moment, but reluctantly he revealed, "This… drama… the way Tanya, Kate, and Irina feel about the laws, our seeming betrayal of their history, Sasha and Vasilii's destruction…"

The three blonde sisters moved uncomfortably where they sat on the opposite sofa, grief once more filling their gazes. Jasper eyed them a moment, but eventually continued, "All of their pain and misery and anger reminded me so strongly of the newborn armies. I felt like I was… back under her control. Riding every wave of emotion to keep each poor soul in line, to make sure no damage could be affected… "

There could be no question the 'her' Jasper referenced was Maria; I felt another surge of hate for that vile creature and what she had done to Jasper, but I stamped it out as viciously as I knew how. The empathic vampire turned with a knowing expression nonetheless, nodding his understanding.

"Many times, with the armies…" Jasper added darkly, "I felt so overcome that I sometimes let them rage at each other while she was out creating more newborns. Thinking that perhaps the expulsion of their rage would ease it somehow… I suppose I knew better, but it was easier sometimes to just let them go. I didn't have to delve so deeply into their emotions that way…"

The room commenced into thick silence that clung to every thought and movement like wet sand. When the quiet broke, I wasn't at all surprised to find Esme speaking as she finally slipped from Carlisle's clinging grasp.

"Oh, honey, you can't catch everything," Esme softly comforted her battle-scarred son, coming over to hug him tightly. "You're gift, like any other, can be overwhelmed. I'm all right, I promise you."

Jasper seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, but something pushed him to embrace Esme very gently, almost as if she would still be in pain from the earlier conflict.

"Stop blaming each other," Esme demanded as they broke apart, turning around to face everyone with fire in her eyes, giving Rosalie a particularly withering yet motherly glance that actually made Rosalie look to the floor. "I don't blame anyone for what happened. Please, everyone, just keep the peace. We're all family here, aren't we?"

My smile broadened ridiculously by the time Esme had said her inclusive piece.

"I would like to apologize, then," Kate spoke first, her eyes jumping to mine with the same regret. "Mireille, I'm sorry for the things I said about you. They were spoken in anger, not truth. And I can't apologize enough for trying to hurt you."

Shrugging a little awkwardly, I replied with a brief smile, "If Esme is good, I'm good too."

Esme smiled gratefully at me as she returned to Carlisle's side.

"I never thought I would agree to… skirting… the laws," Irina declared uncomfortably, "but you have convinced me somehow, Mireille. I'm not sure how your words reached me, but they have."

"Oh, it's not that unusual," Carlisle remarked with a wry smile in my direction.

"I agree," came the sudden comment from Eleazar. He had been so quiet up to that point, I almost forgot he was there.

"Eleazar?" Edward prompted the other man curiously, sitting straighter as he spoke.

"It is nothing concrete, you understand," Eleazar made sure to inform everyone before he continued a little hesitantly, "I cannot read humans with as much clarity as I do vampires."

"Go on," Edward pushed, leaning forward with great interest.

Chuckling at the younger vampire's eagerness, Eleazar finally explained, "When you mentioned Mireille had a gift, I tested her."

"What does that mean, exactly?" I wondered confusedly.

"When I sense a vampire's abilities or powers," Eleazar answered academically, "I reach out to their… _presence_ , if you will. It is how I sense their gifts."

"What did you sense?" I questioned more cautiously. Intrigued though I felt, I also worried.

"At first, I thought my judgment mistaken," Eleazar went on, "but then I compared you to the others' presences. There was certainly a difference, something that marked you as having an ability above the standard. To my surprise, your ability happens to share a similar presence to one of the Cullens. The… power of affectation, you could call it. It is similar to Jasper's ability in some distant way, although I am unable to read you as clearly."

Stunned by that description alone, I could hardly imagine what else Eleazar might have sensed from my presence.

"There was another similarity," the Spanish vampire added mysteriously. "It took longer to recognize it, but after studying all your presences more closely, I finally realized who it was."

"Who was it, Eleazar?" Edward pressed, and I could almost feel a smile teasing the corners of his lips. Alice gasped quietly beside me, a surprising reaction for the precognitive vampire. She wasn't usually caught off her guard.

"It was Alice," came the shocking answer. Eleazar actually grinned at my gaping face, and when Edward turned to glimpse my reaction, he laughed aloud.

"Are you sure?" Esme verified of Eleazar, eyes wide.

"How is that possible?" I half-laughed in disbelief, still staring in amazement at the man. "I… I _definitely_ can't see the future!"

"Perhaps not," Eleazar pursed him lips, still highly entertained by everyone's startled reactions, "but you have an intuitive view of events to come, do you not?"

"I… I don't know," I hesitated, lip caught between my teeth as I considered my feeling of someday meeting Maria. It was one of the strongest instincts I had ever felt, yet I had no clear reason behind that feeling. Was that intuition above the norm?

Edward gave me a deeply concentrated look, neither happy nor unhappy with the train of thoughts.

"Mireille _has_ shown a certain…" Alice answered in my stead, tone clouded and pensive as she tried to choose the right words, "…I suppose you could call it an instinctive expectation of things to come. I didn't think much of it before, but now I see moments where she might have been sensing things beyond normal human perception."

"Mireille also had a very clear view of who we all were," Edward added onto his sister's description. "Before she ever met us or truly knew us, Mireille somehow knew the kind of people we were at heart. In some ways, it's felt as though she was always with us, just lost somewhere along the line."

Nodding along, Carlisle added his thoughts to the situation, "I remember a moment… back in November. We were going to have human visitors at the house. Mireille had been injured and one of the local residents came to visit with his daughter. For several days up until their visit, Mireille felt as though something would go wrong. The visit progressed perfectly fine and once they left, I thought the matter at an end."

"Then Charlie came to see us," Esme continued with growing realization. "He had bad news for us. Mireille predicted something would go wrong and it did."

"That's one incident," I countered with a frown. "And a very general one, at that. What else have I intuited that ever came to fruition?"

"It's not always that you predict what will occur," Alice debated thoughtfully. "Although I do think that's possible for you… Instead of seeing the event itself, as I do, it's more like… you can sense the general trend of how the event turns out. Not the… arrangement… but the atmosphere of the situation. Again, I think you _can_ sense the arrangement sometimes, but most of the time that's not it."

"Remember how easily you recognized my doorway?" Carlisle reminded me of the day he showed me around the house for the first time. "I didn't say a word and I had only shown you one other room on the second floor before that moment. You had never seen my office before, but the first time you looked at it, you knew. How did you know that?"

"It's a different color from the rest of the doors," I argued a bit weakly. The color of a door certainly didn't determine whose room it was… Frowning ever more deeply, I realized that was the only reason I could find to explain how I had known Carlisle's office so immediately.

"That's the only _tangible_ reason," Edward pointed out, clearly following my mind closely. "The rest was an intuition because you felt more welcome into that space than the others on the second floor."

While I wanted to deny it, I couldn't find a legitimate counterargument to use.

"What about when you found out Lauren Mallory had seen you in Seattle?" Edward continued. "You had a very quick idea how it would turn out after she told everyone about you and Carlisle."

"That's definitely not a clear cut example," I argued with greater ease this time. "Anyone could have guessed gossip would turn those directions. The only reason I estimated what would happen is because of age-old clichés that people continue to believe in."

"What about when I asked you not to be mad at Rose?" Emmett inserted his opinion with a slight frown of concentration. "It was the same day we found out about Lauren. Remember? You said you didn't exactly like Rose yet, but for all you knew, she might grow on you. And she _has_ grown on you."

Exhaling exasperatedly at the far-stretched idea, I responded a bit impatiently, "Emmett, I was trying to be polite. I didn't actually _believe_ we'd come to be as congenial as we have. It was pure coincidence."

"Perhaps… Perhaps not," Rosalie remarked, eyeing me curiously. "I seem to remember you also making a surprisingly accurate guess that Jessica and Edward were in the same Algebra class."

"Coincidence strikes again," I denied with an irritable sigh. "Jasper was teasing Edward and he snarled back at him. So I made a joke that seemed to fit the situation."

"Awfully insightful for a joke, though," Jasper chimed in more seriously than I expected; after all these months, he still looked astonished by the accuracy of my humor that night.

"And the night we looked through your paperwork," Edward added another memory, "when you panicked up in Alice's room, you knew _I_ would be the one to come up to you. How could you possibly have known it would be me?"

"You were reading my panicked thoughts," I countered easily. "If anyone would know how I was freaking out, it was you."

"Why not Alice? Why not Jasper?" Edward rebounded instantly. "She could see your reaction and Jasper could feel it. Why would you expect me, in particular?"

"My thoughts would be the most direct, specific, and detailed path of my reaction," I argued back calmly. "Besides, I knew when Jasper's calming influence disappeared that he was tending to Alice rather than to everyone. That meant Alice was still engrossed in a vision. So it just left you to hear my mind and the panic I was in."

"All right, I'll give you that one," Edward backed down all too easily, still confident in the general vein of the conversation. "What about the night of Homecoming? You could sense when the students started acting strangely, the way they all acted because of Vanessa and Greg's plans. You may have noticed more frequented staring or whispering, but there was no other tangible or physical evidence to support your intuition."

"Just yours and Jasper's reactions," I rebutted quickly. "Jasper couldn't lose the agitation and you were very awkward about something unspoken."

"That didn't mean it was related to the atmosphere of the student body," Edward shook his head.

Rolling my eyes seemed an excellent response to such a cheap counterpoint.

"Let's not forget how you predicted we would one day read those stories you gave us," Edward alluded to my fanfiction and I admitted to myself he had a point there. Encouraged by my agreement, the bronze-haired vampire went on much more tentatively. "And… Well, I wasn't there to hear your thoughts… but we both know you felt a certain instinct or intuition that night at the gas station…"

Recalling the horrible sensation of feeling alone, unprotected, and watched by some unknown threat, I couldn't help but accept the logic in Edward's latest suggestion.

"I won't argue that," I murmured almost noiselessly. The unnamed fear before I was attacked had been purely an intuitive sensation.

"You also seem to know, more often than not," Alice added another thought, "the way my gift is affected by current situations. When we had that heavy snowfall back in December, you knew I wasn't as focused as normal. That's not the only time you've sensed that."

"Right after that, you also knew instinctively that Alice had seen something for us to do," Jasper considered in deep thought.

"That's just how well I know Alice," I disputed simply.

"On your birthday, you knew I was using neutral clothing as subterfuge," Alice mentioned immediately afterward. "I've never done that before, so you can't say it was a matter of how well you know me."

While I tried to think of an opposition for that, I realized – with one of many frowns that night – that I couldn't.

"Two more things…" Edward cautioned before I became too complacent with the conversation's end. "When we talked with Daniel, you sensed he had been through a situation similar to yours somehow. You didn't know him at all, so please don't try to argue familiarity again."

Glaring at the mind reader took up a large chunk of my concentration while Carlisle inquired of his eldest, "What is the other thing?"

"When Eleazar first approached," Edward continued, ignoring my rolled eyes with ease, "he was cautious in his words, thinking we wanted to keep Mireille in the dark. Mireille preemptively sensed that was his assumption."

Praying for patience, I just shook my head. Simple coincidences didn't indicate an ability, simple as that.

"There's something else," Esme spoke into the void, a heavy frown crossing her features. "As much as I hate to bring this up, Kate… Mireille once worried that you would use your ability on her as a joke."

The room grew very quiet in the wake of Esme's apologetic words.

"I understand where that might seem like a type of foresight," I found the courage to speak. "Especially in hindsight after what happened tonight… but I think no matter who made that kind of remark, it would have felt predictive after the fact."

"That's possible," Alice allowed with a shrug and another frown, "but the fact is… It was you who said it. And it was you who Kate would have shocked. Esme's sudden intervention is the only thing that stopped it from being you. That's just a bit too close for my comfort in this circumstance."

Sighing at the resolve on her face, I shook my head and let it go.

"In the same vein, I noticed something else," Esme added, still apologetic as she looked towards Kate; I found the apology in her dark eyes supremely adorable, considering she had been the one in pain, but that was just who Esme was inside. "After Irina refused my outreach, Mireille grasped my sleeve. I know it seems like a simple action borne of comfort, but something in your eyes, Mireille… You looked like something terrible was about to happen."

"And it did," Kate muttered with self-loathing, glancing at her hands rather than anyone in the room. Her sisters both grasped a shoulder in comfort, but the tallest of them appeared immune.

"We still haven't mentioned your feelings about eventually meeting Maria," Jasper spoke up again, strong emotion clouding his voice. "That's one thing you can't argue about."

"The leader of the Southern armies?" Tanya remarked unhappily and I suddenly realized we were all being quite candid now. It worried me, but Alice and Edward looked completely at ease, so I tried to let go of my worry.

"Yes," Jasper nodded simply.

"Perhaps she will one day want you for her army," Irina frowned; her displeasure at the idea assured me I was no longer a threat in her eyes. "If you have such a strong gift as Eleazar has described, you would be quite a prize for one such as her."

A violent shudder overwhelmed me, leading Jasper to slip his hand over mine. Meeting his gaze with fear coursing through me, I couldn't help noticing the darkness in his gaze. It worried me almost as much as it reassured me.

"Not going to happen," Alice spoke for all of the Cullens, her typically bubbly voice full of acid. Every one of the family looked ready to do battle, eyes full of steely resolve that I knew wasn't influenced by Jasper's power.

As an attempt to diffuse the tension in the room, Carmen remarked with a wry twist to her lips, "Those are a great many coincidences, niña."

"I'm rather confused, Mireille," Tanya contributed abruptly, drawing my gaze from Carmen's kindness to the short blonde's bewildered eyes. "Why is it so awful for you to be gifted?"

Caught off guard by the comment, I blinked a few times before shaking myself from the reaction. "I… I never said that."

"Not necessarily in words," the blonde demurred with a delicate shrug.

"Yet you argue the possibility with great vehemence," Eleazar asserted amusedly, eyes a picture of humor at my expense. Just when I was beginning to find him interesting…

Edward sighed exasperatedly towards me, but said nothing.

"I just don't see where it's been so obvious," I lifted one shoulder awkwardly, not entirely truthful. I had been arguing the point very strongly, I supposed, but… Well, what was the point of me being gifted? It wasn't as though I would ever be a vampire and actually _use_ my 'ability' such as it was. I couldn't say that out loud, but it was true nevertheless.

"Well, it looks and sounds quite obvious to everyone else," Irina tacked on with finality, to general nods around the assembled vampires.

"Regardless your dissent on the specific details, Mireille," Eleazar chuckled, "I know what I felt. Your gift is one of subtle complexities. I only wish I read humans as well as vampires. It would be exciting to see your full, true gift in its element."

"Agreed," Carlisle nodded and smiled at the other man in concurrence. Eyeing my ongoing frown, Carlisle repressed a larger smile and added, "I fear Mireille is quite discomfited, however, so I would like to give her some breathing room, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Eleazar nodded in deference to his friend. "And may I suggest we now hunt? Tempers would have lessened if… ah…"

"You don't have to edit for Mireille," Jasper mentioned amusedly, tapping my hand to emphasize his humor. "She understands and can handle more than most."

"I am hardly surprised," Carmen said, joining everyone in further chuckling.

"Am I really back to being the center of attention?" I sighed with an eyeroll.

"You know your eyes will become stuck if—" Edward attempted to use the old fishwives' tale, but a spectacular glare crossed my face before he could finish the thought. Smirking at my wrathful features, the seventeen-year-old cut his words short, "Nevermind."

Every single vampire laughed at the exchange and I took a deep, deep breath to regain my patience. To stop the agitation from festering, it took reminding myself of how things _could_ have gone. Truly, this was a wonderful way to end the drama between the Denali and Cullen cousins.

"Are we all going?" Emmett wondered more happily than he had been looking before, allowing the dissention of the night to leave him as his eyes touched upon everyone – excepting me, of course.

"Someone should stay with Mireille," Esme suggested reasonably. "She needs to get some sleep."

"It is pretty late," I conceded with a grimace as I eyed the clock.

"Should we go in small groups?" Carmen offered with an understanding look in my direction.

"No, Jasper will stay," Alice announced, eyes glazed with vision. "Anyway, he has a good hunting schedule to work from now. I wouldn't want to put that out of sorts."

Jasper smiled at his wife for her obvious pride and thoughtfulness.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Esme beamed at the former solider.

"Goodnight then, Mireille," Carlisle smiled, appearing before me to kiss the top of my head.

"Sleep well, sweetie," Esme followed her husband's lead, dropping a kiss on my forehead.

"We'll all see you in the morning, Mireille," Edward explained for everyone as they began to disappear outside, heading through the trees behind the house like whispers in the night.

* * *


	41. Chapter 39: Invitation

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:  
** I'm still figuring out who each of the Denali vampires are underneath everything, so they may seem a little static as yet. But never fear! I'm fielding their personas carefully so I get it right.

Wow, I really am spoiled for reviews! So many beautiful comments! I've had such a blast since this explosion of writing hit me and this only makes it better! :D I want to shout out a huge THANK YOU for all the reads, reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys are awesome. :)

**Music in this chapter:** **  
**_My Happiness_ by Ella Fitzgerald

Go over to Youtube and look up guitarist James Bartholomew; all the following songs are posted. His acoustic renditions are marvelous works of art. :)

_Silent Night_ – originated from Franz Xaver Gruber & Joseph Mohr  
_What A Wonderful World_ – originated from Louis Armstrong  
_Can't Help Falling In Love_ – originated from Elvis Presley  
_Fly Me To The Moon_ – originated from Frank Sinatra  
_Isn't She Lovely_ – originated from Stevie Wonder  
_Vincent (Starry Night)_ – derived from Don McClean  
_Iris_ – originated from Goo Goo Dolls  
_Don't Know Why_ – originated from Norah Jones  
_You've Got A Friend_ – originated from James Taylor

**Previously** – Carmen and Eleazar arrived and questioned Mireille's presence. Carlisle and Alice claim Mireille's 'gift' revealed them. The Denali sisters argued Mireille's knowledge and felt betrayed. Jasper lost sight of his power and everyone became furious beyond control. Mireille realized Jasper's slip and reminded him. Jasper was too late to stop Kate attacking Mireille. Esme leaped between Kate and Mireille. Kate unthinkingly shocked Esme and Edward shoved her away. Mireille reprimanded the Denalis and they were abashed. Jasper calmed Mireille. Apologies were made and the situation was discussed. Jasper was reminded of his time in Maria's army and Esme comforted him. Eleazar explained a little about Mireille's ability and the Cullens argued with Mireille about her intuition. The Cullens and Denalis went hunting together and Jasper stayed to watch over Mireille.

> **Chapter 39: Invitation**

"Hey, no fair!" I cried in disbelief as I stared at the board.

Despite my shock, I laughed out loud at the mischievous expression on Jasper's face as he killed another of my pieces before I could even understand his move.

The honey-blond vampire had offered to watch a movie or read a book with me until I fell asleep, but the moment I stepped into the bedroom I knew I would never fall asleep that easily. Even after such a powerful surge of calm and lethargy as Jasper had inspired after bringing me inside the house, I still felt wired and restless.

Having given up on persuading me to rest as Esme hoped I would, Jasper sighed, long-suffering as he disappeared and reappeared with my new chess set. Pleased by the invitation to finally use the beautiful chess set Jasper had gifted to me at Christmas, I clapped and bounced very similarly to Alice when she was excited, leaving Jasper chortling over the familiar action before whisking me back downstairs.

I was still learning to refine my basic chess moves, let alone to play the deeply strategic game Jasper was capable of, but that hadn't stopped the veteran from kicking my behind in four separate (and disgustingly short) games of chess as we sat opposite each other at one corner of the dining table.

This, the fifth game, had me attempting to scowl even as I helplessly laughed at the smug confederate across from me, his golden eyes glittering with triumph as he announced quietly, "Check."

"You know that's kind of pathetic, right?" I finally giggled at his silly pride. Alice had probably never had such a blast watching us. "I mean, you're proud of defeating a human with almost no experience in this game."

Shrugging nonchalantly, Jasper grinned as he retorted, "I've learned to appreciate an easy victory."

Another laugh burst from my throat at the shameless confession, but my humor was interrupted by the growling of my stomach. Scoffing at the annoying grumbling, I ignored it long enough to make my next move.

My _last_ move, I admitted mentally as Jasper took his next turn to swipe me out of commission with a cheerful, "Checkmate."

Rolling my eyes thoroughly, I flicked one of my useless pawns over and stood to head into the kitchen. Jasper reset the board at vampire pace and then disappeared upstairs as I dug through the refrigerator for something to eat. Luckily I had leftovers from earlier that day to reheat, making my search very simple and quick.

Returning to the table with my food and a glass of iced tea, I absently watched Jasper play an online chess game while he waited for me to eat, a mild furrow dividing his brow. The peaceful quiet expanded over us, leaving a comfortable atmosphere I enjoyed very much.

Once I had eaten my fill, I pushed away the bowl barely an inch before it disappeared from my sight. Blinking as I noticed Jasper missing from his chair, I groaned out loud.

"Really, Jasper?"

A baritone chuckle swept to my ears from the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of running water.

"Sorry, Mireille."

"I bet you are," I grumbled, but of course he heard me and snickered outright.

"It's a tradition by now," the vampire informed me dryly, retaking his seat in a flash of color. "Another game?"

"I must be masochistic," I sighed and shook my head, but I readied myself for another game anyway as Jasper snickered again.

Two more short games and I was genuinely scowling at Jasper for beating me again; this time my laughter didn't intrude.

"You'll improve," Jasper assured me, calming from his humor. "It just takes time."

"And a strategic mind," I groused, crossing my arms a bit petulantly.

"If you don't have a strategic mind," Jasper rolled golden eyes, "then I'm not a vampire."

"Oh, my! Is that a… _heartbeat_ , I hear?" I gasped overly loudly, putting a hand to my chest in surprise and cupping the other around my ear while I leaned over as though listening for a beat.

Snorting, Jasper gently tapped me back into my seat and moved to reset the board.

"What now?" I wondered with a slightly bored sigh, reaching for my tea and taking a sip of the mildly sweetened beverage.

"Hmm…" Jasper hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose that means you're still not tired?"

"Yup," I popped the 'p' at the end, smiling widely.

"What would you _like_ to do?" he inquired with a lifted eyebrow, leaning back against his seat with crossed arms.

Shrugging casually, I leaned back myself and tried to imagine something interesting to do. I could always play the piano of course… In thinking of music, I suddenly recalled Jasper's affinity for the guitar.

"Do you really enjoy playing the guitar, Jasper?" I couldn't help asking. "Or is it just a part of the Texas image?"

"I do enjoy it," the blond-haired vampire nodded with a mild smile. "It wasn't originally my idea, though. You can thank Alice – or blame her, depending on how you look at it – for my playing at all. During our first year together, Alice often spent time searching for the elusive Cullen family or out in public trying to earn a little money – time that I couldn't share."

"Why couldn't you?" I wondered curiously.

Jasper offered me a look that spoke volumes, not only for the reason behind his restricted activity so long ago, but for the fond exasperation he felt towards my having to ask in the first place.

"I think you already know," he commented with a tiny, wry smile.

"Oh," was all I could say, embarrassment flooding me. Luckily my cheeks didn't turn pink. "Sorry."

Jasper waved the apology away with a sigh. "With Alice occupied elsewhere, I spent a good part of my days focusing on the humans around me. It only made my restraint weaker. Unfortunately, I… failed to hold back a number of times."

Wincing at the shadows darkening the former soldier's features, I felt badly for his struggle.

"You _would_ feel badly for that, wouldn't you?" Jasper chuckled quietly at the emotions in me before continuing, "Alice realized I needed something to hold my focus elsewhere whenever she had to go out or when she immersed herself in finding this unusual family we were supposed to be a part of. So my little companion suggested I learn to play guitar and immerse myself in music rather than human scent. In a fit of resentment over my weakness and seeming inability to even play the instrument, I'm sorry to say I broke the one she bought me that first summer. Which of course left me back at square one and Alice short some of her savings."

"Why a guitar, though?" I wondered, less than amused by the gloom in Jasper's eyes.

"A guitar is portable, so that's one benefit, but I also think Alice was more amused by the cowboy image than warranted. Still, I couldn't argue when she looked so terribly excited."

I giggled delightedly at the happier part of his tale. "I bet she's secretly in love with those cowboy boots of yours!"

Grinning wolfishly, Jasper shrugged. "It wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to reveal a lady's secret, now would it?"

Bursting into laughter, I wondered what Alice would say to that remark when she came back. Jasper continued grinning at my great humor, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Out of curiosity, does Edward know how to play the guitar?" I asked pleasantly in the aftermath, a smile still on my face.

"Of course he does," Jasper shook his head amusedly. "He rarely plays anything outside the piano, but it's not for lack of skill. You read the guide; you know he plays many instruments."

"Do you only play the guitar?" I inquired, not offended by the last reminder.

"Yes, that's my only instrument," the honey-blond vampire confirmed.

Curiosity raged in my veins, driving Jasper to smile and disappear from the room. When he reappeared, in his arms he held the brown and natural striped guitar from his study and the guitar-related gifts from Christmas.

The instrument settled so naturally into his arms, long fingers coming to rest against the strings with a familiar comfort.

"What was the first song you ever played?" I queried, leaning onto my hand as I bent forward with fresh intrigue.

"The first full song was 'Silent Night'," Jasper answered instantly. At my confused expression and feelings, the honey-haired vampire chuckled and his golden eyes softened as he offered another memory, "Alice has always adored Christmas. Ever since she saw Carlisle and Edward's tiny, two-man celebration in 1920, Alice wanted to celebrate it, too. As Christmas approached in 1948, Alice became excited for the season – our first together. Yet I sensed a twinge of melancholy along with the enthusiasm."

Frowning slightly as I realized what probably bothered Alice back then, I prompted, "You didn't have any money to decorate or buy gifts, did you?"

"No, not really," Jasper admitted with a nod, lips twisting with the very melancholy he had seen in Alice all those years ago. "What little money Alice had made with her odd jobs along the way, she spent it on a place for us to stay a few months. By the time late November rolled in, Alice hadn't been able to find much more work and I certainly couldn't supplement her income in any way…"

Jasper frowned at the memories no doubt playing out in his mind. As for me, I just couldn't picture it… I couldn't see Alice and Jasper in ragged clothes and shoes, barely making it day to day. I hated the idea of their isolation and lack of means. They were simply meant to be a part of this family.

"I couldn't give Alice new shoes as I wanted to," Jasper went on more quietly. "But realizing how much she loved Christmas, and feeling her melancholy for family and celebration grow every day, I knew I had to give her something to ease that heartache. So I practiced. I forced myself into a music shop in town and practiced on their display guitars every day. Alice saw it, of course…"

Half smiling with deep fondness, Jasper completed the story, "On Christmas morning, she gave me my second guitar and I played 'Silent Night' for her."

Warm feelings spread throughout me at another instance of the Cullens' romantic, beautiful history. Jasper's anecdote made me love him and Alice all the more. Eventually I came down from my sentimental high, smiling at the honey-blond vampire with bittersweet admiration as I said, "Jasper Whitlock… under all that pain and all those scars… you're really just a big softie."

Jasper stared at me a few seconds before his brows rose and a thorough sense of amusement flooded us both.

"I'm not sure I can reply to that without giving myself more trouble," he grinned.

"Play a song for me and we'll call it even," I ventured bravely.

Pursing his lips thoughtfully, Jasper finally shrugged. "A fair trade."

I wasn't all that surprised when the familiar, gentle tune of 'Silent Night' began to fill my ears as Jasper strummed the instrument in his hands with expert skill. The song felt somehow more appealing now, with the image of destitute Alice and Jasper living alone together throughout their travels. I could see little Alice saving her money, waiting to buy her future husband an instrument with which he could serenade her. The tiny vampire would have handed over a beautiful new guitar, an instrument with which Jasper gifted his lovely companion a song of hope and comfort in the first Christmas they shared together.

Jasper smiled as the last chord thrummed in the air, eyeing my romanticized face with an understanding humor.

"That was wonderful," I complimented his sentimental performance with a sigh. "And sweet."

"Thank you," Jasper nodded once, pausing in thought with his fingers still spread across the strings. After a minute, the former soldier started up another familiar song, this one equally as sweet in tone.

Louis Armstrong's rich voice from old memories filled my thoughts as the melody of 'What A Wonderful World' sounded from the instrument across from me. I watched in fascination as Jasper's fingers moved chord to chord along the neck while the pleasant tune progressed to a soft end.

"Have you ever played anything by Elvis?" I inquired, almost challengingly.

Sensing my enjoyment of the musical concert, Jasper rolled his eyes in a friendly way and stepped up to the next piece of music with a tender expression I had sometimes seen on his face when looking at Alice.

It was impossible not to recognize 'Can't Help Falling In Love', suave lyrics again filling my mind while Jasper tapped the string in time with the rest of the melody. With a song I loved as much as this one, I couldn't stop myself from quietly humming along to the slow love song as the second 'verse' began.

Jasper bolstered my quiet vocals with a small boost of encouragement and peacefulness, not pressing the feelings, but merely allowing me to sense his mutual enjoyment of this comfortable moment between us.

The Texan vampire played with expert talent as I hummed familiar melodies. 'Fly Me To The Moon' and 'Isn't She Lovely' uplifted my mood even more than it already had been. While playing a variation on Don McClean's sad, thoughtful tune 'Vincent (Starry Starry Night)', Jasper eventually broke the wordless atmosphere.

"Are you still convinced you're not gifted?" he asked plainly.

Caught off guard by the inquiry, it took me a moment to answer, "I can't exactly deny Eleazar's ability. I know his gift. It's more the idea of _what_ my… ability… can do that bothers me."

"Why?" Jasper questioned with furrowed brows.

"Eleazar said there's a part of my gift that's similar to Alice's foresight," I tried to explain as rationally as I knew how. "I understand that part; intuition about the future and all that makes sense. I think that kind of intuition is why Elizabeth Masen trusted Carlisle to bring Edward into a supernatural life. But the part that's similar to you… the affectation? That part concerns me."

"Not to sound repetitious, but why?" Jasper pressed again, this time more serious than before, even as he continued from Vincent onto a very slow version of 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls.

"If I potentially have the power to create or affect something in another person," I began again, speaking more slowly to give my mind time to process the best words, "in the same way you affect a person's emotional climate… then what am I affecting? What indefinable something am I able to create or change in other people? Am I actually able to do it now, as a human, or would I have to be a vampire before that part of me kicks in? If I am able to do it now, then _what_ am I doing and why haven't I realized it before now?"

Jasper took a long time buried in thought, winding through the gentle, moving chords with mindless memory.

As he played the opening notes of 'Don't Know Why', I sat back and waited out his thoughts on the matter.

Taking a breath, Jasper finally replied, "I don't know precisely what you affect in others. All I know is that I trust you. Whatever it is that you affect, it isn't something that's going to take away another person's free will."

"You don't know that," I sighed, troubled by the idea.

"Actually, I do," Jasper countered without any hesitation. "Psychic gifts aren't some strange alteration to our cells or our personalities. If you have a gift, it's a manifestation of your strongest traits and attributes. And I can tell you right now, your strongest traits are sincerity, acceptance, and insight. You hate taking away someone's freedom, their choice; it's something so ingrained in your psyche that I don't think you could ever be rid of it. Whatever your power would become if you were a vampire, it would be based in those three qualities."

Leaving me with the deep thoughts of what precisely comprised my innate character as a person, Jasper finished his tune and moved on to a new one.

A slight gust of air alerted me that someone had returned to the house. Turning, I didn't even startle at the sight of Alice sitting on the corner of the table beside me, her freshly golden eyes raptly attuned to her content husband as he began James Taylor's song 'You've Got A Friend'. Alice said nothing, allowing all to remain as it was when she arrived.

The last note of the comfortable melody at last wavered in the air as Jasper gently pushed the neck of the guitar back and forth.

"This was a wonderful vision in the wake of what happened in the yard," Alice confessed with a smile, offering Jasper a gentle expression. "You haven't played in a long time."

"I shouldn't have kept you waiting," Jasper teased softly in his rich baritone, leading Alice to giggle.

Simply enjoying the atmosphere of love, I listened gladly when Jasper took up the guitar for one last song.

Recognizing the song took a few minutes at first while I racked my brain to put a name to the familiar slow, romantic tune. The first name that came to mind was Connie Francis, but after another minute of thought, I remembered a slightly earlier lady of song – Ella Fitzgerald. The earlier version felt less trendy to me and I remembered loving the slow, jazzy rhythm of Ella's interpretation much better.

"Is that 'My Happiness'?" I questioned of the two vampires as Jasper let the last note settle in the placid air.

Smiling cheerfully at the accurate estimation, Alice explained, "When I waited at the diner for Jasper, I would play that song on the jukebox all the time that last year. It's still my favorite."

"Can't I just skip school and let the seven of you ply me with these gorgeous little tales all day long?" I sighed happily, leaning my chin on my hands. Alice and Jasper laughed out loud over my wistful posture, the smaller of the two leaning over to hug me, then slipping around to her husband for a lingering kiss. As they pulled apart, Jasper disappeared with his guitar and a smile.

"Is everyone here?" I asked, looking up at Alice for a change.

"Almost," Alice answered, allowing herself to fall into her visions for a moment. "In fourteen minutes, everyone else will be here. I just wanted to hear Jasper play, so Edward and I came back early."

"Where's Edward?" I frowned.

"I'm here," the vampire himself commented, appearing in a flash to take the empty seat across from me. The seventeen-year-old had changed into another black outfit, this one consisting of jeans and a sweater.

"How was the hunt?" was my polite inquiry, to which Edward chuckled in amusement and Alice disappeared with roll of her eyes.

"Normal," the lean vampire sighed humorously.

"Define normal," I remarked dryly.

"Well, I bagged a mountain lion, if that makes any difference," Edward offered with a smirk, golden eyes gleaming with morbid mirth.

Considering the description for a moment, I finally shrugged casually. "Okay, that's normal."

Laughing quietly, Edward shook his head at me and my acceptance of their vampire lifestyle and turned to gesture at the chess set Jasper had left reset on the table, his invitation clear.

"Think you can block me?"

"Not for more than a quarter of the game, at best," I decided with a bit of optimism I shouldn't really indulge around a mind-reader.

Edward snorted this time and pulled the board between us, "I'll try to work my own blockade, as well, and take the risk. What do you say?"

"Now I know I'm masochistic," I muttered sarcastically, leading Edward to laugh quite loudly in the quiet of the house.

Keeping my moves from Edward – while still _making_ those moves – turned out to be the hardest thing I'd done in a long time.

Back when we played twenty questions, the two of us had agreed chess wasn't something we could play together due to Edward's gift. Hence my great surprise at his present desire to play me in the game. All the same, it was kind of fun to try rerouting my head to something other than my current move. It helped that Edward's concentration had become split between his own moves and focusing on something other than my impending plays.

Our game already played on longer than my easy defeats under Jasper's skill. Edward smirked at every strange thought I attempted as subterfuge, making me laugh half the time and inevitably fail my moves the other half. Alice and Jasper came to sit with us after a few minutes, watching the game in comfortable silence without ever giving a clue as to who was winning or losing – not that I had any doubts.

In the middle of our surprisingly lengthy gameplay, the remaining hunters appeared in the house in small groups, each vampire stopping in surprise when they noticed who was playing who at chess. Every new addition gathered around the table to view the spectacle we presented. With the foreknowledge that I would lose – and not from any intuitive power, I reminded Edward with abrupt force – I didn't feel nervous about everyone watching.

"You're very brave, Mireille," Tanya laughed readily, one of the first to enter the house.

"More like very crazy," I murmured absently as I eyed the board and tried to direct my thoughts to that grassy plain I always used when I wanted to calm myself.

"You're not doing as awful as you probably think," Edward commented wryly, casting a shrewd gaze at my heavily-focused features.

"I have to agree," Jasper remarked with what I suspected to be a raised brow as he observed the board.

Humming doubtfully, I finally made my play. Edward looked consternated by the move, allowing me a small feeling of success. I figured if I was going to lose, I may as well just plan on a few good plays and move on.

Edward's answering play knocked the pawn I had just moved from its position and I scowled at the turnaround. Smirking, the bronze-haired vampire waved at the board for me to continue burying myself.

"What are you still doing up?"

Carlisle's astonished voice reached my ears as I reached for one of my pieces. Hand still outstretched, I froze at the disapproving tone, much to everyone's good humor. Slowly I turned my face towards the doctor's golden gaze with a sheepish shrug.

"She's been wired for hours, Carlisle," Jasper sighed in response to the doctor where he stood with a grinning Eleazar.

"She still is," Edward muttered, leaving everyone quietly laughing. My glare didn't faze the lean vampire in the least.

Exhaling exasperatedly, Carlisle rolled his eyes and waved me back to the game. Grinning a little, I did as he proposed with gladness.

The good doctor ended up sitting beside Edward as the game passed the halfway point, his interest growing for the game I somehow kept going.

Another surprised voice drew my attention from the game some fifteen minutes later, only this time I felt a lot less amused and lot more sheepish.

"Mireille Whitlock!" Esme scolded me as she and a smiling Carmen entered the dining room, the last of the hunting party. "You were supposed to be in bed hours ago!"

"Um… I wasn't tired…?" I tried to explain weakly, but ended up biting my lip when Esme scowled quite spectacularly and everyone laughed.

"Oh, let it go, Esme," Carlisle sighed more humorously now and I glanced his way with amused gratitude. "Mireille is an adult, after all."

"Don't you start, Carlisle," Esme reproached her husband less empathically; there was a tease buried in her words no one could ignore. Repressed snickering and chuckling overcame the rest of us.

Throwing her hands up, Esme just shook her head. "All right, be a zombie if you want to."

"Okay," I responded a bit too cheerily. Esme lifted both eyebrows in challenge, but I just kept smiling at her. Given a longer look at my unrepentant face, the caramel-haired vampire eventually smiled wryly.

"Oh, fine," she murmured acceptingly. To my surprise, the lady of the house appeared at my side with a crushing hug around my shoulders and a kiss on my cheek. "I suppose you deserve some leeway after last night."

Smiling mischievously as she pulled away, Esme patted my cheek gently and returned to her conversation with Carmen. Chancing a glance at the clock on the wall behind the two ladies, I nearly felt my jaw hit the floor. It was a quarter to five already.

"Why am I not tired?" I asked of the room in general.

"I told you she was secretly a vampire," Emmett rumbled, shaking his head in mock sadness. "Nobody ever listens to me."

Even I laughed at that remark and gentle giggling remained when I returned to the game at hand.

With a final pass some twenty minutes later, Edward at last conquered with a grin at my disgruntled face.

"I thought you expected to lose?" he teased.

"Just shut up," I sniffed airily, turning away from my eighth defeat of the day while the room full of vampires laughed over my plight.

"Might I utilize your chess set?" the bronze-haired vampire inquired mannerly as I rose from the table.

"Feel free," I allowed sardonically.

"Carlisle?" Edward addressed his father to the right.

Smiling indulgently, Carlisle nodded his agreement. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Too long," Edward confirmed unashamedly. Smiling still, Carlisle squeezed his son's shoulder and rose to take my empty chair. Expecting the game would be longer than I could imagine, I shook my head and walked towards the stairs at last.

"Goodnight, everyone," I offered to the room at large as I climbed the staircase.

"Goodnight, Mireille," a full chorus of voices followed me up, causing a giggle to fall from my lips as I headed towards the comfortable bed I should have been in long ago.

After I changed into pajamas, a rush of air passed me twice before I could even look outside the closet door. The mournful pacing of 'Moonlight Sonata' left me in no doubt who had just been in the room and I climbed into bed with a wry, grateful smile on my face.

Twelve o'clock that afternoon found me awake, well-rested, and dressed for the day in beige jeans, a burgundy floral printed tunic, and dark red leather oxfords tied with oxblood ribbon laces. Coming downstairs with an anticipatory sensation, I expected to find a group of vampires still engaged in some activity or another. It was to my surprise, then, that the main floor sat empty, save the quietly conversing Cullen parents with a slew of papers laid out on the coffee table before them.

"Good morning," Carlisle and Esme addressed me at the same time, glancing up with a mutual smile.

"Morning…" I hesitantly replied. "Where is everyone?"

"Places various and sundry," Carlisle answered rather cryptically. Catching my lifted brow, the doctor chuckled and added even further mystery, "Chess became quite an event last night."

"Carlisle, you're talking in riddles," Esme informed him with a repressed smile.

"Must be the phantom of the opera," I commented and nodded with casual acceptance, making both vampire parents laugh.

"Competition drove the others from chess to sparring," Esme explained with an exasperated shake of her head, although the smile never left her features. "Carlisle and I bowed out as gracefully as possible and started working on my greenhouse sketches."

Nodding in understanding, I walked through the dining room in an effort to reach breakfast – well, actually lunch, but that was beside the point.

"Wow, is it genuinely sunny in Forks today?" I queried suddenly as I passed by the back window wall, amazed by the sun I had not actually seen in full since my arrival in gray Forks.

Pushing myself into the kitchen following the two vampires' chuckling, I shook away the new experience and made myself more leftovers. I took my time munching, merely sitting contentedly at the island to eat.

On the way back towards the living area some thirty minutes later, my eyes moved over the Cullen parents where they sat looking over sketches with their heads bent together.

I stopped with all the suddenness of a freight train and gasped at the sight my eyes beheld. Looking over in concern, both parents frowned at my expression and glanced back towards the window as if to find what troubled me. Lifting a hand as if to rise, Esme paused, frozen with realization. A minute more and the motherly vampire turned back to me, grinning with Carlisle over my admiring shock.

The gentle couple stood still amidst rays of light protruding through the wall of windows, their nearly-invulnerable skin displaying one of the few things I had not yet experienced with the Cullens.

The only problem was that I could hardly believe the term 'sparkling' had been the only word used to describe such a glorious refraction of light and color. The dazzling effect of sunshine, even to such a subtle level, made the two vampires' pale skin glitter and twinkle like a million bright stars in the night sky.

"That's extraordinary!" I breathed with wide, gaping eyes and made my way over to the two with awe. A glowing halo of shimmering sparks created an even deeper aura of refined beauty to the two vampires.

"I forgot you hadn't seen this yet," Esme commented pleasantly, going so far as to offer her glittering hand to my very human grasp.

"It's beautiful," I complimented, smiling at the loveliness of Esme's wedding rings in addition to the gleam of her fingers.

"Would you like to see the full effect?" Esme invited with a tilt of her head.

" _Would_ I!" the words burst from my grinning mouth without thought, but thankfully Esme just laughed at my enthusiasm.

"Then let's go," she teased, quickly retrieving a coat for me and whisking me outside into the chilled morning air.

Amidst the early morning sunshine and its gentle warmth, I felt like a different person from the previous night, contentedly breathing in the fresh air I had been incapable of appreciating in the middle of the stressful confrontation. Carlisle appeared as the personification of rays of light in the midday sun. Already impossibly lovely and elegant, Esme stood out like the most wonderful diamond in history.

Rather than frozen in awe as I had been moments earlier, this time the brilliance of Esme's and Carlisle's skin me laugh like a giddy child. Laughing in turn at my delight, the two vampires took a seat on the steps and pulled me down between them.

"You're the brightest diamonds I've ever seen," I couldn't help telling the two vampires with a sheepish, slightly embarrassed grin.

Blushing in the metaphorical sense, Esme smiled bashfully at my remark, but Carlisle grinned affectionately at his wife, reaching around to gently rub her back.

"You do look radiant," Carlisle told Esme sweetly.

"Look who's talking," Esme teased her beloved mate just as sweetly. Were it any other couple, the sentiments expressed between husband and wife would have been saccharine and disgustingly overdone. Yet these two could overdose on sugar and still make me sigh.

"Is this my lot in life?" Edward's wry voice interrupted my musings, but for once he seemed more comfortably amused with the poetic notions I always loved. Pulling my face away from the sparkling glints all along the surface of Carlisle's free hand, I found my eyes drawn to the edge of the trees where Edward waited in the shadows still. And I could guess why.

"You know I want to see _everybody_ out here," I reprimanded him teasingly, with an edge of seriousness in the words.

A thoughtful hum escaped Edward as he replied, "I suppose I'll have to accommodate you… This once."

"Don't make me come get you," I retorted boldly.

"You couldn't catch me," Edward remarked with a small grin.

Rolling my eyes while Carlisle and Esme laughed, I mentally scolded the bronze-haired vampire for his secret moodiness. He didn't have to be so ridiculous about it after the way I accepted the Cullens' natural qualities and abilities.

"All right!" Edward suddenly laughed at my thoughts, lifting his hands in supplication as he slowly walked into the sunlight.

'Whoa' described my reaction better than anything else in that moment. I had never made any real qualms about finding Edward attractive, but this was a whole other playing field. He was indeed gorgeous, as Jessica had said – not that I let Edward hear that particular thought.

By the seventeen-year-old's tiny smirk, however, my cover-up wasn't successful. My face turned pink at the embarrassing reveal, but Edward just rolled his sparkling golden eyes at me.

"I've said it before," he spoke a little self-consciously for my express benefit, "at least you don't think it's your birthright."

"Still humiliating," I commented as casually as I could, having a difficult time looking him in the eye. Carlisle and Esme were both eyeing us with interest as we talked in circles.

Edward finally just shrugged and walked over to where we three sat on the steps at the back of the house.

"The others are close behind," Edward announced suddenly, brow furrowing a moment in concentration as he listened for their thoughts.

"Am I to assume 'close behind' means about ten miles slower than your normal speed?" I wondered with amusement.

Edward smirked and replied simply, "Of course."

"So who's the fastest after you?" I asked, hopefully putting my trying thoughts behind us for now, even as the sparkle of my companions' skin continued to distract me.

"Carlisle," came the rapid answer. "Then Jasper. Alice and Rosalie are about the same, then Emmett, and Esme is the slowest."

Edward looked a little apologetic for the descriptor, but Esme laughed quietly and waved him away.

"Woo-hoo! Freedom!" Emmett's boisterous voice intruded on the moment, the big vampire preceding himself into the open yard and bright sunshine. At his side, Rosalie rolled her eyes broadly, but withheld thoughts on her mate's comments. While it looked strange for big, hulking Emmett to glitter, he did so stupendously and Rosalie could have passed for Aphrodite with the added gleam to her skin.

Ignoring Edward's slightly disbelieving exhale, I trained my eyes on the tree line as the rest of our group entered the back yard. First Eleazar and Carmen, then the three sisters, then Alice and Jasper all appeared in the circle, sparkling away without even seeming to think about it.

"Alice knows perfectly well what's going on," Edward remarked to my assumptions, leading Alice to giggle with an amused Jasper.

Alice's sparkling form reminded me irresistibly of a forest nymph, a thought that made Edward laugh out loud.

"You guys are so neat," I giggled in the aftermath, looking over the group of living diamonds with a grin. With solidly golden eyes, everyone stood out like pieces in a jeweler's showcase.

We all stood quietly out in the sunshine for some time, until the chilly air began to get to me and my coat wasn't enough protection against the cold air.

"Inside with you, Mir," Esme insisted, pulling me up with her and leading us into the house at last.

While I made my way to the sofa under Carlisle's direction, Esme disappeared into the kitchen. Unsurprised when the motherly vampire later returned with a cup of hot chocolate, I smiled widely in gratitude and tucked myself under the blue blanket Alice retrieved from my room.

The Denali coven seemed exceptionally amused by the Cullens taking care of me, and I couldn't exactly fault them. Sometimes I felt like a tiny baby being cuddled and pampered, and with Carlisle and Esme settled on either side of me, the fact only seemed enhanced.

"Now that we are all here and at ease," Tanya spoke up in the silence, startling me into looking at her where she stood beside the fireplace, "I, for one, would like to know our new cousin better."

"What would you like to know?" I asked with creeping dread. There was so much I couldn't truthfully answer.

"The Cullens have told us how you met in the woods," Irina explained with sincere curiosity. "And they've told us your official public story…"

"But we refer to you as a person," Kate added quietly. "What are you like? Where do you come from?"

Eleazar and Carmen matched the sisters' interest, leaving me shorthanded. From the side, Alice's eyes caught mine, the subtle encouragement plainly visible in golden depths.

"I was born and raised in Michigan," I settled for as a beginning, slowly gathering the words to myself like a storyteller. Hopefully half-truths and metaphors sounded more convincing than I felt. "My family is… They're all gone."

The sisters knew what it was to lose loved ones and their faces reflected the sympathy I expected.

"I had nothing left when I got lost in the woods," I added more thoughtfully, thankfully skipping details on how I ended up such a great distance away from my origins. "So entering into this lifestyle was easier than you might believe."

Edward scoffed. "Your idea of 'ease' still amazes me."

"It could have been worse," I retorted in a heartbeat.

Rolling his eyes, Edward turned to the Alaskan coven with quick, instinctive words, "Honestly, you would find it easier to ask _us_ what Mireille is truly like. She finds it impolite to discuss herself unless under duress, although even then she's never honest about her own capabilities and her sense of realism is to describe her natural skills as learned habits rather than inherent talent."

Laughter flooded the room, Emmett's booming amusement nearly hurting my ears as he guffawed above the rest.

As the humor finally wound down, leaving me scowling at the room in general, Kate had to cover her smile as she asked, "Describe Mireille for us then, Edward."

Preparing myself for the most unrealistic response, I cast my eyes towards the ceiling and settled back against the sofa with a muffled thump. Esme muffled her laughter at my glowering features, patting my hand with only partial sympathy.

"Stubborn," Edward answered immediately, bringing another laugh from the assembled vampires, "but I think you already sensed that…"

"Sensitive to criticism sometimes," Rosalie pointed out calmly, "but she tries her best not to take things too personally."

"Brave, if you haven't noticed," Jasper added with a wry smile at my exasperated face. "Mireille doesn't stand down in the face of challenge. She overcomes and she betters herself."

Now my face turned slightly pink, aided by the embarrassment that flooded my system. Sensing the feeling with simple ease, Jasper smiled more truly at me.

"Highly intelligent, analytical, and quick-minded," Edward voiced, tone thoughtful and serious. "Not that she believes it of herself, of course."

"Then she is humble, as well?" Eleazar verified almost teasingly.

"Definitely," Edward nodded firmly, making me scoff at his utter assurance. The bronze-haired vampire faced me with as much stubbornness as he accused me of having, but said nothing.

"Mir loves to write and she adores music," Esme spoke on a more rational subject, smiling almost consolingly at me. Carlisle chuckled and reached out to grip my shoulder comfortingly as Esme went on, "She's a lovely singer and a remarkable writer."

"She plays piano very well, also," Edward couldn't seem to help himself from adding.

"Mir's got a great sense of humor and she likes to have fun," Emmett threw in, a big grin never fading from his lips, "but she has temper, too."

"And she's not afraid to argue when she knows she's right," Alice confirmed with a smile to match her bulky brother.

"We noticed," Irina grinned a little, making it even clearer that she held no grudge for my tirade after Esme had been hurt.

"Mireille can be incredibly kind, understanding, and forgiving," Carlisle added.

"That we also know," Kate nodded in deference to my forgiveness of her words and actions.

"Yet she doesn't suffer fools and she won't tolerate extensive cruelty," Edward amended of his father's statement. "Mireille has very strong principles."

"And very strong curiosity," Carlisle tacked on with another chuckle.

"Reserved at times, but very energetic as well," Jasper thoughtfully explained, "and naturally charismatic."

"Romantic and sentimental," Esme remarked teasingly, scrunching her nose with amusement at my steadily shrinking posture.

By that point, I just wanted to bury myself twenty feet under the sand and never climb back up, yet the Cullens weren't done.

"Remember Mir loves to watch the Tigers play baseball and she likes to play volleyball, tennis, and bowling," Emmett recalled with standard perfect clarity, changing the subject.

"She loves chocolate and Jell-O," Esme remembered from our many cooking sojourns together, "but she does her best to eat healthy. I would say that makes her a responsible person with a spontaneous streak."

"Great fashion sense, thankfully," Alice commented, features a mask of utmost relief that forced a snort from my throat.

"Decent appreciation for automotive work," Rosalie felt necessary to add, eyeing me pensively.

"She loves dancing," Edward smirked slightly at my reddening face.

"And reading," Carlisle included, giving my hand an apologetic squeeze.

"Don't forget _Star Wars_!" Emmett piped up cheerfully. "And penguins!"

"Most assuredly," Jasper grinned in agreement with his brother.

"Christmas is her favorite holiday," said Alice giddily, "just like me!"

"And fall is her favorite season," Edward recalled from our improvised game of twenty questions back in October.

"I feel the same," Irina nodded. "If Alaska were not so ideal for our lifestyle, I would choose a locale with more autumn weather than not."

"You're interests seem vast, Mireille," Tanya remarked.

"Mir does have a dearth of interests," Alice considered. "Esme mentioned music and writing, but Mir is also a talented artist."

"Really?" Carmen sounded surprised. "I would love to see your art, Mireille. Would that be possible?"

"Carmen shares my appreciation for artwork," Carlisle smiled congenially at the Spanish woman. "I, too, would still love to see your art, Mireille."

"I think most of us would," Esme corrected her husband amusedly.

"I… I don't know," I muttered awkwardly, but no one took any offense. Apparently Edward's persistence that I was permanently and eternally 'self-conscious' had set a precedent.

In the wake of the Cullens' mad dash of description and my subsequent reactions, the Denalis were left in varying degrees of amusement at both my humiliated face and the Olympic coven's obvious closeness to the new human in their midst. I wondered belatedly how the Cullens had changed from what the Alaskan coven remembered before my entrance in their lives, but the thought almost made my head hurt.

"Truly, Mireille," Tanya offered kindly. "We are genuinely interested. Not one of us intends to malign you or your work, nor tease you endlessly."

"Speak for yourself," Emmett chuckled, a slightly terrifying glint of promise in his eye.

"Emmett Joel!" Esme waspishly reprimanded her son, glaring at him with absolute authority. The burly vampire shrunk in on himself with defeat and a little shame.

"Sorry, Mir," he murmured under Esme's stinging gaze. For the first time since the Denalis asked about the kind of person I was, I found myself laughing out loud.

As my laughter wound down, I realized I was being a little difficult. It was just art, wasn't it? I wouldn't be offering up my right hand or anything, after all, would I?

"Is that common sense I hear?" Edward faked shock, eyes unnaturally wide. Once again, I was the subject of laughter.

Unable to remember how many times I had already rolled my eyes that day, I simply repeated the motion and stood from the sofa.

"Fine," I said out loud. "Carlisle?"

"To my office, then," the doctor explained to the room at large, rising to stand with me and lead the way upstairs.

Feeling slightly pretentious when followed by eleven vampires waiting to see my high school artwork, I decided I had no alternatives and accepted the feeling as normal. Edward's annoyed exhale hit my ears from directly behind me and I turned to give him another of my glares, to which he just shook his head exasperatedly, pulling me out of the line and up to our shared room in a blink.

"It's easier to see your art if we actually take it down there," Edward remarked humorously to my curious thoughts. The eternal seventeen-year-old became a sudden blur before he materialized beside me, artwork in hand, and pulled me back the way we had come.

While I had always loved the broad proportions of Carlisle's warm, welcoming space, it now seemed unbelievably small with thirteen people stuffed into its confines.

"Here we are," Edward stepped forward to place the art pieces on Carlisle's empty desk. Looking around in surprise, I found everything from the work surface now sitting in the window shelf areas between bookshelves.

I tried very hard not to pay much attention to everyone's reactions as they looked over my art pieces – not only the tiger and the Van Gogh copy, but also other smaller pieces in pencil, marker, watercolor, and even a crayon piece I tried just for fun once. Edward had already seen all my works during our trip around the house searching out my possessions, so the lean vampire came to stand with me at the windows overlooking the West side of the property.

We didn't say anything, but somehow I knew Edward understood my discomfort with public sharing would take a long while to leave me, if it ever did. So, instead of arguing, the young man did what he had almost always done and stood by my side in silent support until the others came to a close on their chattering inspection.

"Mireille, you indeed have a great talent with art," Carlisle was the first to say, and reluctantly I allowed Edward to turn me back towards the group behind us.

Every set of golden eyes shone with admiration, but on behalf of the five vegetarians from Alaska, confusion reigned in equal measure.

"While I am not certain how you could ever doubt that fact," Carmen took up in the doctor's stead, "I also know you _do_ doubt it. Yet I cannot help telling you it is so. These are beautiful works; particularly your paintings. I wish I could harness your talent to paint a landscape of our home, for it is beloved to us and your wistful perspective precisely how I wish to remember it on canvas… but I digress. I think this would make you uncomfortable."

Stunned, and rightly so, by the sheer fact a vampire with a love for great art wanted me to paint her home for eternal memory, I had no idea what to say. As he often did when I was stressed or overwhelmed, Edward spoke from my mind.

"She's flattered, Carmen," Edward explained quietly, grasping my shoulder in comfort, "but this is new territory for her. The idea of someone truly _wanting_ something she has accomplished… it's a startling revelation to Mireille. We're still fighting to make her understand her own achievements and self worth in a more objective mindset. It's all very hard to take in right now."

"I understand," Carmen smiled nearly as kindly as Carlisle and almost as warmly as Esme. "Consider the request a rhetorical one, Mireille; a statement of appreciation for your skill rather than an obligation to be undertaken."

"I… Thank you," I found my lips forming the words haltingly, but genuinely, hands restless at my sides.

"You are welcome, niña," the Spanish vampire smiled more serenely, nodding in deference to my discomfiture.

"Let us give Mireille some room to breathe," Tanya spoke with good natured firmness, extracting calm nods from the group around us. The small blonde vampire caught my eye respectfully and I nodded a little in gratitude.

"Shall we go out?" Irina suggested.

"We could shop in Seattle," Alice suggested with excitement.

Chancing a look at the clock, I suddenly gasped in the middle of the conversation.

"Uh oh," Edward muttered as he caught on, disappearing from the room without a word.

"What is it?" Eleazar frowned in confusion along with everyone else.

Not including a startled Alice as she exclaimed, "I completely forgot Mir's lessons today!"

"Oh my!" Esme started. "Will she be late, Alice?"

"No, but it's close," Alice scrunched her nose in distaste. "I'm glad you're taking self-defense, Mir, but that's going to be annoying on the weekends."

"Tell me about it," I sighed.

"Self-defense?" Kate inquired with lifted brows.

"You were injured in November," Eleazar recalled from our talk the previous evening, brows furrowing.

"Were you attacked, Mireille?" Carmen asked with a deep frown.

"Two seniors with a vendetta against our family's money and looks," Edward responded as he appeared in the room, already dressed in athletic wear and carrying my gym bag over his shoulder. Wondering about my own gym clothes made Edward add, "You can change at the gym."

"Perhaps we can still spend some time in the city after your lessons," Tanya recommended.

"That's a wonderful plan," Alice agreed with distant eyes before returning with clarity to look at Edward and me. "We'll meet you two afterward."

"All right," Edward answered for us both, and then rushed me into my coat and out to the Acura with nary a word of farewell as he sped off into the freshly clouded afternoon.

Self defense lessons, however, were exhausting and difficult that day. Daniel changed up the hold we had been working on, in order to teach me an alternate method of breaking it. Edward's calm presence and the thought of Vanessa Travis' smug face were pretty much the only things that kept me going until the end.

Once safely – and tiredly – back in Forks, I learned only briefly that Alice had seen my exhaustion and delayed the shopping feat for the next morning. Grateful for the reprieve, I barely managed to eat dinner and play Astro Pop with Emmett for a while. Finally, Carlisle persuaded me to get into bed earlier than normal, something I realized I needed if I was ever going to make it during the shopping trip in the morning.

Trudging through my nighttime routine, at last I slipped comfortably into soft blue pajamas and under the covers, appreciative when my favorite classical piece began to play, lulling me into a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

 


	42. Chapter 40: Involved

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:  
** This chapter is a bit of an amalgamation, but I had to cover a lot of ground and tie things up with the Denalis before we could move ahead.

Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting!

**Previously** – Jasper and Mireille played chess. Jasper played guitar for Mireille and shared some of his history with Alice. Edward convinced Mireille to play chess with him. Next day, Mireille saw Carlisle and Esme sparkling in the sun and convinced Edward to let her see him sparkle also. The Cullens described Mireille to the Denalis. Everyone saw Mireille’s artwork and Carmen wished Mireille would paint her home in Alaska. Edward and Mireille attended self-defense and Mireille was too tired to go shopping with the ladies.

> **Chapter 40: Involved**

While it seemed unhealthy and gluttonous to continue filling a closet that already burst at the seams, it was impossibly difficult to convince wealthy, fashionable, female vampires of that fact. Alice was enough of a problem in that regard, but adding Rosalie, Tanya, Irina, and Kate into the volatile mixture simply blew the proverbial ship out of the water.

Esme luckily kept me out of the main explosion of shopping insanity that Alice and Kate portrayed, but I had my fair share of moments purchasing something I definitely didn't need at the present time – mainly by virtue of an astonishingly persuasive Tanya.

First there would be a pretty blouse that looked 'far too marvelous with my complexion' to be ignored. Then there was a lovely skirt or a stylish pair of jeans that matched the pretty blouse to an absolute tee; it would be pointless to buy the blouse without a perfectly matched skirt or pair of jeans, wouldn't it? And a set of unusual heels in 'just the right color' cropped up within a few minutes, of course. Why bother with an outfit at all if there were no adorable heels to go with it?

I could have screamed at the insistent, convincing, overly charming vampire by the time we moved on to the next store. Yet somehow, in-between establishments, one of the other ladies found something that distracted me or amused me or made me think, and once we reached the next clothing shop, my patience would have wound back down to a normal level once more and the process began all over again.

It didn't help to have Alice and Kate squealing and whining in excitement over their every new find – of which there were too many to count. Carmen, Irina, and Rosalie, while more muted, gave into their shopping enthusiasm more often than I considered normal for an average day in Seattle.

Granted, I had a great love for fashion and I liked wearing cute outfits, but where I had always learned to set a reasonable limit on what I bought, how many, and how much, the vampire women around me had a lot of time and money on their hands to buy and wear an insane amount of clothing, makeup, and shoes. Add in Alice's need to constantly keep ahead of the curve of the latest trends, and I just couldn't do what the others did without collapsing in exhaustion and boredom.

Esme had been in fits of laughter for the past few hours as she watched my face move through nearly every range of emotion that was humanly possible. Not dissimilar to the expression the motherly vampire had offered me that morning, in fact.

Once I had chosen a plaid and floral button-down blouse with red, black, tan, and burgundy as its color scheme, then matched the shirt to a pair of bordeaux jeans, Alice had rushed into my room and insisted on black leather stiletto heels for my outfit. Outraged at the very idea of following one of Alice's endless fashion runs in six-inch heels, particularly after what happened the first time, I had outright told the tiny vampire to stick to her own clothes for a change.

Equally outraged by my blunt refusal, Alice had glared heatedly and proceeded to list her asinine reasoning behind the choice of footwear. Oh, it matched so well, the leather spiced things up, the heels broke up the casual feel of the outfit… gab, gab, gab went Alice in her visionary fashion craze until I finally blew a gasket. Expanding into a thorough tirade about the very first shopping excursion in which Alice had exhausted my energy to the breaking point, I made the argument very clearly that I would not wear stilettos to another such event. Never.

For some reason beyond my comprehension, Alice had argued back again. Having thought all the Cullens knew my 'stubbornness' well enough to stop arguing once I made up my mind, I had been caught up in furious disbelief at Alice's annoying persistence and proceeded to call her something approximating a donkey's backside.

As if Alice's jaw dropping like a stone wasn't enough, a trio of distinctly male guffaws sounded out in the hallway. How Jasper had held himself together enough to avoid joining the raging laughter, I would never know, but the man was clearly made of stronger stuff than Emmett, Edward, and Eleazar. Even as Esme appeared in the room, eyes ranging through a wild variety of emotions, but her lips twitching with tightly repressed amusement, I had flushed more deeply than I ever remembered in my life and apologized immediately to both women in the room. The memory still made me blush quite spectacularly.

Regardless, Alice hadn't said another word, taking the heels back to her room with a stunned expression I would never forget. And in the end, I wore the nude low-heeled wedges I intended to from the start.

I suspected Alice's current lack of pressure in the fashion department to be a remnant of her earlier shock. The tiny woman didn't avoid me, nor did she seem hurt or upset, but I could feel when she withheld a pushy opinion. In the midst of excitement with her newly appreciative shopping buddies, it seemed Alice had forgotten not everyone loved or could stomach fashion as much as she – or they – did.

Sighing at the irritating arguments Alice and I tended to engage in when it came to fashion, shopping, and visions, I hoped we could get past that in the near future. Snorting at the irony of that phrase, I followed Esme and Tanya into yet another store. By this point, I was fairly well over any enjoyment of shopping and mucking it through just to get one step closer to the Cullens' house.

Esme rubbed my back in gentle understanding as we passed a section with more delicate blouses, and I leaned into her without embarrassment. Being human simply limited the amount of energy my body could expend on buying power. Without the limiting agent of my humanness, I wondered how I would feel about shopping, but my brain hurt just thinking of it and I quickly disregarded the scenario.

To my surprise, Esme spoke up before the other six women could become too engrossed in more shopping, "Ladies, I think Mireille and I are done for the day."

"Oh, but Esme, we've hardly spent four hours together," Irina denied, looking a little unhappy. The idea that four hours felt too _short_ a time left me blankly stunned.

"Much as we enjoy your companionship," Esme spoke gently to the assembled vampires, "neither of us are much devoted to shopping this way and I know Mireille is exhausted and hungry by now. We'll stop and get Mir a bite to eat and then go back home."

"Of course, Esme," Carmen smiled understandingly.

"We'll see you all tonight," Esme offered for both of us and turned me towards the exit amid farewells.

Dinner and the subsequent car ride back to Forks offered a comfortable silence I treasured, as well as a marvelously long time to rest my feet. Even with such low shoes, my feet wouldn't forgive me very quickly after four hours stalking shop floors.

Emmett couldn't seem to believe his eyes when Esme and I walked in the front door empty-handed.

"You two went shopping, right?" the big vampire inquired blankly, game controller forgotten in his hands.

"Of course we did, Emmett," Esme laughed at her burly son while we hung up our coats. "Can't you tell from Mir's face?"

Taking a closer look at my weary features, Emmett broke into a booming laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"You didn't actually get by without purchasing something, did you?" Jasper asked of us, a definite twinkle in his darkened eyes as he briefly left his own game controller to glance our way.

"Oh heavens no!" Esme laughed more brightly, pulling me into the living area with a comfortable arm around my shoulders. "The bags are in the car still. I'm just more concerned with Mir getting off her feet."

"I'll get them," Edward offered from his spot watching Carlisle and Eleazar play chess at the coffee table. Disappearing outside and then up the stairs several times, the bronze-haired vampire finally appeared before us and eyed my silent form in pensive analysis. "I see the sisters once again matched Alice's enthusiasm for fashion."

"You have no idea," I murmured very tiredly, incapable of withholding the thought.

Shaking his head with an exasperated sigh for his sisters and cousins, Edward turned to Esme with the explanation, "I wasn't sure which bags were yours, Esme, so I left them all in your room."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Esme smiled at her eldest son warmly before facing me. "Mir, I'll be popping in and out of your room to bring your purchases in, but why don't you take a nap? I certainly won't wake you."

"You do still have your lessons later today," Edward pointed out sympathetically. "I can put music on. Your standard?"

"That would be wonderful," I sighed quietly, slumping in relief.

"Come on up," Esme told me and squeezed my shoulder as we walked upstairs at my pace.

Napping was a welcome relief after the wild morning shopping spree and once I woke to Beethoven, I felt much improved. At the foot of the bed, Esme had left my new clothes for me to put away how I wanted, and given some extra time, I decided to do just that.

Alice waited in the bedroom when I returned from my closet, the tension between us markedly visible of a sudden.

"Is it possible to forgive my overbearing manner this morning?" she asked quietly, genuinely shamefaced.

"Well, I don't see why not," I remarked, a little stunned that she had to ask. "I mean, if you can forgive me calling you names…?"

I really did feel guilty for being so rude; overwhelmed though I had been, it didn't excuse my behavior.

Smiling very naturally, Alice replied, "I think I can do that."

An answering smile lit up my face. "Good."

"I gave the stilettos to Rosalie," the tiny vampire admitted with sheepish relief. "She liked them a lot, so I thought it might be more productive that way."

"That sounds like a good idea," I agreed simply.

"All right, I'll let you get ready for your lessons," Alice offered, thankfully standing at her ease now.

"Wow, I spent that much time sorting clothes?" I wondered in surprise, glancing at the clock.

"Not too bad," Alice shrugged delicately. "Your blouse section _is_ getting a little full, so it wasn't easy to arrange those."

We both giggled at the fight I had put up with that part of the closet as Alice left.

Self-defense became another difficult event that afternoon, but my nap seemed to rejuvenate me enough that I didn't mind the way I had the previous day.

"You're picking this one up pretty quickly for only the second day," Daniel complimented me as I wiped the sweat off my brow. My instructor, on the other hand, still looked fresh as a daisy. "How do you feel so far?"

"Overworked," I confessed, laughing with Edward at the fact, "but I feel like I'm really accomplishing a lot."

"And you are," Daniel agreed, nodding. "It won't take long to get a good technique going for yourself."

"Thanks," I nodded quietly.

"All right, I'll see you guys tomorrow afternoon," Daniel ended the lesson with a smile.

The moment Edward and I returned to the house, I headed upstairs and jumped in the shower, rinsing away the sweat and grime from my workout with a sigh of relief. Changing back into my outfit from earlier in the day, I headed downstairs with the good kind of ache that follows a fulfilling workout. Esme had dinner waiting on the island for me and I ate ravenously after such an active day, not paying much attention to anything of the vampires around the main floor until Edward joined me for what seemed to be his second favorite sport – food-watching.

Half-laughing at the thought in my head, Edward queried in a quiet voice, "What would be the first, then?"

' _Probably hunting mountain lions_ ,' I thought for his benefit, bringing a louder laugh from the lean vampire.

"If you aren't sharing, don't start laughing," Emmett called out rudely, but we both ignored his standard comment on mental discussions.

"Back to school tomorrow," I sighed with weary resignation after a moment. Jessica's likely pressure to promote her case with Edward was at the bottom of my list of things to do.

"On that we agree," Edward sighed with equal frustration. "She's going to become positively galling in a short amount of time."

Emmett grumbled further out in the living area and this time I giggled at the big vampire.

"Are the rest of the ladies out shopping _again_?" I inquired in disbelief as I realized quite suddenly there were only six vampires in the house. Esme had curled up beside Carlisle on the sofa as he played Jasper at chess. Eleazar looked on with interest.

"I'm afraid so," Esme laughed at my stunned expression.

"They are spending the time they have before we leave tonight," Eleazar explained with a chuckle.

"It seems like you just got here," I frowned a little.

"It does seem that way," Eleazar concurred, "but we usually only visit for a weekend."

"With my work and all of you attending school," Carlisle added thoughtfully, "it makes it difficult for all of us to spend much time together during the week."

"That's true," I shrugged and returned to my last few bites of dinner.

When Edward stole my dishes away to the sink, I rolled my eyes even as I reprimanded him in my mind. Answering laughter was all the bronze-haired vampire offered me.

Wandering into the living area with the unrepentant seventeen-year-old, I watched Emmett trying to blast his enemies' ranks in a civil war game on the Playstation.

"Are you winning or losing?" I asked the burly vampire as I came to stand beside his seat on the floor.

"Don't know yet," the big guy frowned at the screen as three of his Yankee soldiers fell under Confederate bayonets. "Seemed like I was winning a minute ago."

"Well, from the looks of it right now, you're trying to change history," I remarked with a lifted brow as more Yankee men fell and the southern military advanced. "I didn't know the Yankees lost the war."

"When he plays the Confederate side, he loses that, too," Jasper drawled from the sofa behind us. I had to quickly raise my hands to my mouth to contain the laughter that nearly spewed from it.

Emmett whipped around to glare at his empathic brother, leaving his lines undefended as the Confederates began to decimate them. Unable to prevent laughter anymore, I allowed the full volume of my humor to echo in the room, leaving Edward and Eleazar to grin unashamedly. Esme buried her face in Carlisle's shaking shoulder while Jasper stared Emmett down with a wicked gleam in his eye.

_'Game Over'_ flashed across the screen, the accompanying dismal music bringing Emmett's attention back to his lost game with a scowl.

"This is your fault." Emmett went right back to glaring at Jasper, tossing aside his controller as he made to rise.

Alice, Rosalie, Carmen, Tanya, Kate, and Irina returned to the house at the perfect moment, their chattering entrance in the house preventing Emmett from launching himself towards Jasper for an in-house brawl he was sure to lose.

Edward muffled heavy chortles at both my thoughts and the stink eye Alice and Rosalie gave their husbands from the entryway.

"I'm _so_ glad I saw that coming," was Alice's snarky comment, to which Jasper just chuckled and returned to his game with Carlisle.

Emmett, on the other hand, became very quiet in the face of his wife's potential wrath. Instead of arguing or settling himself back in front of the controller, the big vampire reappeared beside Rosalie to help with her shopping bags.

As the four Denali women sifted through purchases on the empty dining room table, the sound of their friendly chatter filled the house in a way the Cullens never did unless having a small party or playing a group game. The idea sounded fun, actually, although I didn't know what game accommodated thirteen people.

_Pictionary_ , perhaps, but with a time limit and impossibly fast vampires, that just didn't make sense for me. Musical Chairs could be fun and I wouldn't mind being the one playing and stopping the music; watching the Cullens and Denalis scramble for chairs would be hilarious. Still, that would get dull fast. There was Charades, too, although anyone giving clues to Edward would have to be good at blocking him. Actually that didn't sound too bad…

At my unusual idea, Edward lifted an eyebrow, although interested suffused his topaz eyes.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Alice appeared in the room like a sharp wind, the tiny woman clapping her hands with the most excitement I had seen in her since Jasper gifted her with their trip to Milan. "Mir, that's such a great idea! It'll be a lot of fun!"

Everyone looked over at Alice in surprise.

"What would be fun, Alice?" Irina asked curiously, setting down her bag.

"Charades!" the tiny woman answered happily. "Mir was going to suggest it."

"Yeah… 'was' being the key word," I murmured amusedly, making the others laugh.

"That sounds like an excellent way to end our visit," Tanya agreed.

"Yes, let us end the night on a laugh," Carmen smiled widely.

"This will be very interesting," Carlisle chuckled, he and Jasper mutually agreeing to leave their chess board in favor of the moment.

"Partners or going in a circle?" I verified as everyone moved to the large empty space between the living area, computer, and entryway to sit in a circle on the floor.

"We're uneven," Edward commented as he realized. "Better make it a circle."

The bronze-haired vampire printed a list of words for us to use, turning it into a batch of cards. I barely had time to contemplate his actions before he had cut out the cards and returned with a hat, pen, and paper for scorekeeping.

"Actually, I think I'll just keep score," Edward offered with a wry smile, holding the pen and paper as he threw the newly made cards into the hat.

"Are you sure?" Tanya queried of the pianist.

"Most of you can't block me long enough," he shrugged. "Besides, the real fun is watching all the wild clues."

A mellow laugh blanketed us all in good humor as the game began in earnest.

Rosalie started the round of clues for Carmen, the tall blonde rolling her eyes at the word on her card, but she stood nonetheless to imitate stomping her foot.

"Stomp," Carmen guessed with ease, to which Rosalie nodded in relief and sat down.

Carmen picked a card from the hat and chuckled at the word in front of her. Remaining seated, the Spanish vampire turned to Esme with a slightly sheepish smile as she pulled pieces of her hair forward and moved her fingers across the loose locks in a scissor motion.

"Haircut," Esme guessed just as easily as Carmen had.

From the laugh Esme issued a moment later, I guessed her clue to give Kate was more animated. Standing up, the amused mother brought both fists up, one stretched out before her, and mimicked pulling back something and letting it go.

"Oh, arrow! Or bow!" Kate guessed, excited by the first challenge our game had brought, but Esme shook her head and repeated her earlier motion, this time pointing back at herself at the end.

"Ah… good aim?" Kate frowned a bit, but Esme shook her head again and bit her lip as she thought. I had a good idea what she was trying to say, smiling in anticipation.

This time, Esme mimicked the same movements of shooting an arrow and then gestured over herself from head to toe, ending with another point at herself.

Looking on in confusion as Esme did the same thing, Kate finally lit up, "Archer!"

"Yes!" Esme exhaled in amused relief. "Thank goodness, I didn't know what else to point at!"

Laughter brightened the room again as Kate then took up a card; her bewildered expression made me grin. I wondered what word she had gotten. Edward hummed pensively, then waved Kate over. He murmured well below my hearing level in the blonde's confused ear for a few minutes until she gasped with understanding.

"Oh, _now_ I see!"

We laughed again at her reaction, to which she explained sheepishly, "Well, I didn't know what it was!"

Returning to her place in the circle, Kate turned embarrassedly to Emmett. She began with her fist at shoulder level, threw her fist open towards the ground, then yanked it back up into a more open style of fist. Emmett looked utterly perplexed as he tried to determine what she was doing, his contorted features making me giggle along with Alice and Esme. Thorough amusement flitted across Rosalie's face when she watched her husband's near pout.

"Throw?" Emmett guessed with a shrug and furrowed brow, making further guesses as Kate kept rejecting his answers, "Drop? Break? Crack?"

Kate began to grin at the big vampire's confusion, helplessly repeating her motions and trying to refine them somehow to give greater clarity on each part of the process.

"Time's up!" Edward announced, grinning at his brother's unfriendly scowl. "Does anyone else have a guess?"

No one responded, each of us shaking our heads in confusion.

"It was 'yo-yo'," Kate half groaned in explanation. "I've never seen one, so Edward tried to explain it to me."

That remark received more laughs and Emmett even smiled despite his lost points.

"Oh man," Emmett suddenly grinned as he picked his word, standing with a definite mischief to face Alice beside him. Warily scooting closer to Eleazar on her other side, Alice waited worriedly for her brother's clues and kept our laughter going.

Not offended in the least, Emmett pretended to walk along casually, positioning his lips as though he was whistling. Out of the blue, the big vampire seemed to catch his foot on something and started hopping around on one foot, clutching the other in his hands with a look of pain.

I was practically crying I laughed so hard, leaning into Edward's steady arm as I failed to hold myself up. Alice shook with giggles, incapable of telling us her guess for a full minute.

Forcing herself to calm, with a little help from her smiling husband, Alice spoke through a huge grin, "Stubbing your toe?"

"That's right, shorty!" Emmett grinned, finally stopping his crazy jumping and sitting back down between his sister and Kate.

Alice pulled her card with a well-humored shake of her head and stood with another big grin. Once she took off her high heels and started tip-toeing around with her arms outstretched with graceful poise, everyone had a very good idea what the scene was.

"Dancing? Dancer?" Eleazar guessed, chuckling as Alice effected a perfect pirouette. "Ballerina?"

"Yes!" Alice clapped and pointed at the dark-haired man excitedly.

Eleazar kept chuckling, even when he started to enact his word for Tanya. With hands closed as if in prayer, the vampire opened his palms back up like opening a book, pretending to flip pages.

"Um… book?" Tanya guessed thoughtfully, but Eleazar shook his head negatively and she guessed again, "Reading?"

With a final nod, Eleazar confirmed the correct answer and Tanya moved on to her card with a frown of concentration. Eventually, the short blonde turned to Carlisle and appeared to blow into something, tie a bow, and then flick her fingers at the ceiling. Carlisle lifted both brows at the obscure clues, and we all shared a laugh at the reaction.

Half-laughing herself, Tanya then refined her clue – instead of a straightforward tied bow after blowing into something, she faked wrapping something around her fingertip and _then_ tied a bow. This time, when she released her fingers, it was a smaller motion and seemed more like letting go than flicking.

"I can honestly say I have _no idea_ what you're acting out," Carlisle laughed at his friend.

Snorting humorously, Tanya sighed and tried to think of something else, but she couldn't find anything different before Edward called out, "Time… Any guesses?"

Once again, none of us had any more idea than the guesser.

Exhaling with an irritable groan, Tanya explained, "The word was 'balloon'."

"Oh, I understand now!" Carlisle exclaimed, joining everyone in laughing at the now-obvious clues.

When the doctor chose his card, he froze for a moment as his eyes stared at the word.

A startling roar of laughter drew every pair of eyes to Edward beside me; the lean vampire bent over double as he laughed freely at whatever Carlisle was thinking.

"Be quiet, Edward!" Carlisle scolded the young man with disbelieving humor, but Edward shook his head and kept on laughing more quietly than before.

Releasing an exasperated sigh, the blond-haired vampire resigned himself to the situation and with a roll of his golden eyes, he finally made a very well known gesture – with his index finger, Carlisle made a circular motion just above his golden head.

Given Carlisle's flawless record with human blood, his life-saving career as a doctor, and his once-Angelic persona as the stregoni benefici, no one could doubt the irony of the word he had picked.

Loud laughter practically overrode Irina's strangled answer, "Halo."

Carlisle playfully glared at his eldest son's glittering eyes, even as a smile touched his lips.

When the laughter died down at last, Irina picked her card and muttered, "Oh, this is easy."

Jasper had a simple time guessing the answer when Irina stood and curtsied to him.

"Curtsy," he sighed amusedly, then chose his card.

The deepest concentration I had yet seen overtook Jasper's face. Exhaling frustratedly after a moment, the honey-blond vampire shared a consternated look with Edward, who also seemed completely stumped. Glancing around the circle of people, Jasper continued to frown. He looked at Alice for a moment in deep thought, but shook his head and moved on. His eyes eventually stopped on Esme three spots down.

Tilting his head in consideration, Jasper looked inspired. Everyone was confused, but the once-major now spoke, "It's only words and sounds that are forbidden in this game, correct?"

"That's correct," Tanya agreed, and from the growing smile on her face, she knew what Jasper wanted to do the same as Alice and I did.

Nodding his comprehension, Jasper turned to me with one hand outstretched and an inquiring gaze. Intrigued by what Esme and I had in common, I accepted the hand.

Whatever Jasper pushed forward, it made itself known like a wild burst of fire or a shriek of lightning. I felt… okay… I guessed. Overall, it felt as though I was intrinsically fine.

Yet the extreme sensations coursing through me were a jumble of fierceness, protectiveness, affection, fear, disbelief, and determination. Overarching the cacophony was a sense of rightness and yet impending loss or pain. There were a thousand other little feelings mixed in, things I couldn't quite pinpoint or recognize on their own, but I knew they all blended together to make one pure emotion I found challenging to define with simple words.

I remembered the broad, intense combination of feelings. I had felt it only a few times in my young life – most of those times had been in Forks the past few months.

The greatest of those times had occurred barely two days earlier.

My brow furrowed as I recalled the rage that had also buried me in that moment, but this wasn't the same thing. It was, instead, the way Esme's painful history had snowballed and compounded in my head until I couldn't even speak. It was how seeing her suffer had broken a part of me into tiny pieces. It was the way I felt when I remembered Esme taking care of me, looking out for me, and feeling so helpless to do anything for me when I came back from the hospital.

The recognition left me startled and confused; I didn't understand how I could know exactly when and how I felt this emotion, yet still not be able to name it.

"Hey now, brother, you have to let us all feel it," Emmett remarked, his voice somehow distant to my ears as I drowned in Jasper's power. "We get to guess if Mir doesn't get it right, you know."

Bringing my self back enough to understand what was happening, I could almost sense as Jasper spread the emotion through the entire room, covering everyone in the sensation with gasps and starts.

"That's what I felt when I yelled at all of you," I admitted to the three blonde sisters, turning to face Irina, then Tanya, and then ending with Kate. "It was after Edward threw Kate across the yard, and when Jasper had to calm me."

"That's quite funny," Jasper laughed shortly. The feeling he instilled in me remained forged between our hands even as Jasper's eyes full of wonder stared between Esme and me.

"What's funny about it?" Kate interrupted with a heavy frown.

"It's quite ironic that Mireille felt this way at that moment," Jasper explained in more depth, but it was his next words that stumped everyone, "because that is precisely what Esme felt when she jumped between Mireille and Kate."

A startled murmuring overtook everyone in the circle. Clearly, judging the clarity and comprehension in everyone else's eyes, I was the last to understand.

"Is that where you got it from?" I wondered in awe at the similarity between our feelings.

Jasper nodded and extended his reply, "It's also the same – pretty much to a point – as what Carlisle felt when he recalled finding you in the woods two months ago."

The startling revelation still made no sense of what emotion Jasper showed me. It was so complex, so deep and strong, but its name eluded me.

"Jasper, what was the feeling?" Esme asked gently for me, looking far less confused than I was.

Offering me a half-smile full of understanding as he allowed the emotion to recede, Jasper answered with simple, quiet words.

"It was love."

Those plain little words struck me deaf and dumb.

Almost unblinkingly, I turned to stare at Carlisle to the right and then at Esme to the left. Carlisle's warm eyes and Esme's tender smile undid whatever composure I had enforced upon myself as Jasper unwittingly wreaked havoc on me.

"Esme," Jasper prompted the motherly vampire at the same moment Edward concernedly called out, "Carlisle."

But as tears of gratitude built up in my eyes for the thousandth time, both parents were already moving into the spaces Edward and Jasper cleared on either side of me. Esme slipped down beside me to wrap her arms around my shoulders and Carlisle wrapped us both up in his long arms like a shield.

For all the times I had known the Cullens cared about me and wanted to keep me safe, I had never realized how deeply these two particular vampires felt. I knew I loved them more than I could say; I knew I saw Carlisle and Esme as much my parents as any of their vampire children did. My mind simply refused to acknowledge those feelings as being returned in such purity. I couldn't understand why I had so blocked myself – and perhaps I didn't need to.

The tears remained caught up in my eyes and I knew Jasper had given me a refuge with his gift, letting me feel without welling up or overflowing. He allowed me this moment to accept what I now knew without the frustration and hassle of crying or wiping away tears.

"Thank you," I murmured against a combination of the sleeve of Carlisle's button-down and the collar of Esme's blouse, closing my eyes to relish the safety I felt between them.

When I finally opened eyes to the world again, a calmness had settled over me that had nothing to do with Jasper's ability and everything to do with the new foundation of my heart.

Giving Esme a final squeeze, I carefully broke the embrace I so cherished, feeling both vampires' arms slide away. I smiled at Esme, trying to convey every sensation of love and appreciation before I turned and hugged Carlisle around the neck with all my fragile human strength. His arms encased me with so much care that I laughed a little, bringing a surprised chuckle from both parents.

Pulling away, I once again felt gratitude, this time for Jasper managing my tears so that I didn't burst into a sniffling, sobbing mess.

"Now do you understand?" Carlisle asked of me softly, "Do you understand _why_ we want you to live your life fully?"

"And why we won't give up on that desire, even when you're afraid to embrace it?" Esme stated more than asked, her voice as gentle as her loving eyes.

"I finally do," I murmured equally as tenderly, loving them so much more than I already did, if that were even possible.

"I'm so relieved," Esme sighed with her husband, brushing hair behind my ear.

For the first time since beginning to understand and accept my love for the Cullen parents, and their equal love for me, I wondered at how strange it was to look up to such young faces and still feel so much younger, even as an adult myself. But then my life had been so hindered by loss and isolation, I honestly wondered if – in my heart and soul – I had ever aged beyond my teenage years. And Carlisle and Esme had been living as mature adults, despite not aging, for decades. In Carlisle's case, it had been centuries. It was no small wonder I still saw them as so much older than I was.

"The Denalis would like to say their farewells," Edward spoke up from behind Esme. Some unidentified emotion in his eyes struck me for some reason, but I couldn't think how or why and Edward shook his head when I offered an inquiry in my mind.

"Oh, it's already that late?" I frowned.

"I'm afraid so," Carlisle sighed, but smiled reassuringly as he helped me to rise. "Come now, we will see them again no doubt."

"We certainly hope so," Carmen offered into the quiet of the house. Turning, I found everyone else walking back into the room behind her.

"In fact," Eleazar joined his mate with a wry smile, "we are going to make sure of it."

"What do you mean?" Rosalie asked with a slight frown.

"We're going to set a date," Tanya spoke as well. The Alaskan coven appeared to have discussed this as a group already, Irina and Kate smiling as conspiratorially as their sister.

"A date for your next visit?" Emmett frowned a little confusedly.

"Oh no," Tanya laughed. "Not that we would mind visiting again… but this time we are setting a date for _your_ visit to _Alaska_."

"Oh, yes!" Alice bounced in her typical way, bringing about the first laugh from us all after our game of Charades had unceremoniously ended.

"Is there a date that will work for all of you?" Carmen asked politely after our laughter subsided.

"We'll be at the car show next weekend," Rosalie explained of herself and Emmett.

"Some of us will be in New York the weekend after that," Alice scrunched her nose about her beloved fashion week trip. "And then Jasper and I will arrive in Milan the twentieth, so that weekend is out, too."

"What about the weekend between New York and Milan?" Esme suggested. "Everyone will be here at that time, I think."

"Any weekend is rather problematic, though," Carlisle frowned. "What with Mireille taking self-defense every day…"

"What if we asked Daniel to add a more time to my weekdays and cut out weekends?" I considered. "Edward drives insane, so we'll get there and back without losing much of my time."

"That's not as many hours training, though, is it?" Alice frowned.

"You need to be able to defend yourself sooner rather than later," Jasper agreed with his wife. "It's just good sense."

"I would only learn a _little_ slower," I countered reasonably. "Edward, wasn't Daniel quite positive about me becoming proficient very quickly?"

"He was," Edward nodded reluctantly. "He believes you have an innate talent for jiu jitsu. Or any physical activity of this kind. By Daniel's standards, you were already very healthy and your fitness decent when you started two weeks ago. And you have good balance and determination, which is a great benefit for your training."

"I'm going to ask him tomorrow," I settled myself comfortably.

Alice jumped to life with a vision, and I guessed she had seen Daniel's answer already.

"He's going to be fine with it," she pronounced in surprise. "He'll pretty much repeat what Edward just told us."

"Great!" I smiled, pleased by the simple fix.

Training was important, but I felt getting closer to the Cullens' cousins was also very important. If something happened with vampires or the wolves or whatever other supernatural force existed in this universe, then self-defense wasn't going to do much for me. I had to balance both my human capabilities and those of my vampire friends to keep both halves of my life as stable as possible – especially when Bella arrived with her superior bad luck.

"You make a good point," Edward admitted seriously.

"Very well," Carlisle nodded. "What weekend would work best for us, then?"

"Well, I mentioned the fourteenth and fifteenth," Esme replied, "but I just remembered that's Valentine's Day. I know Rose and Emmett always spend that elsewhere."

"Let's set a tentative date for March," Irina suggested patiently. "You can call as your details firm up."

"That will work for us," Carlisle confirmed for everyone.

"We'll say our goodbyes, then," Carmen concluded the discussion, moving forward with a hug for Esme first.

While the sisters made their rounds amongst the Cullen siblings, Eleazar shook every man's hand and nodded respectfully to Rosalie. Alice went straight for a hug, bringing a chuckle from the Spanish vampire. While Carmen shared a hug with Carlisle, Eleazar offered his hand to me.

With a teasing twinkle in his eye, Eleazar told me, "Be sure you call if there are any developments with your gift, Mireille. I only rarely have the chance to say I told you so."

Laughing helplessly at the sentiment, I reached forward on an impulse and hugged him as Alice had.

Carmen moved to me next, not bothering with formalities, but pulling me straight into her embrace. "I'm so pleased to have met you, niña."

"So am I, Carmen," I smiled as she broke away.

"Be well, cousin," Irina winked at me, offering a matching hug.

When Kate held out her hand to me, we both froze a second, but Edward's laughter shook us from our posture with sheepish expressions. Ignoring the handshake, I gave her a hug as well.

Kate laughed and returned the embrace, pushing me back with gentle teasing.

The last to approach, Tanya smiled warmly as she moved in for one final hug.

"You must ensure your vampires are well taken care of, Mireille," the small woman joked, but an underlying seriousness took me by surprise. My brows furrowed in question, eyes shifting from Tanya to a confused Edward, but Tanya only shook her head and smiled more widely.

Still confused myself, I nonetheless agreed, "I will, Tanya."

"Good," she nodded once with firmness, then headed outside with the rest of her coven.

The Cullens all reappeared at the back wall to watch through the glass as the Alaskan coven disappeared into the deep shadows and tall trees the same way they had come, only this time hindered by tightly-packed bags of new purchases.

"What was that about?" I asked Edward of Tanya's strange behavior and words.

"I don't know," he replied quite genuinely, still frowning over the odd moment. "Whatever she meant, she wasn't thinking of it."

"Weird," I murmured, matching his frown.

"I don't think anyone but Tanya knows what she meant," Alice replied, lips dipping down unhappily just like ours. "Her sisters are going to ask once they get home."

"I have the feeling Tanya isn't going to answer them, either," I decided awkwardly.

Edward hesitated a moment more, but shook it off. "I doubt it's anything too serious. Otherwise she would have at least told her sisters."

"That's true," I agreed reluctantly, still feeling strangely as though I needed to understand. But then if Tanya didn't tell us, I wouldn't likely figure it out.

"Well," Carlisle spoke through a sigh of relief, "that all went _much_ better than I expected."

"Better than _any_ of us expected," Edward spoke for the whole of us, a surprised wryness in his features.

"Back to normalcy, tomorrow," Rosalie rolled her eyes slightly, disappearing upstairs with Emmett on her heels.

"Tell me about it," I remarked under my breath, leaving the rest of the Cullens laughing.

Back at school the next morning with a bad feeling, I knew I was absolutely right when Jessica asked to talk to me for a minute about 'girl stuff.' Passing a knowing, agitated look over Jessica's curls, Edward gave me an immediate understanding of what was coming. Still, when the pushy girl asked me point blank what I'd told Edward about her, I cringed inside.

Flubbing through an excuse wasn't on my to-do list, and thankfully Alice was looking out for me, because Rosalie and Emmett's appearance was the quickest it had ever been in those first three weeks of school. Rosalie mentioned something benign and family-related that she 'simply couldn't wait' to discuss and dragged me away from Jessica.

If Jessica Stanley wasn't bad enough, the very next class period I had to deal with Mike Newton's strangely bold attempt to compliment me and initiate conversation. Now past basketball and moving onto the solitary sport of golf, I didn't have Emmett as a partner to directly buffer unwanted conversation. Although the big vampire's glare certainly kept everyone else away from me, I had to admit gratefully.

Third hour in Spanish became as bad as gym when Tyler decided Jasper's presence wasn't bothersome enough to stop him attempting to flirt like Mike had. Finally, after a nuisance-filled thirty minutes in which Tyler threw little compliments my way or tossed a tiny crumbled piece of paper at my back to get my attention, Jasper closed his eyes with distinct frustration before we could continue with our speech activity.

Whatever Jasper did, everyone in the classroom suddenly seemed very disinterested and a little listless, including me. Eying the gifted vampire with a lifted brow, I did my best to push away the sensation and pretended to notice something on his hand.

"Did you cut yourself?" I faked quiet concern, fighting through Jasper's power to touch his hand as though inspecting it for injury, when in reality I pushed my acceptance towards him as strongly as I could.

"Oh, no," I deflected easily as the listlessness removed itself, patting Jasper's hand once in assurance. "Nevermind. Must have been ink."

Jasper glanced at me with a heavy dose of amusement coupled with exasperation, but started our exercises without a word. We ignored Tyler very thoroughly for the rest of class.

After such an intensely annoying day, I welcomed self-defense so I could vent a little frustration. Edward laughed at me half the way to Olympia as I ground my teeth and complained about dumb teenage boys and their antics to get a girl's attention.

Every day after that, my first three courses at school became the most irritating and tiresome classes to endure.

Jessica in Algebra, Mike in Gym, and Tyler in Spanish.

The combination of teenage flirts all drove me insane and overshadowed all my later classes, but by the time I left my lessons at Body Balance, I had released that frustration and tension through conditioning and training.

Daniel had been as nice as could be about my request to rearrange hours, and his assurance I would still learn quickly under the slightly lesser hours made Edward relax for good on that topic.

Saturday rolled in like a godsend, my entire two days free of everything except general exercising and whatever I wanted to involve myself in. With Rosalie and Emmett at the car show all weekend, the house felt a little emptier than normal, but the rest of the family kept me so busy I hardly thought about it for more than few minutes at a time. By the time the couple returned late Sunday night, it almost seemed like they had never left in the first place.

Another week began with the three banes of my existence continually circling like vultures around a rotting carcass. Edward had nearly exploded with laughter when I mentioned the analogy to him on the way to self-defense one day.

To make things worse, Chemistry in fourth period (a class that should have been sufficiently uncomplicated with Rosalie present) turned out to have bred a fourth vulture – Eric Yorkie.

He was quieter, subtler, and far less confident about his chances, but the acne-ridden boy had introduced himself with a very clear intent to flirt with me on Tuesday – and every day afterward. By the look on Rosalie's face, she had wanted to slap the awkward sophomore into a brick wall and have done with it.

Come Friday afternoon, Edward, Emmett, and Jasper all shared the same expression.

I did regret one thing about the way the week ended, and that was Angela and Katie approaching me about another sleepover that Saturday. I couldn't believe it had already been a month since the first one I attended.

"Oh, thank you for the invite, but I can't this weekend," I answered Katie's excited question with regret.

"Oh, why?" the redhead looked genuinely disappointed.

"Esme is taking us to New York," I worded the description cautiously, carefully avoiding mention that in fact Alice had planned out the whole trip.

"Oh, how neat!" Angela smiled gladly for my mini vacation. "Have a lot of fun, Ray!"

Angela had only recently started to call me Ray, and only after ascertaining I approved of the nickname, something I appreciated.

"Thanks, Ang, I will," I smiled back at her.

"Well, you have to make the next one," Katie insisted. "It's for Angela's birthday next month."

"Which day, Angela?" I asked in surprise.

"Well, the sleepover is going to be the fifth and sixth," Angela explained, "but my birthday is the fourth."

"Then I'll mark it on my calendar," I promised and waved goodbye to them as I continued to the Acura with Edward.

After lessons in Olympia and a standard shower, Alice hurriedly pushed me to change into the outfit we had mutually agreed on: mustard jeans, a long-sleeved teal top with an autumn-inspired band of floral print across the chest and wrists, a plum pea coat, and very dark burgundy boots that matched flowers in the shirt. The only reason I agreed to the spiky leather footwear was the combination of driving and flying we would be doing that day. It wouldn't require much walking, even when we did start to hit the streets in New York; Esme and Rosalie both assured me there would be ample places to sit, whether at a designer's show or at restaurants and crowded shops along the way.

Satisfied I was moving fast enough once she threw all of my clothing into my arms, Alice grabbed my pre-packed bags to rush them out to the Mazda. Laughing with Edward where he sat in the alcove, I shook my head and continued to patiently collect all of my essential basics and burgundy leather Balenciaga purse for our weekend trip, and then headed to the bathroom to change.

Given a chance to see New York in all its bustling glory, I could hardly imagine refusing. At the same time, New York Fashion Week reminded me of shopping in Seattle multiplied by a thousand. My feet still tingled with remembered pain at the thought of that insanity. But still, this could be a once in a lifetime moment and I intended to take full advantage.

When I was finally ready and Alice had stopped bouncing around like a jack-in-the-box, we made our way downstairs with an amused Edward at our heels, and proceeded to say goodbye to the four Cullen men along with Rosalie and Esme.

"Enjoy it while you may," Carlisle chuckled as he released Esme with a sweet kiss on her lips.

Jasper and Emmett kissed their wives goodbye similarly and Rosalie and Alice zipped into the brilliant yellow Porsche. Sharing a humorous look with Edward over their excitement, I walked more calmly to the gray Mazda with Esme. The motherly vampire didn't attempt to catch up to Alice's speeding vehicle, instead staying much closer to the speed limit as we made our way to Sea-Tac airport.

"Have you ever flown before, sweetheart?" Esme asked me, keen eyes catching my anxious grip on the seatbelt as the airport finally came into view.

"Only twice," I admitted with a swallow. "To and from my great-aunt's funeral in Indiana; I was thirteen, terrified, and I couldn't open my eyes until we landed."

"You'll be okay," Esme smiled at me. "I honestly think you'd be happier if your eyes were open and looking out the window."

Humming noncommittally at the suspect thought, I didn't reply, but Esme shook her head fondly while we pulled through the parking lot.

Esme was my rock throughout the entire process of checking in, boarding the plane, and the inevitable takeoff that nearly made me sick before the lovely vampire hugged me to her shoulder with comforting words. No matter what Esme had thought, I couldn't bear to look out of the window even once before we finally began the worst part of flying – the descent.

Esme held my head against her shoulder again as we came closer and closer to the ground, eventually touching down with a thump on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport.

* * *


	43. Chapter 41: Illuminating

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
I have no real clue how fashion week works. I've done some research, but mostly that part will be an inventive scenario. Also, I'm afraid Tanya's comment won't be explained until sometime after the second story in the series. But that means it _will_ be explained, so that's a plus, haha! :)

Many thanks for reads, comments, favorites, and follows!

**Song Inspiration:** **  
** _Most Girls_ by Hailee Steinfeld

**Previously** – Next day, Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Mireille, Kate, Irina, and Tanya all went shopping. Tanya was persuasive with Mireille's shopping. Mireille recalled arguing with Alice about shoes and winning. Esme took Mireille back home and Mireille napped before her self-defense lesson that day. Mireille and Alice reconciled. Daniel complimented Mireille's training progress. Mireille suggested charades and everyone agreed to play. Jasper showed Mireille the love Esme and Carlisle feel for her. The Denalis wanted the Cullens to visit Alaska and Tanya left Mireille with an odd parting comment. Jessica started bugging Mireille about Edward. Mike and Tyler started flirting with Mireille. Daniel agreed to rearrange Mireille's training hours and free up her weekends. Eric started flirting with Mireille also. Mireille agreed to attend Angela's birthday sleepover. Esme, Alice, Rosalie, and Mireille left for New York.

> **Chapter 41: Illuminating**

The glistening, wondrous universe that was New York City bustled place to place, corner to corner, with rapid progress and almost mystical fluidity. Despite lines of starting and stopping vehicles, crowded and agitated sidewalks, and the unbending motion of such a full populous, the Big Apple stood out like a positive jewel after the few places I had lived or visited in my life. Forks, by comparison, had felt ethereal and unearthly with its forested meadows and ambling waters.

Esme, Alice, and Rosalie all smiled silently at my wonder as I constantly looked out every window to see everything around us. Beyond my restless attention, our taxi moved slowly along the busy street towards our hotel.

And what a hotel it was, I thought in amazement when finally reached our destination.

"The St. Regis?" I repeated the name I saw on the awning almost breathlessly, stunned by the grand, antique hotel. Someone could have knocked me over with a feather.

The Cullen women moved from smiling to grinning. They knew precisely how much this whole experience had already started to blow me away – and we hadn't even attended fashion week yet!

"This is going to be so wild," I admitted in awe, mouth hanging slightly open.

A brilliant laugh flew from Esme's and Alice's lips.

While I attempted to control myself, Rosalie paid the taxi driver, thanked him, and stood from the cab along with Alice and Esme. I still hadn't moved, bringing the Cullen matriarch back down to my level, her eager grin never fading.

"Come on, Mir," she teased and prodded at the same time, reaching out a hand for me to grasp.

Accepting the appendage half-blindly, I let Esme practically drag me across the seat and tug me to my booted feet with apparent human ease. The biting cold of February in New York didn't even faze me.

Alice and Rosalie went inside ahead of us, Alice's giggling glance letting me know she intended to let me savor my moment. Not that 'moment' could even begin to cover how everything felt. Staying at a five star hotel in New York City and attending Olympus Fashion Week… My life was so strange now.

Idly, I wondered how many times I would realize that before it finally sunk in without fading under stress and doubt. Yet in the middle of strolling arm-in-arm with Esme across the pavement and up to one of two golden revolving doors – observing every minute detail of the intricate structure and design of the hotel – I realized it would probably take forever for it to sink in.

If the exterior of the hotel swept me away, it was nothing compared to the inside. Opulent, elegant, and old-fashioned, the lobby washed away all of my shock and renewed it tenfold. My boots clicked and clacked in time with Esme's heels as we crossed the shining marble floor to reach the equally shining marble desk. Everything had been trimmed, edged, and covered in gold; from the chair rails to the mirrors to the clock far above the desk surface, every part of the room had been touched in the spirit of King Midas. Beyond the height of the clock, the curving wall and ceiling boasted clouds and blue sky reminiscent of an old master's style, while an enormous crystal chandelier hung above the center of the lobby. I had never seen something so wonderfully old world and beautiful in a building before.

"Your keys, Esme," Rosalie offered two sets of keys – both gold, of course. One Esme took and the other she placed in my hand.

"Luggage?" Esme verified with her daughters.

"With a team of porters," Alice responded distractedly, eyeing the clock. "We actually need to hurry. Emma Cook's spring line is showing in an hour."

"Then we'd better get moving," Esme concluded, guiding me in the opposite direction of the desk and through a doorway beholden to gold elevators that carried us up to our floor.

Every step through the hallway towards our room left me in continued awe of the beautiful design of the hotel; crown moldings and gold and mirrors glistened from every nook and cranny. The door of our room, all on its own, made a splash with its gold gilded design and gold plaque reading 'Royal Suite,' but what waited beyond that white surface stunned me absolutely speechless.

Our room's entry displayed a lively green wall section with a gold-touched mirror, wall sconces with electric candles, and an ornate gold entry table hosting a welcoming fruit basket.

Around the entryway, the room opened into a gloriously elegant space with silk striped wall coverings, green drapes, more gold gilding, leopard print Louis XVI chairs, tufted pale gray sofas, and a luxury of green and magenta pillow and cushions.

Gaping like a fish, I stared with grand joy at the views of the city night outside and the large crystal chandelier hanging above the gray leather ottoman and coffee table at the center of the living space. On the opposite side of the living space, a large dining area boasted an equally grandiose chandelier above a table made for six with creamy antique chairs displaying dark blue striped silk.

Opulent barely began to describe the scene before me, but Esme didn't let me linger too long, instead pulling me towards a door beyond. A bedroom of matching opulence stole my attention next, the bed forged from the softest white material I could fathom and a rich blue valance with long drapes outlined the gold edged headboard. Purple and gold damask drapes hung about the windows and more animal print cushions bedecked ottomans at the foot of the bed.

The bathroom nearly overwhelmed me when I stepped through its doorway. The Cullens' bathrooms were beautiful, but this was something far above even a huge house like the one Esme renovated in Forks. Outfitted almost entirely in marble, the gorgeous, gleaming space with silk striped wall coverings felt like a house unto itself.

"I can't believe I'm actually standing in this room," I found my voice at last, leaving Esme to laugh helplessly at my disbelief.

"As much as I adore your reactions, sweetheart, I think we'd better hurry," the motherly vampire smiled after she had calmed, hugging my shoulders warmly. "Alice is all teeth bared right now. We'll sort out luggage while you sleep tonight."

Sighing regretfully at the idea of leaving the beautiful space, I reluctantly nodded my agreement. Smothering another laugh, Esme shook her head and pulled me by the hand through our suite.

Rather than take another taxi, we all walked through the cold night along West 55th Street, then straight for thirteen blocks down 6th Avenue. Eyes roving everything in sight, I happily let Esme keep me walking in a straight line the entire way. As quickly as we needed to reach the first show of our trip, I didn't get to really look at many buildings in depth, but I definitely took notice of Radio City Music Hall when we passed it.

Bryant Park didn't look much like a park that night; instead the entrance had been emblazoned with an enormous tent printed with a photo of models' legs on the catwalk during a fashion show, the audience showing through from their seats below. Lights blazed around us, bright and white in the darkness of the evening to herald all visitors, of which there were countless numbers.

Alice and Rosalie led us through the menagerie with some kind of good luck charm (or experience and natural deterrents, I reminded myself) until we pushed through the crowd and into the lobby area. A large, ornate fountain overflowed with pink and ivory shopping bags rather than water. Milling guests never stood still very long, instead moving forward constantly as we passed them.

Finally we reached a runway section with an all-white floor and only a few rows of chairs on any given side, although the 'front' side, so called, utilized more chairs than the rest. Alice offered brief words with a bouncer and then we were allowed past the entry without a fuss. The tiny vampire led us to the second row on the front side, which boasted a fairly impressive view of the catwalk.

Alice and Rosalie both had a camera in hand before the show even started, so I didn't bother getting mine out. Instead, I watched with intrigue as the workings of high fashion made themselves known to me. Models walked… oddly, I decided. They emphasized each step as if they were angry or upset and had chosen to stomp off the scene. Another strange quality to me was the unnecessary swagger of hips; the outfit would really look much clearer for the audience if the models walked with less exaggeration. I knew it was entertainment, but still…

Emma Cook's designs mostly absorbed black and gray, with some splotches of color thrown in for good measure. The main four pieces I really liked at the end of the night seemed very different from my normal personal style. A knee-length halter dress in light gray with red sides looked comfortable. An all-black belted dress with sleeveless straps made of circular embellishments seemed a bit shorter than I liked, but it was cute nonetheless. While I found a pair of pleated black pants to be too over the top for an average day, I loved the accompanying mostly-sheer tank top printed with daisies and topped with black and white fabric strips. My favorite piece, by far, was a light gray dress with a black collar and capped shoulder sections.

Alice adored a black leathery dress-like piece with a broad tie around the waist, as well as a similarly styled daisy printed dress with big shoulders, a very unusual trim around the neckline, and a ribbon loosely tied around the model's throat. The two loose, baggy dresses made me cringe, but Alice couldn't stop talking about them as we left the show's tent.

"Ew, Alice," I couldn't help commenting, my nose scrunched with distaste.

"They weren't that bad," she rebutted carelessly, waving me off. "I'd just have to fit them better. Anyway, most everything looks loose on me."

"I have yet to see you in anything ill-fitting – not anything that wasn't solely a product of depression, at least," I countered sensibly.

"I can't say I liked them much, either," Rosalie added. "Truthfully, the whole show didn't impress me."

"That's because it was so simple and colorless," Esme informed her daughter knowingly, a smile spreading across her face.

"I don't know what you're complaining about, Mir," Alice took up with me again, "You liked those three other dresses well enough."

"I thought they were cute, yeah," I admitted, "and you saw a few things that were nice, too. Just not those two dresses. Sorry, but they looked a little like garbage bags."

"Hm, they did at that, didn't they?" Rosalie agreed with me pensively, seeming to recall the dresses again with her perfect memory.

"They did not," Alice argued without much heat. "They would be perfectly reasonable to wear to school in the spring and summer – so long as they were more fitted."

"Alice, when do you ever see a future with _reasonable_ clothes?" I laughed.

"I happen to see a wide range of possibilities that are perfectly usable in daily life," Alice scoffed at me. "The world just hasn't caught up to speed yet."

"I believe that, actually," I agreed with a shrug.

"What shows will you see tonight?" Esme asked of Alice and Rosalie. The two sisters had planned from the beginning to attend other shows during the night hours when I had to sleep. Not needing sleep had its benefits for the vampires' fashion love.

"Daryl K first," Rosalie answered, "and then Sass and Bide."

Never having heard of either designer, I let the conversation flow unheeded for a few minutes, observing more of the sights of New York City in the nighttime. It really was beautiful.

"Better sleep well, Mir," Alice smiled brightly once we approached our hotel, the pixielike vampire finally drawing my attention. "In the morning we have Luella Bartley, then Proenza Schouler and Ralph Lauren. I think you'll like those."

"You'd know," I teased her visionary gift.

"You'll love some sightseeing too, though," Alice smiled knowingly.

"It _is_ my first time in New York," I grinned excitedly. "The city lights are beautiful. And I'd love to see the Empire State Building. I've always wanted to go there."

Esme lowered her voice as she responded, "I remember when they began building it. It was such a fascinating new structure. There's a lot of history behind it."

"That's the best reason for seeing it!" was my enthusiastic reply, leaving the three ladies to chuckle at my energy for history as we parted ways.

Sleep hardly came to mind as I wandered the gorgeous, elegant suite we stayed in, leading Esme to try and persuade me, but I couldn't wind down.

"We're on vacation in _New York City_ , Esme!" I emphasized to lovely vampire, making my way around the edge of the room to examine every inch of the moldings, rails, and extra details I'd missed earlier. "How can I sleep when I'm so excited?"

Repressing a laugh with difficulty, Esme insisted nonetheless, "I know, Mir, but if you stay up now, you'll never be up in the morning, will you?"

That put me out well enough and I made myself lay down in an attempt as resting. Perhaps my eyes remained open longer than they were closed in sleep, but I felt fine as I awoke Saturday morning and dressed with the same great energy as the previous evening. This time I wore flat, comfortable shoes made for walking; if Alice was right – and I had no doubt she was – then this would be a day with lots of footwork involved.

Breakfast was a lovely, old-fashioned style of affair with expertly prepared goods, all manners reminiscent of faded memories in a more proprietary time.

"This was how we served meals at home," Rosalie remarked out of the blue, bringing a melancholy quiet over the four of us.

"Our methods were a little less stately on the farm," Esme commented gently, sadness in her eyes that had nothing to do with her own life, but that of her embittered daughter, "but it was still the age of Victorian strictness and delicacy. My mother emulated some of the more elegant graces at her dinner table."

"What was it like, living on a farm back then?" I wondered, my inherent curiosity coming forward.

"From what I recall, it wasn't much different than the average city girl," Esme determined with a thoughtful frown. "As a young lady, I wasn't very involved in the farming of our property so much as the internal domestic affairs. Cooking, cleaning, sewing… mainly those were my tasks, the same as most young women then. Dull though they were to my adventurous spirit at the time, I did perform them mostly with obedience."

"That sounds awful," Alice wrinkled her nose with unhappiness. "I've always been so free in this life, I suppose the idea of doing something I dislike is just too much pressure."

"You've always been very independent," Esme remarked with pride, letting the discussion end on a good note.

Our first stop, Luella Bartley's show, took place in a high rise apartment with glorious windows all across one side. As Alice predicted, I liked the slightly funky, comfortable looking clothes. Some were more masculine than I preferred and others too revealing, but mostly I found the styles very cute and fun.

Back in the Bryant Park tents later that morning, Proenza Schouler impressed me even more. No doubt the sleek but quirky clothing with a touch of 1920s flair was pretty and practical at the same time, the fashions instantly becoming my favorites.

After a quick lunch near the park, we returned to the tents for Ralph Lauren, although much further back than any of the previous shows. Even Alice's fashion resources had limitations.

"Why don't you put your own designs out there?" I asked her while we waited for the show to begin, taking care that no one overheard. "I'm sure you'd get even better spots."

"I'd have to put myself out there with them," Alice replied easily. "I can't always do that for various reasons. Plus, that's publicity we don't need."

"Oh, that's a good point," I conceded sheepishly as the lights changed color to start the show.

With Ralph Lauren, the designs either displayed a lot of spring color or a fury of black and white, mixing in a little business and cocktail party with a majority of glamour and tennis styles. While Schouler was still my favorite, Lauren came in a close second.

"What else are we seeing?" I inquired on our way out of the tent.

"Only Tommy Hilfiger just before lunch tomorrow," Alice illuminated, much to my surprise. Catching the look on my face, the small vampire smiled and explained, "Esme wanted to make sure you have time for some sightseeing."

"I'm all up for that," I smiled widely.

"Then let's start with the Empire State Building," Esme settled the matter with a pleased smile.

Excitement practically bubbled out of my ears as Esme and I hit the pavement, leaving Rosalie and Alice to their shows in the tents.

The Empire State Building looked fascinating and old-fashioned, created from all the oddly modern grandeur of art deco. The lobby had seen better days, but it still beheld all the unusual glamour and history of the twenties and thirties buried beneath decades of wear and tear.

Pamphlets on the building read as a bulleted list of dates, names, and locations. At a low volume, Esme told me a number of neat facts not on the pamphlet – things she had actually learned during the time of the building's actual construction in 1930, although the people in the elevator didn't need to know that.

As we finally made our way through the observation level, Esme led me around the edge to avoid prying ears as she explained, "Edward would occasionally run from Rochester over to New York City and gather intriguing details form workers and contractors for me. I was so intrigued about the new structure, and I was still so thrilled to have Edward back in our lives, so it was a wonderful time."

"What did you and Carlisle do when Edward left?" I found the courage to ask of the soft-hearted vampire.

Sighing sadly, no doubt recalling the truth Edward had revealed when reading my stories, Esme murmured with a heartsickness I suspected would never fully leave, "We couldn't stay in Ashland. Carlisle already pushed the limits of his apparent age and people were starting to feel oddly. Edward planned his… exit… in a very timely fashion. It was probably his intention."

"Was he… very angry?" I posed tentatively, almost afraid to know the answer.

Esme's breath hitched a little, but she pushed forward with the strength of knowing her son had come back in the end, "He behaved as much… but I never believed he really meant most of his fury. It seemed to me that he threw everything he had at Carlisle because he had no real justification for his choice, and he needed something to push us away and allow himself to leave."

"That's terrible," I murmured, colored by the deep blue of melancholy.

"Goodness, how I missed him," the warm woman smiled wistfully. "And Carlisle… He lost his best friend that day."

"You had each other, though," I tried to find something positive to lift up our mood, difficult thought it was.

"We loved each other so much," Esme nodded, rich pain buried in her golden gaze. "Yet every day we had spent together was one Edward shared. Living without him in such a permanent way broke us both. Our love never faded, but our words lessened. So often when we talked, Edward would have added to it with his unique viewpoint. Every time we realized his voice stood silent… it killed us."

My eyes welled up as Esme withheld tearless crying. The salty scent drew her instant concern to the wetness of my eyes. "Oh, Mir, forgive me."

"It's my fault for asking," I confessed, feeling guilty for starting such a depressing topic. "After the way you felt about… _that_ man… I should never have said anything."

"We should never be afraid to talk about Charles Evenson," Esme assured me more strongly than I expected. "I know Carlisle and all of our children refrain for my sake, but the more I repress it, the more it hurts me when it inevitably comes up. Just as what happened with Edward in October struck me so deeply, when really I should have known where his sense of justice would have led him all those years ago."

"You didn't want to imagine Edward tainting himself with that horrible person," I comforted her. "I can understand that."

"Thank you, Mir," Esme smiled gently. "Let's not weigh ourselves so harshly with that sadness. I want us to enjoy this time freely. We may not have time for it once Bella arrives, after all."

"You're right, Esme," I agreed, bolstered by her great strength in the face of her past. "Let's enjoy New York City while we can."

Enjoy it we did.

Touring our way around multiple historical, fascinating locations took up the rest of the morning; from Radio City Music Hall to the Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Building. On to Grand Central Station and St Patrick's Cathedral, Esme and I studied bits of architecture and pieces of history along the way, taking pictures where we were able.

We stopped for my lunch at Hard Rock Café, and while there were no grand architectural designs and opulent antique details, it was nonetheless fascinating. We then headed down to Bryant Park again to meet Alice and Rosalie for Tommy Hilfiger's fresh, bright, summery showing. I loved the variety of colors, patterns, and styles as much as I had enjoyed Ralph Lauren's collection.

While Alice and Rosalie went on to Duckie Brown and Cynthia Basinet's shows, Esme and I set our sights on Times Square. Walking through the hubbub made me thankful for the quiet of Forks, even as I found myself quietly excited by the madness. Along 7th Avenue we walked afterward, stopping in Gershwin Theatre and then Carnegie Hall to take pictures and free booklets for my scrapbooking.

Our feet hastened to Columbus Circle with its spiraling monument and simple fountains, the name garnering a few chuckles from Esme and me. Then it was on to Central Park, the green space guarded by the USS Maine monument. Briefly we stopped at Greyshot Arch and Umpire Rock before Esme suggested a bench seat long enough to rest my feet.

The air had grown colder during our afternoon trek, leading Esme and I in rush to reach our final two sights before the chill grew untenable.

It was with a shout of surprise that we ran headlong into Alice and Rosalie at the Staten Island Ferry.

"Surprise!" Alice greeted us with a grin as she held up tickets. "I thought it would be nice for all of us to be here."

"That's great!" I grinned in return. Esme laughed gladly at our mutual cheer and guided us all towards the ferries.

In spite of the cold air biting at my nose, the ferry ride was a soothing experience with excellent views of the Statue of Liberty as we made our way to its base. I could hardly believe the size of the gigantic sculpture where it stood three hundred and five feet tall. Even more amazing was the view from the top of lady liberty out over the water and the city beyond. A bystander was kind enough to snap a picture with the view of the city behind us.

Once we arrived at Ellis Island, passing through the brilliant red structure over the walkway to get inside, my eyes sought out the museum exhibits with instantaneous power. My three vampire companions laughed and followed the beeline I made.

It was at the Immigrant Wall of Honor that I later asked, "Did any of your relatives come over through the island?"

"Mine didn't," Rosalie answered first. "Our ancestors lived in the colonies, or so my parents' records showed."

"It's the same with mine," Esme agreed with her blond-haired daughter. "My family had many clear records of who was born where and when, leading back at least to the early nineteenth century."

"I have the feeling both sides of my family lived in the south for a long time," Alice frowned slightly, "but I don't really have any idea."

"You should go to Biloxi this summer," Esme suggested with a soft expression.

"I think I'd like that," Alice nodded pensively. "I'll have to talk with Jasper when I get back. He's touchy about traveling near the south."

"For obvious reasons," I muttered darkly.

"Yes, that's true," Alice conceded delicately.

"Carlisle and Jasper obviously wouldn't have any relatives here," I changed the subject. "Edward's relatives came over before Ellis Island became the immigration center, so that's out. Has Emmett ever looked?"

"I don't think so," Esme tilted her head in curiosity.

"We don't know all his family names, though," Rosalie considered with a thoughtful frown. "The McCarty family didn't exactly keep the best of records, I'm sorry to say."

"Oh well," I sighed slightly, rising from my bent posture. "I wonder if I ever had any relatives come through here. Well, I mean… in the other… you know."

I awkwardly attempted to explain about the other life I had led, but there were few sensible words to describe it. Each of my companions offered me an expression full of understanding and we wordlessly left the immigrant wall behind.

On the flight back to Forks that night, I was at least able to keep my eyes open, although I gripped Esme's hand fiercely nonetheless.

Sea-Tac was crowded as we collected our innumerable pieces of luggage and headed out to the parking lot, only to find three very familiar cars waiting in the pickup area.

All four Cullen men waited in front of the Porsche, M3, and Mazda with sheepish smiles.

"Alice, sweetheart," Esme sounded as though she were fighting for a little patience, though a smile spread across her face. "I think you may have neglected to mention a very _tiny_ detail about our return."

"Whoops," Alice giggled and danced into Jasper's grip with a kiss for his smiling lips.

Rosalie and Emmett met similarly, the bulky vampire grinning ear to ear as he took the bag in his wife's hand like a true gentleman and lifted her slightly off her feet. The tiniest hum of amusement left the blonde vampire's throat in response.

Carlisle and Esme met with an indulgent chuckle, embracing comfortably while I sighed with the sentimentality I would never be able to stamp out. Edward laughed truly in response, the last to come forward and take up a piece of luggage.

"Thank you," I grinned at him in shared humor over the rest of the family's tender reunions.

"Welcome back," Edward smiled with a helpless expression and led the way to the Mazda to open the door for me. "You'll be happy to know we're not traveling with any of my siblings."

"I don't know, Carlisle and Esme can be kind of…" I started to say, but the mischief in both Cullen parents' eyes forced me to silence lest I be teased mercilessly. "You know what… forget I said anything."

Edward and the rest of the Cullens laughed loudly at my withered posture as I slipped into the back of Esme's gray vehicle.

Settling back into life in Forks didn't take as much work as I had expected it might after such a wild weekend, though the speed at which the Cullens stored everything in its proper place and enacted their usual routines probably had something to do with it. School also returned to the normal routine on Monday. Mike, Tyler, and Eric flirted the same as before and Jessica continued to wonder if Edward had decided to give her a chance yet.

Everything was the same, yet unlike the previous two weeks in this routine, something now felt… different. Not immediate, necessarily, but certainly on the near horizon. Unable to explain it even to myself, I remained hesitant and watchful to such a level that Angela noticed my unusual caution as we talked about my New York weekend in the lunch line.

"Are you okay?" Angela frowned a little in my direction, drawing Katie's attention as well – and that of Rosalie behind me.

"I'm fine," I answered as honestly as I could. There was no reason to feel the way I did, so I saw no reason to worry anyone. Edward and Jasper already knew something was up and Alice quickly realized the same while watching her husband stare at me in concern. Emmett and Rosalie obviously wouldn't take long to realize it, either.

Katie and Angela mostly took the assurance at face value as they kept up the questions about New York, but I could see the undercurrent of tension in Angela. I wondered frustratedly why Angela Weber had become so observant compared to her time with Bella, but I quickly realized it was because she felt more concerned for me after the way I had been bullied.

"Are you expecting something to happen?" Rosalie inquired quietly as we parted ways with my human friends.

"No," I retorted more sharply than intended. This wasn't the time for the Cullens to start analyzing my every word and feeling.

"All right then," Rosalie nodded once and let the matter drop, much to my gratitude.

As the odd feeling persisted the next few days without any viable, logical cause, Edward started frowning more frequently at my uncomfortable thoughts and Jasper frowned even more frequently at my uncomfortable emotions. More often than not, Jasper tried to wrangle the truth from me at dinner and during our subsequent chess game while Edward tried both to and from self-defense.

What they ended up revealing wasn't what made me feel uncomfortable. Instead it was the annoying ways Mike, Tyler, and Eric had begun to make stupid jokes; compliment my hair, blouse, or face; and write little messages on my desk in each class I shared with them. By all rights, Rosalie's glare should have burned a hole in Eric's forehead the first time he left a foolish little note mostly saying 'hi' and 'hope chemistry is going well.'

"Morning, _Ray_ of sunshine," Tyler clucked from the side of his mouth as he passed to sit two desks behind me during Spanish on Thursday. Jasper stiffened enough that I worried he might growl at the teenager before class ended, but luckily Tyler had now moved under Senora Goff's keen eye during the mandatory partner assignment. She had become quite suspicious after a crumpled straw wrapper hit her in the back the previous day. Even Ben had become annoyed by the other boy's flagrant disregard for common courtesy, eyeing the athletic teen with a mild glare every time Tyler threw something across the desks to catch my eye.

"Don't they have anything better to do?" I complained to Jasper later that night as we played a game of chess to hopefully wind me down form the incensed glare on my features.

"I doubt it," Jasper remarked dryly, making his move with a wry smile.

"I hate it," I grumbled further, pausing as I realized Jasper had just checked my game. Scowling up at the unrepentant vampire, I made an impulsive move that led to my instant demise.

"Checkmate," Jasper called with his next move, knocking me out of commission with a mild grin.

"Why can't I have that kind of advantage with the boys at school?"

Jasper snickered at the long-suffering suggestion, resetting the board for a new game.

Friday morning started with an unpleasant bang. Combing through the halls before classes started, as was our usual way, Edward and I both grimaced at the odd surge of early birds – particularly girls. Before I could ask Edward why so many girls had arrived at the school at such a strange time, I took notice of a surprising addition outside the algebra classroom.

Jessica, of all people, waited by the door with a lip caught between her teeth and one foot nervously tapping the ground. Vibrantly candy pink jeans and an equally candy pink top covered in hearts struck me as almost childish for Jessica's usual style.

Inhaling suddenly as I noticed a little folded pink and red card clutched in Jessica's hand, I realized with fresh agitation exactly why she – and every other girl in town, it seemed – had arrived so early.

In hindsight, Alice's silent glee that morning when she saw my pink blouse and rose-printed cardigan made a lot more sense. Rosalie's vibrant red outfit had seemed normal and Alice's dark crimson sweater with black leather hearts was just quirky enough to suit her. Neither had made the day obvious to me. At first, I had thought Alice to be simply thrilled I was finally allowing my inner style free reign, never considering the date or the addition of hearts to both Rosalie and Alice's outfits.

Saturday was the fourteenth of February.

Valentine's Day. How could I have lost track of the calendar?

Forcing back a groan, I wondered why my life couldn't just have _one_ week without crisis of some kind.

"Tell me about it," Edward muttered darkly.

When Jessica finally saw us coming, the black-haired girl snapped to attention from her previous slouch. Under his breath, Edward groaned as gruffly as he dared.

Against every barrier I had set for myself, I marched right in front of Edward, stopping him in his tracks. With a stern expression I had never used before, I called quickly, "Jessica, a word, please."

"Not now, Ray," the curly-headed girl frowned at my use of her full name, but tried to walk around me without correcting the change.

Ignoring her insistence, I nearly barked, "Now."

Jumping at the abrupt, harsh tone, Jessica actually turned to gaze at me in wonder. Grabbing her arm firmly in the pause, I started dragging her back the way she came.

"What are you doing?" she complained, eyeing my strong hand with distaste as I moved us out of what appeared to be human earshot of Edward. "He hasn't said one word to me! You said you were going to talk to him!"

"I never said any such thing!" I snapped at her irritating persistence. "Jessica, if you have to _force_ Edward to like you, he's _not_ the right guy for you! Stop pushing both of us. It's annoying and it won't make you any true friends."

As fierce as my words were, Jessica actually blinked a moment while she tried to comprehend the blunt, unpleasant reaction. I imagined she rarely heard such a tone from her peers, but I had been pushed just over the edge by both my new fan club and Edward's constant stalker that week, in addition to the odd sensation of something being off. I had absolutely no patience left for angsty teenagers.

"That was rude," Jessica eventually spouted in shock, but her face had yet to fully recover from the unpleasant truth of her pigheaded behavior.

"You've been rude too," I remarked carelessly but strongly. I was done playing games as I had observed in my original school days – high school drama could get packing for all I cared. "You want to be friends? Great. I welcome it. But not if you can't stop sizing me up for Mike's affections and pushing me to make Edward like you. Neither of those two things are going to happen, so you'll just have to deal with it and move on to someone new."

Uttering a disgusted sound, Jessica nevertheless failed to recover a reply of any kind, instead staring uselessly at me. Heaving a sigh, I returned to Edward with the same marching steps, thoroughly ignoring the depth of sparkling humor in his topaz eyes when we settled in the classroom.

Jessica followed the rest of the students into the room as the last bell rang, never looking up at us for the rest of class.

In those measly five minutes between algebra and gym, Jessica somehow gossiped to someone about my outburst. How the news could already have traveled to Mike Newton before gym started I hardly knew, but it was a good thing Emmett and I could pair up for soccer practice. Mike stared at me more avidly than he ever had before. The reason escaped me, but I didn't even try to learn why, hurrying to change and leave with Emmett and a waiting Alice and Jasper.

As Spanish began and Tyler once again greeted me with a stale pun on the nickname 'Ray,' my sense of something being different returned to me with raging intensity. Caught off guard, I shared an awkward look with Jasper; of all the Cullens, he alone knew the exact combination of emotions that swelled whenever I felt that odd sensation, but apprehension was a new one we both took uncomfortable notice of.

The end of class did nothing to quell the feelings beating in my chest and I sighed roughly as we exited the room. Chuckling under his breath at my frustration rather than wallow in it, Jasper led the way with a tiny smirk on his face. Rosalie appeared at the far end of the hall, waiting patiently for us rather than pushing through the jostling students. Frowning all over again at her love-themed wardrobe, I nearly wished I had worn funeral attire that morning.

Ignoring the morbid thought, I tried to follow behind Jasper, but a hand reached out to my arm. Tensing at the touch before it even fell and pulling out of reach with a quick step Daniel had been teaching me the past month, I whirled around to find Conner and Lee standing behind me with hesitant and expectant expressions.

"Hey, Ray," Conner greeted me congenially in spite of his apparent nerves, but Lee failed to respond.

The latter's hand remained outstretched in surprise from where I had avoided his grasp. Lee may not have meant anything by it, but after everything that happened to me, I wasn't taking any chances when escape presented itself.

"Conner, Lee," I greeted them stiffly, eyeing Lee's hand with a sharp gaze that made him drop the awkward pose. "What's going on?"

"Not much," Conner shrugged awkwardly, but after a moment he seemed to bolster himself. "Look, Ray, I wanted to ask you…. I know it's actually the _girl's_ choice, but—"

"Ray, what's up!" Tyler interrupted boldly from behind the two boys, blatantly ignoring Conner's attempt at speech. "You got a second?"

"It's rude to interrupt," I corrected the athlete firmly, a frown taking up residence on my face. I didn't like what Conner was about to ask, and I would definitely say no, but I could handle his more respectful approach to the situation. Quite unlike Tyler's attitude.

"Yeah, thanks, Ray," Conner nodded, voice growing defensive and almost… proud… as he eyed Tyler with dislike.

My frown deepened and warning bells went off in my head. Despite the apparent reason for my discomfort all week finally becoming clear, I prayed with all my might it wouldn't get too far out of hand.

"We both were going to say something," Lee added with a similar dislike on his features. It appeared he and Conner had a kind of gentleman's agreement – one that definitely didn't include Tyler Crowley.

Happening to glance beyond Lee and Conner in hopes of escape, I happened to notice another 'guest' walk right up behind them. Eric Yorkie looked even more nervous than Lee Kirkland, something that didn't bode well for me.

"Is there a party or something?" Mike Newton's cheerful, but unwelcome voice joined the situation from my right. The blond-haired boy came up beside Tyler with far too much confidence. In his hand, something pink seemed glaringly obvious.

Inwardly I prayed for a fire drill.

"I'm going to be late," I announced before the five boys circling me could clamor over each other, pushing past quiet Eric to start walking towards Jasper where he now waited for me with a calculating expression. Rosalie had walked off somewhere, probably to class, but I had no confirmation of that.

"Oh, come on, Mireille," Mike overrode my words with a grin, following me down the hall. He scoffed in what he probably thought was a friendly air. All it seemed to me was oppressive. "It's Valentine's Day!"

"Aside from the fact that Valentine's Day is actually _tomorrow_ ," I argued, brow furrowing almost down to my nose, "what, may I ask, does that have to do with me being late to class? Unlike some, I care about my school career."

The dig at Tyler's constant disregard for class time went over his head completely. Instead, he laughed. For what reason, I failed to understand, but it made me angry.

"Is something _funny_ , Tyler?" I glared at the boy.

"You're cute when you're mad," the boy grinned with Mike.

I was seconds away from swinging my fist straight into Tyler's over-confident face when suddenly Jasper made his appearance known ahead of us.

The former major shoved through passing students like a soldier going to war. Relief spread through me as the tall, fierce vampire appeared in front of me, his eyes full of fury that nearly made me gulp. The boys around me went so silent I wondered if they had simply fainted away on the spot. Moving around to Jasper's side, I finally glanced at all five teens to find their grins had disappeared. Even Tyler and Mike didn't look confident anymore.

"Mireille made it clear your advances are unwelcome," the Texan enunciated with precision in his rich baritone, eyes never wavering from the now cowering boys. "Now _leave her alone_."

Tyler, Mike, Conner, Lee, and Eric all swallowed hard and nodded slowly, backing away with fright buried in each pair of eyes.

When all five of them finally rounded the corner at the far end of the hall, I sighed with bone-deep relief and leaned almost limply into Jasper's steady presence. My head hit a chilled shoulder as Jasper brought an arm up to drape protectively around my shoulders, squeezing me into his side with a promise of safety.

"Thank you, Jasper," I sighed again, turning with my companion to follow our original route. Considering the few students walking past us, I guessed fourth period was nearly ready to begin.

"You're welcome," the honey-blond vampire murmured much more warmly than he had spoken with the boys, "I had hoped your firmness would push them away, but I was wrong."

"No joke," I agreed darkly. "Apparently they're all singularly stupid. I hope that keeps them away from here on out."

"Conner and Lee seemed to realize they were pushing," Jasper admitted reluctantly, keeping his voice low as we walked. "Eric lost his confidence, so he won't be back. Tyler and Mike, however…"

"Can't I just punch them and have done with it?" I groaned quietly, closing my eyes in frustration.

Jasper grew quiet a moment, but when I opened my eyes to see what was wrong, his sly expression made me immediately cautious.

"What?" I drew out the word with discomfited expectation.

Smirking, Jasper offered morbidly, "Well, I _could_ have an accident – or two."

A laugh burst from my throat before I could stop it and I clapped a hand over my mouth in mortification, but Jasper only grinned more openly. Thankfully students no longer roamed the hall, the bell having rung several minutes earlier, because Jasper's teeth gleamed sharply in the light.

"That was hilarious," I emphasized with a weak slug to his chest, adding another slug as I completed my thought, "just in all the _wrong_ ways."

Snickering, Jasper shook his head as we finally reached the chemistry classroom.

"Aren't you late for geometry, too?" I inquired quietly so close to the open door.

"Defending a lady's honor is more important," Jasper nodded like the gentleman he was raised to be so long ago, making me giggle.

"Good luck," he offered in farewell, arm sliding away as he headed to his class.

The whole class stared as I entered the room – all except Eric, who gazed with intense focus at his desk.

"You're late," Mrs. Benson chided me sharply as I sat down beside Rosalie. The teacher looked ready to expand into one of her tirades about punctuality, but I was having none of it.

"If boys would learn 'no' actually _means_ no, I wouldn't have been!" I snapped at the teacher quite outside my usual politeness. The anger I felt was sudden and fierce; for all her righteous punctuality, the chemistry teacher apparently had absolutely no sense of realism in her head.

Taken aback, Mrs. Benson stared at me for an endless minute, eyes wide and wondering. Rosalie's hand descended on mine beneath the desk, warning and reassurance wrapped up in the same gesture.

My jaw dropped, along with most of the other students, when the teacher shook herself and announced very simply, "Open page two hundred and six."

Even Rosalie stared at Mrs. Benson's back when the woman turned to write the page number on the board.

It took a glare and a snappy reply to knock everyone from their surprise.

"That wasn't a suggestion!"

Hands and eyes scrambled to open the book as indicated and Mrs. Benson returned to her normal, pious teaching persona for the rest of class.

All too grateful for the week – and at least three unwanted advances – to have ended, I relaxed enough to wear a themed outfit for Valentine's Day on Saturday. The lively pink jeans and heart-print sweater made me feel unusually happy as I bounded downstairs, loose hair bouncing along with my positive mood.

"Good morning!" I called musically to the vampires throughout the house as I entered the kitchen, knowing they could all hear me perfectly fine.

"Well, good morning to you, too," Carlisle chuckled from the living room.

"It's such a relief to have all six monkeys off my back," I sighed with the same sense of pleasant freedom I had felt ever since Jasper saved me from my admirers. Gathering a simple morning meal, I hesitated a moment by the dining table, then shrugged and cautiously headed into the living area. "Honestly, I could sing about it."

"What a remarkable change from all this week," Esme teased me, laughing along with her husband as I joined them on the sofa. Esme didn't even fuss at the food in my hands, bringing a pillow around for me to lean against.

"That's what happens when Jasper scares the daylights out of my intolerable suitors," I joked more lightly than I had in a long while.

More laughs joined the Cullen parents in reply, one of them most notably Emmett's guffaw as he appeared downstairs with a remarkably pleasant-looking Rosalie.

"That's our boy," Emmett mocked his brother, though a strain of respect entered his tone.

"My human parents raised me to respect women," Jasper explained without a shred of offense at Emmett's taunt, working on something at the computer area with a pen in hand. "I've never lost those lessons."

"My white knight," Alice sighed happily, coming over from her seat in the conservatory to kiss her mate's cheek.

"It seems that mindset grows less important every hour to men of this day and age," Edward considered, traipsing a few notes of Debussy as he spoke.

"Are you leaving soon?" Rosalie asked of Alice. Looking over at the blonde, I realized luggage cases waited near the foyer. "I thought we could drive you at least to Seattle before we part ways."

"As soon as Jasper gets to his business," Alice answered, eyeing her husband with an amused expression and her eyebrow lifted.

Chuckling at the expectant look, Jasper finally closed the screen he had been looking at and rose from the chair. Stepping over to the sofa where I sat with Carlisle and Esme, the former soldier opened his hand to reveal a small, crimson leather book with a silver heart to close the flap crossing over the front.

"For me?" I wondered in surprise.

"For you," the tall vampire confirmed with a slight smile. "Seeing that you're a writer, and how much you love symbols and special meanings, I thought this book could be a place to store words that hold great meaning for you. Lyrics, poems, quotes… whatever you like."

Accepting the book with a bit of confusion in spite of Jasper's clear explanation, I admired the lovely craftsmanship and opened the front. The first page had been filled with the lyrics to the Stevie Wonder song 'Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing'.

On the inside cover, Jasper had written a short, illuminating note in his succinct but elegant script that explained away any lingering confusion.

_Don't worry about a thing, Mir._ _  
_ _We'll be there._

_Happy Valentine's Day,_ _  
_ _Jazz_

It was the first time Jasper had used my nickname since Emmett created it the night of Homecoming, but even more important to me, the vampire had knowingly given me permission to use his own special nickname. Fighting back the wetness of my eyes at the simple, heartfelt message and all its connotations, I looked up at Jasper through a blurred gaze.

"Thank you," I spoke softly with a little wobble in my voice and – disregarding any social or vampire protocol – I completed the thought with an even softer question, "Can I hug you?"

Startled at first, Jasper took a moment to gauge my emotions, his features gradually softening as he did so. With a tentativeness I related to his lifelong struggle with human blood, the tall vampire eventually nodded.

Hard though it was, I forced myself not to rush up to the dark-eyed empath and throw my arms around him, instead easing up from my seat to slip arms around his waist in thanks I couldn't express with words.

Over Jasper's shoulder I spied Alice growing ever more emotional as she watched us, until Edward finally reached out to grasp her hand comfortingly. Smiling at her brother for the gesture, Alice struggled a minute with some inner turmoil. At last Edward sighed quietly, a smile trying to shape his lips, and offered an extended arm for Alice to duck into and hug him as I had done for Jasper.

When I released the leonine vampire from my embrace, the tears had cleared and I smiled gratefully at him for such simple encouragement. Returning the smile with acceptance, Jasper wordlessly turned to his wife. Giving Edward one last squeeze and offering me a grateful expression, Alice joined her husband to head outside with Rosalie and Emmett for their weekend trip.

"I suppose that's our cue," Esme sighed quietly in the aftermath and rose with Carlisle.

"Your cue?" I repeated in confusion, turning to face the lovely couple with a curious expression. I noticed quite abruptly Esme had been wearing a lovely cocktail length red dress with floral print, matched by strappy champagne heels. Chiding myself mentally for the lack of observation, I paid closer attention to the striking neutral-toned suit Carlisle wore to complement his wife.

"We're going out for the day," he explained with a smile. "We'll be back late tonight, though."

"Have fun, then," I smiled, glad they finally had a true night out together for a change. While their mated children often took time for each other, the two parents had much less time for it and all recent chances had been blasted out of the water by unexpected circumstances.

"We'll try," Esme laughed lightly, moving into the coat Carlisle held out with a smile for her mate.

"You two try not to kill each other," the doctor added humorously, picking up the two bags waiting at their feet.

Edward rolled his eyes the same as I did, leaving husband and wife to laugh as they slipped outside together.

"I hope you don't kill me," the bronze-haired vampire told me dryly as the Mercedes' motor faded. "Jasper wouldn't appreciate his plan going to waste."

"What plan?" I asked, brows rising.

A small smile took up residence on Edward's face as he disappeared from the room. Surprise coursed through me when he returned with something very familiar, but Edward settled just as naturally and easily as Jasper into the form of the guitar. Excitement burst within me.

"Are you really going to play?" I couldn't help asking enthusiastically, ignoring the obvious fact he held the guitar in his hands for a reason.

"Yes, I am," Edward shook his head at my excited mind. "Jasper asked me to play the song in your new book."

Not waiting for a reply, Edward immediately began picking and smacking the strings to the quick, uplifting tune of 'Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing'. No doubt Edward played this instrument just as excellently as the piano. By the tune's end, I felt incredibly sad to hear Edward stop playing the guitar, but he exhaled with an exaggeratedly long-suffering face and picked up the tune a second time.

And if Edward serenaded me with uplifting guitar music until Carlisle and Esme returned home late that night, we had no one to blame but Jasper.

* * *


	44. Chapter 42: Influence

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:** **  
** I've gone through the story and fixed some formatting inconsistencies, changed a few phrasings to more functional form, and overall did a correctional sweep. Let me know if you notice formatting that seems out of place. All of these corrections are surface changes and they don't alter the plot in any way; they just enhance the reading experience so it flows (I hope) more smoothly. One thing to note is the house description in the first few chapters. I never fleshed it out as much as I wanted to, so I've added/edited that, but it's mostly the same thing. :)

Remember those visions Alice initially had of Mireille – the ones she withheld from Edward at first? Well as of last chapter, they've all been fulfilled. :D Jasper's protectiveness of Mir last chapter was the final vision Alice showed Edward way back in Chapter 18 (and referenced way back in Chapter 7).

For story images/inspirations, I'll be doing things differently now. Photobucket is full of ads and it doesn't work right anymore, so I'm going to use Tumblr instead. I've been keeping a running board on Pinterest so I can keep track of everything in the interim. Tumblr is a breeze for me, it's free, there are no ads in the way of viewing, and I can do a lot more with the blog than with an image site. Plus, my readers don't have to have an account to view it! I made a blog strictly for this story, called "For A Reason: Inspirations", which will include any and all inspirations I've had. Not only images, but also songs, movies, books, poems, characters, etc. Most recent posts are at the top of the blog.

The link is at [**FaR Inspirations**](farinspirations.tumblr.com), so go ahead and check it out! The girl's picture on the page is my inspiration for Mireille, so you now know exactly how she looks. There's a welcome post (click 'archives' at the top, then it's all the way at the bottom of that page) and a post for character inspirations (this is still in-progress). If you find anything confusing or oddly formatted, drop me a message!

Thank to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed!

**Previously** – Mireille was in awe of New York City. The ladies viewed Emma Cook's fashion line. Next morning, they viewed Luella Bartley, Proenza Schouler, and Ralph Lauren. Afterward, Esme took Mireille sightseeing throughout New York City. Esme and Mireille discussed Edward's rebellious years and did more sightseeing. The Cullen men met the ladies at Sea-Tac. Back in school, Mireille began to feel wary of something about to happen. Mike and Tyler became even more annoying. Mireille realized it was Valentine's Day. Mireille told Jessica off for forcing the issue with Edward. Conner, Lee, Tyler, Mike, and Eric all tried to ask Mireille to the Girl's Choice dance. Mireille realized her wariness was about the boys and Jasper scared the boys away. Next day, Mireille felt free and happy. Jasper gave Mireille a book to write words that inspire her. Jasper used "Mir" for the first time and allowed Mireille to use "Jazz". Jasper let Mireille hug him and the couples left to spend Valentine's Day together. Edward played guitar for Mireille until Carlisle and Esme returned home.

> **Chapter 42: Influence**

"Happy birthday, Alice!"

The simple phrase left much to be desired, perhaps, in the wake of all the grand parties we'd been having since my arrival in Forks. However, on the very normal, average Wednesday night after Valentine's Day, it made the point directly and succinctly for Alice's chosen date of birth.

"Thanks, Mir," Alice responded, a grin trying to break free on her angelic features as she read a handmade card boasting the same trio of colors she had tried to use for Carlisle and Esme's anniversary party three months earlier. Toned down only marginally by black and white as the supporting colors, the palette of emerald, amethyst, and cerise nonetheless broke doors down in its efforts to be seen.

"I should have known you'd try something like this," the pixielike vampire gazed at me sardonically from the corner of her dark eye, touting the ironic card in the air between us.

"What do you mean, Alice?" Esme wondered interestedly from her seat in the conservatory.

"Alice tried to use that… _lovely_ … color scheme for your anniversary party," Edward explained wryly, fingers dancing quietly along ebony and ivory.

"Oh," Esme remarked in surprised understanding, warily eyeing the brashly colored birthday card.

Laughing easily, Alice shook her head, "Mir was right, of course. This definitely wouldn't have matched your relationship."

"I would have to agree," Esme nodded, clearly trying not to smile.

Tucking the card I'd given into her nearby purse, Alice remarked to me with a devious shadow in her eyes, "You should consider painting the emerald color on Jessica's hair tomorrow morning."

"Alice," I returned crisply, the single word full of scolding.

"I'm just saying…" Alice faked an innocent shrug. "Maybe if she looks as green as she acts, she'll stop gossiping so much."

"Alice, I mean it," I offered again, now with a wry smile as the others laughed out loud.

"Oh, fine," the small woman backed off with a roll of her eyes. "If you want to let the little gossip keep cawing, who am I to stop you?"

Fighting back a laugh at the tiny vampire's sarcasm, I shook my head and turned to head upstairs and drop off my school gear.

We had all arrived home from school in varying stages of annoyance after realizing the sophomore in question had apparently spun an even deeper tale about my remarks to her on Friday.

It seemed I was now trying to sabotage Edward's supposed 'deep interest' in Jessica, a heinous crime Lauren Mallory couldn't stop talking about while we all walked out of the locker room to start gym class. The fact Lauren's voice carried itself clear across the gymnasium didn't seem to make her feel any better about Jessica's apparent torment and I actually wanted to laugh for minute, but Emmett's tight features had stopped me.

The Cullens had begun to feel a lot more intense about my relationship with the other sophomores since Valentine's Day. After returning home from self defense that Friday night, I had been surprised to find Carlisle and Esme looking quite furious over the audacity of the boys – Mike and Tyler especially.

By contrast, when I walked into school the following week, I suddenly felt freer. Standing up to Jessica and the fanboys made me realize just how much influence I held with plain words. Granted, Jessica refrained from speaking to me and most of the boys kept a wary distance thanks to Jasper. Conner was the exception; he had actually apologized for what happened, braving even Jasper's presence to do so. Ironically he had also been the most respectful of the boys that day, but I accepted the apology and Conner's renewed presence in my 'circle' of friends.

When Katie and Angela took time at lunch on Tuesday to corner me for an explanation of the stories floating through the high school, Conner even added two surprising anecdotes… The first was that Mike Newton still held some distant hope for a dance date. From Mike's own words, it seemed I was just afraid of what my brother would think about dating the blond-haired local. Guessing the 'brother' Mike referred to was Jasper, I had lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. It still made no sense how anyone could miss the relief I had felt when Jasper arrived on the scene Friday afternoon, but I decided it didn't matter. Mike would probably always see himself as in-demand with the female population.

The other story Conner relayed didn't precisely surprise me, but it irritated nevertheless. Tyler felt an even stronger belief than Mike that I was 'definitely into him' and just playing hard to get. Despite knowing Tyler's arrogant stupidity from the epilogue prom scene in _Twilight_ , that one had still made me angry. Thankfully Jasper had kept my temper under wraps while he led me through the lunch line.

Austin and Ben went so far as to quietly cheer Tyler's absence in the usual lunch group across the way from my table with the Cullens. Angela scolded them, but I laughed so genuinely as we walked that the tall girl let it go immediately.

I just felt good for not letting the others keep pushing me around. While I still hesitated over the thought of another confrontation with my senior nemesis, there was something in my approach towards other students that changed. Although I could hardly name it, I welcomed it wholeheartedly as I continued through the week.

Given Alice's reaction to her loudly colored card on Wednesday, I felt exponentially excited and nervous about what I had planned for that color scheme.

Before Alice and Jasper left for their Milan weekend, I was throwing Alice a birthday party.

Edward assured me his tiny sister had no idea of my plans, but I still zealously guarded every step twice as strongly as the evening approached. Planning a party for a psychic stood first in the line of impossible things to accomplish in my lifetime. Given my lessons in Olympia, I had to leave much of the actual decorating that night to the speed and stealth of one of the vampires. Seeing as no one could block Alice's gift like her mind-reading brother, Edward was that vampire.

To make up for the lack of Edward in my lesson after school, Rosalie had taken me to training instead. Luckily it was a last minute decision or else Alice definitely would have seen it. While Rosalie couldn't read minds, the blonde drove just as rapidly as Edward to get me to the lesson on time. A part of me really wanted to know how she hadn't run into a cop at any point, but I shelved it for a later date as we headed inside the gym.

"Mireille, how are you doing?" Daniel greeted me as he exited his office.

"I'm doing okay," I answered genuinely. "Ready to get moving."

Tall and confident, Rosalie easily caught Daniel's curious gaze. I didn't see too much ogling going on thankfully, but my instructor was just as struck by the blonde vampire's beauty as anyone would be under the circumstances.

"Edward not able to make it today?" Daniel wondered concernedly.

"Food poisoning," I lied with shocking speed.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he offered, wincing slightly. "Hope he's up on his feet soon."

"Our father's taking good care of him," Rosalie put in, subdued glee glimmering across her golden gaze.

"Your Edward's sister?" Daniel smiled pleasantly as he reached out to shake Rosalie's hand.

"In spirit," Rosalie remarked simply, accepting the handshake congenially enough.

"This is Rosalie," I introduced the blonde. "She's technically Carlisle's niece, too."

"Carlisle married my aunt," Rosalie expounded simply.

"All right," Daniel smiled at the qualification, taking note of the athletic outfit Rosalie wore. "Looks like you're here to train, too. Do you have any experience with self defense, Rosalie?"

"Of course," she answered immediately. "I trained the same as Edward."

"Let's get started then," Daniel announced, all-business, and waved us both forward.

After a few practice runs to keep me fresh, we moved into what promised to be a continual part of my training – learning to rely on my instincts.

For reasons beyond my understanding, I couldn't seem to bring the same clarity to Daniel and Rosalie's surprise 'attacks' as I had when Lee Kirkland tried to reach for my arm on the thirteenth.

"I don't know what happened," I commented through a frustrated exhale after the eleventh failure to anticipate incoming movement. "Last Friday, I felt really good about my instincts. I even sidestepped before one of the boys could touch my hand."

"Are any guys at school giving you trouble?" Daniel asked sharply.

"It's because of the spring dance coming up," I sighed, wishing I hadn't told him so much about the situation. "Some of the guys at school were trying to ask me out. One of them tried to grab my arm. He wasn't trying to hold me there, it was just to get my attention before I walked away. I felt really clear-headed about it and stepped away before he could reach me."

"I'm glad to hear that," Daniel agreed, nodding. "Maybe when you're not in lessons you sense the atmosphere more clearly. That wouldn't be a bad thing… Still, I'm not sold completely on that idea. I'd like to keep working on this."

"So would I," I agreed empathically in spite of my disappointment.

"I think that's all for today," Daniel decided. "When you practice at home, try not to think so deeply on it. It's no good if you're too engrossed in your own mind to notice what's right beside you."

"I'll do my best," I agreed and headed to the locker room with Rosalie to change into normal clothes.

When we finally sat down to pull our shoes on, I asked out of the blue, "Do you think he's right about my senses?"

"What do you mean?" Rosalie inquired with a slight frown.

"What Daniel said about my instincts being stronger when it's not in a lesson," I clarified. "Do you think he's right?"

Frowning still as she considered the question, Rosalie eventually tilted her head noncommittally. "He might be, I suppose…"

"…but you don't think he is," I completed the sentence for her, a frown taking up residence on my face also.

"I believe that – sometimes – your instincts may be relative to your gift," Rosalie slowly replied. "When the boys were clamoring over you last Friday, you sensed some sort of impending event, didn't you?"

Releasing a sigh of resignation, I confirmed plainly, "Yes, I did… but how does that change my natural instincts?"

"When Lee and Conner approached you in the hallway," the blonde took her time explaining, choosing the right words as she went along, "you were already hyperaware of your environment. Not because of a natural instinct, necessarily, but because you expected something to happen. Perhaps not a specific event, but _something_."

"So, it might not be my natural senses," I tried to clear up the difference, "but the increased… awareness… I feel whenever I absolutely _know_ something is about to happen?"

"That's my speculation, at least," Rosalie stepped back from the situation slightly, putting her hands up as a caution. "It doesn't mean I'm right, but… I think it makes more sense that way."

As we headed back to Forks, I couldn't help agreeing with the assessment Rosalie made. Thankfully, the worrisome knowledge didn't stay in my head for very long, Alice's impending party taking up more concentration the closer we came to the house. No matter how worn out I felt once Rosalie and I returned home, I pushed myself to get ready as I'd planned for the night.

I had to appreciate Jasper and the rest of the family corralling Alice into earlier hunting as preparation for her trip. None of them had given even the slightest hint that something was going to happen later in the evening and Alice remained out of Edward's hair while he set up the party according to my design and laid out the outfits I'd chosen for everyone to wear.

Jasper kept Alice away long enough that Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie could return first and change into their party attire. Once I came downstairs, Edward kept me away from the party space down in the wide hallway off the foyer, all so he could finish up.

Edward suddenly appeared next to my seat on the piano bench, hurriedly lifting me and then dropping me back in front of the black marbled curtains that cordoned off the hallway.

"I've never made so many last minute decisions all at once," Edward muttered as he pulled me through the curtains and into the precise party space I had envisioned.

"Perfect," I murmured through a smile up the bronze-haired vampire beside me. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Edward smiled slightly in return, distracted as he glanced towards the ceiling. Returning his gaze to me, the seventeen-year-old murmured low, "Jasper and Alice just arrived. She suspects something, but no details."

"Wonderful!" I exclaimed with muted excitement, grinning widely. Edward laughed at my excitement and disappeared to change into his own party clothes.

Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, and Emmett walked down the staircase in their new outfits a few moments later, all looking fantastic as usual. Edward appeared in seconds and we all waited for Jasper and Alice to join us.

"I'm intrigued to see what you've done with this theme," Rosalie confessed, hinting vaguely towards the colors of our dresses beneath our coats and the matching heels we would only change into once Alice saw the party space.

"I'm excited to see it myself," Esme admitted ruefully, tugging at the collar of her coat to make it lay straight.

Chuckling overcame Edward just as his tiny sister stepped down the staircase at Jasper's gentle prodding.

"Wow!" I exclaimed with utmost glee as the two stood before me.

Topped off in pin curls for the occasion, Alice looked stunning in an off-shoulder black cocktail dress with ostrich feather trimmings at her shoulders and strappy black heels with feathers across the toe. Beside her, Jasper stood tall and attractive in black slacks and a well-fitted black dress shirt with small pearl cuff links.

Alice took a good long look at everyone's black ensembles with steadily narrowing eyes. Carlisle, Emmett, and Edward's white dress shirts and black slacks gave nothing away, nor did the long black coats and black flats Esme, Rosalie, and I wore.

"Mireille Whitlock, you had _better_ start talking," Alice demanded, arms crossed with fierce impatience at being blockaded so effectively. Risking a glance at Edward, I noticed him grinning slightly.

"Hmm…. Maybe I don't feel like it," I shrugged nonchalantly, rousing a grin from Jasper as well.

For a moment Alice struggled to restrain words I doubted would be very polite. Finally she succeeded with great reluctance and eyed me keenly until I grinned along with Jasper and Edward.

"You're evil," Alice remarked with a roll of her eyes.

"Pah!" I scoffed at her accusation. "You don't know evil until you've had _you_ doing this every day. Come on, hypocrite, we're going partying."

Still withholding an actual decision to show Alice the decorations, I grasped her hand and walked casually over to the wall of marbled black fabric. Everyone followed hesitantly, not wanting to decide anything before the reveal.

Before we could step through, Jasper suddenly slipped something around Alice's throat and clasped it at the back, bending forward to warmly kiss her neck. Looking down, Alice breathed in happy surprise at the many strands of pearls now hanging at varying lengths from her throat.

"Thank you," she turned back to kiss her husband in return. Heaving a sigh at last, the small vampire turned to me expectantly.

"Well, go on inside," I retorted to the psychic, playfully pushing her ahead of me.

Eyes more peaceable now that she was actually going to see the display, Alice repressed a large grin and slipped through the curtains. Her loud gasp of shock caught my ears before Jasper and I could even follow her through the makeshift entryway, the two of us sharing a knowing expression.

"Oh my God!" Alice squealed, to the great amusement of her family and me. As we walked through the black curtains, I looked as Alice did at the party scheme all around.

Gray marble fabric spread the distance from one end of the hall to the other, lined with clear twinkle lights to act as a runway that stemmed from the black marble curtains hanging in crossed drapes to create an elegant entryway. At the far end of the hall, sheer white marble drapes hung across the width of the windows, flanked on either side by black and white curtains with broad horizontal stripes.

Similarly, the table had been clothed in white marble fabric capped with two broad black stripes at the bottom; not having found anything like it in stores, I had made the tablecloth myself. While I had worried endlessly if it looked right at the time, seeing them now left me quite satisfied with the result and – more importantly – with my continual ability to work around Alice's gift when I really set my mind to it. I loved pleasant surprises, so surprising my psychic friend was all the more a challenge and a delight every time I did it.

Far above the handmade tablecloth, black balloons floated with black strings and diamond weights holding them in place. Brash, bold color burst to life ahead of the balloons – in the form of ostrich feathers in a color palette of emerald, cerise, and amethyst. The vivid feathers topped off a tall, narrow glass centerpiece full of pearl necklaces that draped down from the top of the glass and nearly dusted the mirrored base of the structure.

To the left of the focal center stood a large wooden 'A', the large capital letter representing Alice's first initial painted solid black and drenched with pearls. On the opposite side of the centerpiece, a small cerise pink dress form also dripped with pearls, black ostrich feathers attached at the top of the form.

Silk flowers petals in the main three colors were strewn far and wide across the surface of the table. Amidst the flowery confetti sat two Chanel perfume bottles, one of which Rosalie loaned for the occasion. One bottle from Esme still contained the actual perfume, while Rosalie had emptied her perfume into a vintage red glass perfume container on her vanity. Surprised at the time by her willingness to part with one of her possessions, I had nonetheless accepted the empty Chanel bottle to fill it with loose pearls.

Aside from various small gifts wrapped in the trio of green, pink, and purple and topped with black bows, the only other item on the table was a white cake stand. On these were placed a glamorous treat of marbled Oreos. The black and white cookies were one of my favorites. Given I was the only one eating, Edward had decided if I was going to have some kind of dessert, I may as well make what I liked. It hadn't taken much to convince me, so while Alice had left with Jasper for a run, I had set about dipping Oreos in two white chocolate mixes – one with green and purple, one with pink and purple. The effect was quite lovely combined with the marbled fabrics all around.

Alice continued gazing in amazement at her birthday celebration, leading Esme, Rosalie, and I to remove our coats and slip into the heels sitting to the side of the entry curtains. Edward had to slip my heels on more rapidly as his sister began to turn back.

Edward had just set my heeled foot down when Alice finally did turn to us; The fashionista caught sight of our cocktail dresses with the same surprise mixed with a long-suffering air. With Esme in emerald, Rosalie in cerise, and me in amethyst, the color palette I teased in her card and now used in the party took a step up from what it had been. Add in the feathers attached to the ankle strap of our colorful shoes and it really came together for the party design.

"You little snake!" Alice turned to me with a light but playful shove. "Those colors will haunt me for the rest of eternity!"

"Well, they had to be used for _someone's_ anniversary, after all," Carlisle teased, making Esme and me laugh.

"It's not like I tried to kill you," I pestered Alice mercilessly.

"Apparently you don't understand what happens to me when Jazz wears fitted black."

Laughter erupted from all of us that time, leaving Jasper to gaze at his tiny wife with gleaming half-black eyes.

"Thank you, Mir," Alice squealed despite her apparent lack of restraint with black-clothed Jasper, lifting me up and twirling us in a tight circle before finally setting me on the ground again. I couldn't stop laughing at her excitement.

Swinging around with sudden fierceness, Alice jabbed a finger in her bronze-haired brother's chest. "And _you_ , brother mine, are going to stop giving away my secrets!"

"I haven't said a word since Emmett at Christmas," Edward grinned in all truthfulness, lifting his hands is submission.

"Then how did Mir…" Alice exhaled irritably, hands slipping onto her hips before realization crossed her features. "…Edward, you dork! You set all this up for her!"

So saying, Alice grabbed her favorite brother in a bear hug amidst further laughter.

"There are gifts on the table, however you want to handle those," Edward nodded amusedly at the wrapped parcels along the back of the tabletop as his sister pulled away.

"What a send off," Alice sighed happily, dancing over to kiss Jasper again just because she could.

"Come on, short stuff, open your presents before you leave," Emmett called out the psychic with a grin that meant trouble.

"If you're pushing it, Emmett," Alice remarked with an exasperated sigh, "then I _know_ your gift is something questionable."

Laughing at the truth in that, Emmett didn't seem perturbed at all.

"I want it known right now," Rosalie cut in wryly, "I had _nothing_ to do with Emmett's gift."

"Should I hide my eyes?" I wondered dryly. Esme appeared to agree with me.

"I doubt it would help," Edward muttered, a certain level of embarrassment on his face.

"Uh oh," I muttered just as uncomfortably when Alice sought out Emmett's tagged gift and rushed through it as though it would go away more quickly.

I wasn't exactly sure what the gift looked like or even what it actually was, since Alice kept it turned away from us, but I did know that above the sounds of crumpling paper arose a deep, gravelly, computerized voice that called out fiercely, "Ride 'em, cowgirl!"

No one said a word, the air so still we could have heard pin drop to the hardwood.

Finally, out of the quiet, Esme could be heard mumbling, "Oh my Lord, Emmett."

Alice eyed the biggest Cullen like a hawk about to dive for its prey and I knew whatever came next would be just as bad as the gift Emmett bought.

"But Emmett," the tiny vampire replied all too sweetly, smiling with saccharine intent, "why would I ride _this_ , when I have a cowboy?"

Breaking from my frozen shell, I found myself bursting into such hard laughter that I didn't even make any sound. Edward chuckled at me awkwardly, helping me stay upright while I leaned forward clutching my aching stomach. Carlisle tried very hard not to laugh, burying his face against Esme's caramel waves. Esme had resorted to covering her face with both hands and Rosalie simply looked long-suffering at both her husband and her sister, the former whistling low and impressed at the implications presented.

Jasper snorted sharply, holding back his humor more for his own sake than anyone else's, I suspected, and purposefully guided his wife back to the remaining gifts without a word.

With Alice and Jasper both on vacation in Milan for the weekend, the house seemed a little lonely sometimes, just as it had when Rosalie and Emmett spent a weekend at the car show three weeks earlier.

Mostly I spent time practicing piano and self-defense, but I would also branch out and cook with Esme or play cards with Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward. I even helped Esme with her greenhouse designs for a while on Sunday, something we both enjoyed immensely.

Monday morning dawned brighter than I was used to and I frowned at the windows bombarding me with extensive pale light. I had awoken much earlier than my standard time for some unclear reason and it made me frown.

"Oh, no," I groaned in sudden comprehension, bringing Edward to my side.

"I don't think we'll be at school today," the vampire explained apologetically, "but I'll check with Alice."

Edward sent a prompting text to his sister, not daring to interrupt the 'honeymooners' – as he put it – with an actual phone call. Confused, I preempted an explanation from the seventeen-year-old.

According to Edward, over the years Alice tended to answer the phone even while involved in… well, _activities_. She was always hyperaware of things going askew in their lives and more often than not she couldn't seem to resist, often stopping right in the middle of things to make sure nothing was wrong. The caller always had a very clear idea what they had interrupted, leaving the situation incredibly awkward.

Apparently it drove Jasper insane, although Edward's humiliated face spoke his distaste at having to know that in the first place. Personally, I didn't quite understand how Alice could focus that clearly while engaged in something as intensely overwhelming as what had been described in _Breaking Dawn_.

All in all, texting was really a boon for the Cullens sometimes, Edward gratefully recounted to me while we waited.

After a few seconds, Alice called rather than texted, immediately speaking before Edward could do so. For a minute it sounded as though she were chewing him out and I guessed why, but didn't comment on it.

"Not today, then," Edward concluded after a minute or two, rolling his eyes. A grin crossed my face in response. "All right. Thank you, Alice."

"No school?" I repeated in equal part relief and dismay. I hated missing class, even if I didn't necessarily _have_ to do as well this time around; it was just the way I worked.

"No, I'm sorry," Edward smiled at my mixed feelings on the subject. "We're all 'out camping' today."

"I've never been camping before," I commented with a thoughtful frown.

That single comment was about all it took for Carlisle and Esme to pack up camping supplies and take us out into the woods deep behind the house.

We spent all day out in the woods, not even making a campsite at first. During those glorious sunlight hours we examined various plants and trees thanks to the Cullens' extensive knowledge. I avoided poison ivy and ticks like the plague and we all enjoyed the novelty of fresh pools of water where we found them.

At one point Emmett and Edward made a competition out of who could climb the most trees, bottom to top, in two minutes, leaving me laughing out loud at their brotherly antics. Emmett lost – with bad grace, it could be said – by virtue of Edward's maddening speed. My teasing him about being a sore loser wasn't appreciated at all. Emmett had the nerve to suggest I was just afraid to climb a tree myself. Being a moderately proud and stubborn individual, I responded to the suggestion with a glare and proceeded to find what I hoped was a climbing tree.

While Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward stood observing in various states of high humor, Esme and Carlisle at least tried not to laugh as I made a bad attempt at climbing said tree, failing to even make the third branch up. Pink cheeked from a mixture of exertion and embarrassment, I tried to climb back down, but looking towards the ground was a scary prospect and I found myself caught between the ground below and unreachable tree limbs above.

With a splash of kindness sparkling in her golden eyes, Esme took pity on me and breezed up onto the branch beside me. The others became quieter in the face of my upset, even Emmett restraining humor for a moment.

"Here, Mir," Esme sighed fondly, taking my left hand away from the too-high branch I'd tried to grasp and instead placing it on the tree trunk. Her warm, gentle features eased some of my anxiety, although none of my embarrassment. "Whenever you can't reach above you, do your best to look around each side of the tree. There might be a branch to your left or right that can get you in a better position; sometimes you have to move _around_ the tree before you can move _up_ the tree."

I tried, with a lot of careful hand support from Esme, to look to the left and right around the tree trunk, but none of the branches were close enough to reach or climb onto.

Disappointed, I turned back to Esme with a frown and admitted, "I think I chose a bad tree to try climbing."

"Everyone picks a terrible tree sometimes," Esme consoled me kindly, rapidly returning us both to the ground.

Suddenly the lovely vampire laughed brightly, hugging me to her side. "Look at me! I was a grand tree-climber as a girl, but I finally picked a terrible one and my leg ended up broken."

Releasing me from her grasp, Esme smiled comfortingly and turned under her husband's gentle hand when it landed on her shoulder.

Staring into each other's eyes consumed the couple's attention for several long moments. Reaching up to lovingly stroke Carlisle's smooth cheek, Esme finally murmured softly, "Then again… underneath it all, it was a wonderful thing I picked a bad tree. If I hadn't fallen from it, I might never have found what I was really looking for."

The warmth in Esme's soulful gaze turned Carlisle's own golden eyes soft and deep, their first fateful meeting holding sway over their hearts. In the ensuing quiet as we at last made a campsite, I allowed all of my sentimental admiration to have its moment and Edward never said a word.

My new camping experience was not at all asinine, as I had first worried it might be. To be sure, the Cullens had actually taken me 'glamping' more than camping, but I wasn't going to argue the ease of the whole situation and the beautiful lessons I learned without even realizing it.

Edward took time out of our camping trip to run me back for my training, but I refused point blank to hang from his back. The idea of having the world behind me while Edward ran like a blur through the trees didn't sound the least bit appealing. Laughing at my command, the vampire had picked me up without argument and sped to the house and my Acura to make our way into Olympia. Daniel was glad to see Edward 'healthy' again and dove right back into lessons.

Upon our return to the woods that night, I felt remarkably safe in the grasp of my vampire friends. Near the fire, Esme and Rosalie sat discussing the house plans Esme had given her daughter for Christmas. Meanwhile, I resignedly accepted Carlisle's suggestion of a chess match while Emmett and Edward expectantly watched the game.

I lost even more soundly and rapidly than I ever had with Jasper, something that had me glaring slightly at Carlisle as Edward took my place for a game with his father and Emmett laughed over my discontent.

"I'm sorry," Carlisle chuckled deeply, pulling me into a one-armed embrace as I passed his seat.

Sighing, I put my arm around Carlisle the same as he did me, moving to sit beside him on the log he'd acquisitioned. I watched the game progress with greater attention than usual. After several moments of my confused frown, Edward and Carlisle mutually smiled in good humor and changed tactics. In-between toasting smores with a fascinated Emmett, I let father and son show me more intricate strategies for chess, the two of them trying to teach me each idea with surprising patience on Edward's part.

I'd gained moderate comprehension of three different techniques by the time two figures burst from the dense trees to the East.

"Hi, everyone!" Alice smiled broadly at all of us, dancing into our small clearing hand in hand with Jasper.

"Welcome back," Carlisle greeted them with a smile.

"Hi guys," I waved at the two with a smile of my own. "How was Milan?"

"It was superb!" Alice groaned as though she couldn't get enough of the place. "The fashions were absolutely remarkable. I even bought you a couple of outfits."

"That's a scary thought," I joked with her.

"They're Versace, so it shouldn't be," the tiny vampire sniffed.

Jasper and Edward just shook their heads at Alice's absurd reasoning, and I couldn't resist laughing.

"We even spent a few hours celebrating Mardi Gras," Alice continued, ignoring her brother's and husband's mutual exasperation. "Since we couldn't be in school today, I figured it was a great time to be spontaneous."

"You? Spontaneous?" I affected a stunned expression, causing Alice to glare playfully at me and wordlessly join her mother and sister amid laughter from her brothers.

To my great surprise when we returned to school on Tuesday, beyond general inquiries of where we'd been, none of my human friends commented about the oddity of missing school for a supposed camping trip. At lunch, Angela only inquired if I liked the bonding time Carlisle and Esme created for us.

"I think it's a great idea," she added once I'd shrugged noncommittally. "A way for adopted family to feel unified."

Surprised by her assumption or perhaps by the matter-of-fact tone in which she said it, I had merely explained the experience was fun and left it at that.

The next surprise waiting for me seemed even more unbelievable, but judging Edward's contemplative expression, there was more than met the eye to our interruption as we headed to the Volvo after school.

"Um, Mireille…" Jessica Stanley hesitantly approached halfway across the parking lot, eyes roaming the lot a little skittishly. Belatedly the teen greeted Edward with a slightly humiliated expression; the look caught me off guard, but I didn't allow my face to show it.

"Jessica," I responded coolly, remembering all too well her foolish rumors currently floating around the Cullens and myself.

The black-haired girl seemed to steel herself, breathing in with sudden boldness as she blurted out rapid – albeit quiet – words in some mixture of apology and determination, "Look, I know it's not easy to believe, but I didn't spread that rumor about sabotage. All I told Angela was how you told me to stop pushing about… well, you know."

With Edward standing right beside me, Jessica clearly didn't have enough courage to say precisely what I was supposed to 'know' and instead let her eyes drop for a moment.

"Anyway," the girl made herself press onward, looking back up through sheer willpower I reluctantly admired, "I thought maybe Lauren overheard us at lunch and said something over the top to get attention, but it wasn't her either. Somebody else definitely started that rumor… I don't know who did, but whoever they are, they're also the one who told Lauren all those things she kept yelling about in gym with you."

Having said her piece, the short girl hurriedly walked away, not evening saying goodbye as she hurried to her car further down the way and practically leaped inside. Despite her rapid departure, it was almost as if Jessica hadn't wanted to leave our presence… and yet it also felt as though she couldn't wait to get away from us.

A hundred different questions buzzed in my mind, all climbing over each other and nearly giving me a headache… Why would Jessica be so eager to clarify all of that with me? Could I really believe her? Who would do what she had described? Why was she in such a hurry to get away? And why on earth did she keep peeking around the parking lot so nervously?

The whole exchange was just plain odd, but I kept silent until Edward and I slipped into the Acura.

"Edward?" I prompted the mind-reader with questions and worries flooding my brain.

Taking a breath, the vampire eyed the cars all around us as I backed out of my spot and headed towards the exit, eventually speaking low and concerned, "Jessica was telling the truth."

My jaw dropped slightly and I had to shake myself to even reply, "But… Why would she… I don't understand, Edward."

"Jessica was…" the seventeen-year-old began, but searched for words he couldn't seem to find. After a minute, he sighed frustratedly and went on to say, "It's as if she was afraid of something… hunting her. That sounds melodramatic, I suppose, but I can't explain it any other way."

"Why would she tell me all this?" I wondered, even more confused. "I mean, how does that benefit her?"

"I'm not sure it does, precisely," Edward answered with a helpless shrug.

"That doesn't make any sense," I exhaled irritably. "Jessica is all about herself. The guide even said outright that she isn't loyal to anyone, ever."

"I don't yet know exactly what influence you have on Jessica Stanley," the bronze-haired vampire considered pensively, "but being around you seems to have quite a neutralizing effect on her. There's just something about you she's drawn to. Lately I've been noticing it more and more."

"Don't tell me this is another of your speeches about my charismatic nature?" I grumbled, looking away from him with a roll of my eyes as we came to a stop in the Cullens' driveway.

"It's not your charisma, per se," Edward spoke as though I hadn't even said anything. "I can't tell if she simply likes you as a person or if she wants to become more like you."

"Okay, Edward, you just took charisma to a whole other level," I remarked worriedly.

"Is the idea of such admiration so strange to you?" the pianist wondered with furrowed brows. "You don't create stories and lies to make others like you. You're very honest about who you are inside. Despite your moments of personal doubt, overall you have a strong sense of self. Most people can only wish for that kind of personal satisfaction, unable to move beyond their own petty mentality to reach it. It's not so unusual for that kind of person to want what you have."

Frozen in startled contemplation of Edward's surprisingly deep, sympathetic view, I didn't quite know how to respond.

"Underneath her self-importance and denial, I think Jessica just wants to be liked," Edward murmured, leaving the topic at an end when he got out of the car, hurrying inside to grab his gym clothes and run back out to the car.

Still struck speechless by the depth and complexity of Edward's sudden analysis, I remained silent and contemplative as he sped to Body Balance for training. I only half focused in my lessons that evening, leaving Dan worried something happened at school that disturbed me. Edward fielded the question admirably, allowing us to change and leave without any more questions asked.

When we reached the house at last, I tried to remember what had jumpstarted our conversation about Jessica in the first place.

Recalling the way Edward described Jessica's skittish behavior in the parking lot, I suddenly frowned. There was a lot more than my 'influence' on Jessica to consider from the day's – indeed, the past two weeks' – events.

Following the lean vampire into the house, I continued thinking over the situation with deepening concern not only for Jessica, but for us, as well. Based on the darkened features of the vampires around me, I knew I didn't have to explain myself when I questioned, "Who would have spread that rumor?"

"Can't you guess?" Rosalie sneered angrily over the situation.

"You really think this was Vanessa Travis?" I grimaced at the very idea, but couldn't dispel it.

"It does seem a little pointless for her," Emmett considered, brows dipping low on his forehead as he frowned.

"What would this accomplish?" Esme asked of the room at large.

"Control? Dominance? Leverage, even?" Jasper shrugged casually. "Sometimes it's not direct aggression, but indirect influence that gains the most power over another being."

"Like convincing someone you love them, in order to keep them under your authority," Alice said quietly, eyes apologetic as she looked upon her husband leaning so comfortably on the sofa with her. Jasper's reaction held no pain or distaste at the gentle analogy, only acceptance and a mild pride for his wife's logical comparison.

"This isn't what I was expecting," I confessed nervously. "A direct confrontation is one thing, but this…"

"This is something else," Carlisle agreed, his lips tipping lower than I had seen in weeks. "I still have to agree with Esme, however… What _would_ this accomplish? Not simply for momentary power, but in the long run."

"We don't really know," Edward said grimly. "It may not have any long-term implications in her plans yet. I still haven't heard anything particularly significant in her thoughts up to this point and whenever she sees Rosalie, it still takes the wind out of her sails. Something, though, must be knocking around in her head. The fact it was Lauren who started spouting these rumors makes me think Vanessa overheard the situation somehow and made up some sob story about Jessica being railroaded by Mireille."

"Knowing that it would set Lauren off gossiping," Alice added, nodding along with the theory.

"Exactly," Edward nodded in confirmation.

"Do you think Jessica knows what Vanessa does in her spare time?" I found the questioned tumbling from my mouth.

"No," Edward negated, shaking his head forcefully. "She has only a vague fear that someone is eavesdropping on her conversations. I'm not certain she even knows Vanessa all that well."

"They _are_ two years apart," Esme reminded everyone.

"So are Lauren and Vanessa," Carlisle pointed out.

"Yes, but the only reason Lauren spends time with Vanessa is because of her superiority complex," Alice countered.

"Actually, Lauren doesn't generally spend time with Vanessa," Edward shook his head. "I think Homecoming was a chance encounter."

"And of course Vanessa would know what Lauren is like," Rosalie speculated, still having a hard time taming her anger. Emmett reached over to grasp his wife's hand comfortingly.

"It's not difficult, really," Alice rolled her eyes.

"That still leaves us with absolutely nothing to go on," I sighed.

"Sadly, no," Carlisle sighed as well. "All it boils down to is being cautious, as you have already been."

All well and good to say, I supposed, but my anxiety notched itself up regardless and I doubted it would ever really fade – not unless Vanessa Travis disappeared from the face of the earth.

* * *


	45. Chapter 43: Illusions

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:** **  
**As usual, my story is a little longer than I originally set out to write. I swear, this always happens to me! Ah well, more play time. :)

Believe me, I hate Vanessa as much as anyone, but I have to warn everybody – She's smart, she's careful, and the Cullens are limited on what they can do because of the future, so Vanessa isn't going away just yet. Hold onto your hats as we roll through the rest of the story. I have a feeling you'll find a lethal vampire encounter 'too nice' by the time Vanessa meets her maker (metaphorically, not literally, haha!).

Also, I've added chapter recaps to the story. All previous chapters will have one soon. Thanks for the suggestion, Phoebe!

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed!

**Previously** – A new rumor was spread of Mireille sabotaging Edward's supposed 'interest' in Jessica. Mireille planned a surprise birthday party for Alice. Edward decorated while Mireille and Rosalie attended training in Olympia. The Cullens celebrated Alice's birthday. Alice and Jasper left for Milan. On Monday, the Cullens missed school because of a sunny day and took Mireille camping. Esme helped Mireille learn how to climb trees. Jessica told Mireille she didn't start any rumors and Edward gave insight into Jessica's mindset. The Cullens realized Vanessa is gossiping about Mireille.

> **Chapter 43: Illusions**

Impossible though it seemed, I found the week leading up to Angela Weber's birthday surprisingly lacking in tension. Whether that was due to the steady increase in my training or the fact that all my teachers suddenly decided to bury us in homework and projects, I could hardly say. Regardless, my time exploded in one fell swoop and I barely had time to focus on Vanessa Travis and her instigation of rumors.

Little things crept in, of course. Jessica's continued quietude, for one thing. While the black-haired sophomore no longer seemed 'hunted' and appeared to walk very calmly out to her car after class each day, I never forgot her skittishness the previous week, nor Edward's uneasiness with it.

Angela, Katie, and my other school friends seemed quite well, however, and their constancy often pushed back the worries I felt for Jessica.

Outside of classes, Carlisle and Jasper had taken to jointly educating me in more technical chess play, the duo balancing each other with amazing fluidity. Between Carlisle' logistical expertise from surgery and research, and Jasper's strategic experience from wars both human and vampire, I found a startlingly adept team to enhance my meager skills.

At school on Thursday, I remembered to wish Angela a happy birthday and asked if there was anything I should bring to her birthday. Angela refused, of course, but Esme also planned to call Julie while were in school – just to make sure. Hence the ease with which I accepted the tall girl's typical refusal. Esme's call also jumpstarted an invitation to the rest of the family to come for the party, at least. Carlisle and Esme agreed without hesitation and Edward decided with a heavy exhale to come along for the party. That part of the birthday celebrations would at least have some of the boys from school; Ben, Austin, Conner, and Lee had all agreed to attend. Besides, Carlisle's mind would be a place of respite if Edward needed it.

Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice all magically had some kind of event or trip they'd each had in the works for months. Emmett's overly loud suggestion of a boy scout meeting had thankfully been drowned out by Esme's sudden excuse of rugby camp. Rolling golden eyes more broadly than usual, Carlisle had offered his son a singularly stinging expression Emmett had the decency to respect.

By Friday night, I was all ready to go with an orange print blouse, orange cardigan, and blue jeans; I figured I may as well match the theme of the upcoming party – Mr. Weber had kindly informed us it was a mostly orange and pink affair. Given the transition outside from snowy slush to straight rain the past few weeks, I only wore a light jacket with a hood. Most importantly, I was prepared with a gift, a card, and a container full of orange creamsicle fudge Esme helped me make the night before. According to Pastor Weber, orange creamsicle was a favorite of Angela's.

Esme drove me to the Weber house – its mailbox decorated with orange and hot pink balloons – and walked me up to the door, carrying my duffle in one hand and knocking with the other. I arrived early so Mrs. Weber could place the fudge where she wanted it, as well as to make sure it was available when the others arrived. School friends weren't the only ones who would be there. Angela had a few relatives who were coming over, as well as some of Pastor Weber's parishioners.

"Hi Esme, Ray," Mrs. Weber greeted us at the door, smiling in a harried way that unseated me a bit. She looked well, dressed in a dark pink pullover and jeans, but all the same the mother of three appeared rushed.

"Good evening, Julie," Esme tried to smile, but looked a bit concerned as we stepped inside the house. "Is everything all right?"

"I just got a little behind," Julie responded, tossing eyes to the ceiling as if to say 'what else?'

"Do you need any help?" Esme inquired tentatively while I set my things down just inside the door.

"Oh, no," Julie laughed a little, calming visibly with company to distract her from her troubles. "It's just the second layer on the cake took longer than I expected, but I'm prepared for the next one."

"All right," Esme joined the sandy-haired woman in laughing slightly.

"Where's Angela?" I wondered curiously.

"Dale took her and the boys out," Julie explained with a shake of her head. "They got her license earlier today. He'll probably stop to get them an ice cream, too. I told him not to, since we're having so many sweets tonight, but I doubt he'll listen. Mostly he's going to just spend some time so I can get all this done."

"I'll let you keep working then," Esme laughed more strongly at the little anecdotes. "Carlisle and I are coming back a little later. I just to have to get Edward to stop whining about it."

So saying, Esme offered me a brief hug and winked as she left.

Despite Mrs. Weber's claim she didn't need help, all of the party decorations and supplies were still jumbled together in a box and the desserts she'd already completed sat in a cluster of containers on the sofa.

"Ray, you can go take your things up to Angela's room, if you want," Julie informed me distractedly, audibly mixing frosting in a bowl.

"Sure thing," I agreed, hoping a moment alone might ease Mrs. Weber's nerves.

Hardly had I set my bag down in front of Angela's closet than did I hear an utterly frustrated moan of despair floating all the way upstairs.

Worried, I hurried back down the stairs and stopped at the smell of something unquestionably burned.

"Mrs. Weber, are you okay?" I ventured with a wince as the woman in question forcibly set a pan full of something very dark on the counter.

Expelling a deep sigh and closing her eyes, hands stuck on her hips, Julie took a breath before answering.

"Not really," she confessed, beyond frustrated as she threw her hands in the air. "I already burned the third layer of the cake. By the time I make a new one, I won't have time to put the decorations up. I can wait to frost the cake until later, but I can't wait on those. Dale will be back in an hour-and-a-half."

At a loss, Julie eventually started to adjust her measurements for a single layer's worth of cake batter. As she did so, I sat debating with myself about the situation. On the one hand, I could try my hand at making that third cake layer and let Mrs. Weber complete her party theme in the living room and dining room. On the other hand, I wasn't even sure what kind of cake it was nor if I was even capable of making it the way Julie might want it. Decorating, though…

Finally decided on a course of action, I approached Angela's mother and proposed my idea.

"Mrs. Weber, I know it's not exactly my business, but I'd really like to help out," I started out as she mixed some ingredients together.

"You're a guest, hon," Julie shook her head. "I don't want you to have to worry about that."

"Honestly, I'd probably get as much out of it as you would," I shrugged sheepishly. "Besides, today's about Angela, right?"

In spite of her obvious concerns, Julie tilted her head to hear me out, emboldening my request. "I don't know exactly how you wanted to decorate for the party, but we like to decorate a lot at our house, so I've got some experience with it. Would you like me to set some things up while you make the cake? I totally understand if you want to do it yourself! I just know you're kind of overwhelmed right now and I thought it might help you out…"

While I paused uncertainly, Julie considered me for a minute, mixing bowl temporarily forgotten in the crook of her arm.

With a nod, Mrs. Weber decided, "All right, Ray. Thank you for giving me a hand. I wrote some ideas down for the decorations, actually. There's a list by the desserts on the couch. It's not a full theme or anything, but it's a start. If you could at least set those up, I'd be happy. You can use Angela' birthday card for ideas if you need it."

"You got it," I smiled and gladly headed into the living room to find the list in question.

Mrs. Weber's initial ideas were definitely basic and foundational, mostly listing where food and supplies would go, and framing out a general party space. Clearly Julie hadn't had enough time to plan out anything more for the orange, pink, and yellow spring birthday party. Angela's orange and pink birthday card with printed butterflies was very pretty and much more inspiring than the list, thankfully. I felt like my own handmade card would match well enough, the dotted orange and pink creation at least reminiscent of the bright spring design on the card from Angela's parents.

With their furniture moved closer to the front door than normal, the opposite end of the Webers' living room housed two folding tables with white plastic tablecloths, the big box of decorations I'd noticed, another box toting air-filled balloons and homemade tissue flowers, and several folding chairs. I worked on the tables first, adding three tiers of satiny skirting – one hot pink, one orange, and one yellow.

Checking the list, my next move was to throw orange and pink confetti circles all over the tabletops and place each table's items. The left table became filled with hot pink paper plates and orange napkins, and paper cups in pink and yellow that appeared spray-painted. I wasn't sure how Julie wanted to arrange the yellow plasticware or pink and orange striped straws, until I noticed mini metal pails in the party box. While the little orange and pink buckets had been labeled for desserts, I couldn't see any more desserts that needed storage. Hoping I hadn't missed something, I separated each type of utensil into a different bucket and put all the straws into the fourth one, lining them up behind the plates and napkins. Reserving space for a gallon beverage of some kind and cans of soda, I placed the aluminum ice bucket at the back and moved on to the next table.

The right table already housed some of Angela's presents along the back, all wrapped in hot pink and orange diamond paper and tied with white ribbons. The rest of the table was intended for all food items, I realized, so I shrugged and began to sort through the decorations in Julie's box.

A birthday banner was only wide enough to cover one table width; I supposed it could have been put up in the middle of both tables, but it looked a little odd hanging across the window on that side of the house. Frowning, I set that aside and looked at the rest of the placements Julie listed on her paper. Looking back and forth between the tabletops and the large list of items, I recognized immediately there wasn't enough room for it all on just two tables.

"Mrs. Weber," I called out to the busy mother, "I don't think all of this is going to fit on those two little tables."

Heaving a resigned sigh, Julie responded, "Dale thought it would be fine, but I worried about that…"

"Do you have any other tables?" I wondered. "Maybe a smaller size than these? We could put the cake and cupcakes on it or something like that."

"No, we're fresh out," Julie sighed again, more pensively this time. After another anxious moment, she walked out to the doorway between kitchen and living, white apron covered in pink and orange frosting, and spoke again, "Tell you what… We'll put the skewers and sandwiches on the dining table with some of the plates and napkins, then leave these tables for the rest. That would probably fit okay."

"That looks like just enough room," I nodded, looking over the list again.

"Great," Mrs. Weber half-laughed, then sighed again, this time more sheepishly. "I know everything can't be perfect, but… Well, Angie's our only girl and I want her sweet sixteen to be special like yours was. I loved how Carlisle and Esme used something _you_ loved to make the party theme. That's what inspired me to base Angela's party on her favorite colors and her favorite season. It seems obvious I guess, but Angela's always been so satisfied with everything we gave that I didn't consider it before. I really should have thought of what she wanted."

Struck by the effect something so simple had made on another person, I smiled happily for the simple care I would never fail to recognize from the Cullens, and the love Angela's parents showed her. At the same time, I felt like Julie had now filled herself with a lot of unnecessary guilt.

"Mrs. Weber," I began tentatively, her list a means of distraction as I slipped it back and forth between my fingers, "From the short time I've known your daughter, I've never seen her disappointed about her life. With Angela, it's never going to be about how much you spent, how big the guest list is, or if you used her favorite colors for the theme. You're right – Angela _has_ always been satisfied. Not because she got everything she ever wanted, but because she was happy with what she had."

Letting that thought sink in, I turned away to give Julie space and privacy for her own musings. Quiet steps took the mother of three back into the kitchen, stirring renewed, and I hoped she took what I said to heart.

Absently checking the clock, I started when I realized the time. Only an hour left until Angela, Dale, Josh, and Isaac came home. Newly determined, I returned to the box of decorations and set to my work.

First of all, the table arrangement simply had to go. Careful not to let any gifts fall off, I dragged the right table into the corner at the front of the house, and then moved the presents in a spread across the back corner. The left table I moved into the opposite corner of the space, leaving the window empty in-between tables.

Across the window I strung lengths of streamer in alternating shades of hot pink, orange, and yellow, and attached pinwheels along the top of the streamer backdrop between the folding tables. Hung from the same hooks was the banner of circles bearing the phrase 'Happy Birthday' in pink letters. The front windows looked exceptionally empty, so I hung a circle garland of hot pink and orange two times across the width. Along the sides of the doorway between the kitchen and living area, I attached sections of pink and orange tulle and draped them over one another across the top.

My last step for the living room was a feature to liven up the two corners. On either side, a large tissue flower was attached to the ceiling and held a clutch of streamers that twisted across the ceiling and then down the wall in orange and pink strands. Smaller tissue flowers held the streamers in place at the junction of ceiling and wall, leaving the streamers to fall just above the tabletop.

Overlarge yellow balloons caught my attention in the decor box, along with some stray tissue tassels not hooked to anything. Inspired, I blew up the balloons and knotted the tassels along a string, finally tying the balloons off with the strand of tassels acting as a weight.

With twenty minutes left, I quickly attached a selection of yellow, pink, orange, and white balloons around the edge of the front door trim and tied a few balloons at random around the living and dining rooms.

"Ray, can you help me move these drinks out to the table?" Julie inquired from the kitchen.

"Sure," I called back, tying off one last balloon before I met Mrs. Weber in the doorway.

"Ooh, strawberry Crush," I remarked eagerly as I saw the pink cans in her arms.

Laughing, Julie responded, "I take it that's a favorite of yours."

"It is," I grinned slightly, taking the soda into my own grasp.

"We have orange Crush, too," was her simple reply, the sandy-haired woman still smiling at my excitement as she went back for the aforementioned soda.

Walking into the living room with the orange pop in her hands, Mrs. Weber stopped in the middle of the room with a gasp.

"Ray, this is beautiful!" she complimented my party theme with wide eyes. "I didn't know we even had enough to do all this!"

"I'm good with limited resources, you might say," I smiled sheepishly.

"Well, thank goodness I let you do the decorating!" Julie laughed out loud. "Thank you, hon. This is wonderful."

"You're welcome," I answered quietly as she set down the cans of pop and headed back into the kitchen for more. While she was gone, I arranged the soda cans into an alternating pattern of pink and orange several rows back.

When Mrs. Weber returned the next few times, it was with a three gallon drink dispenser, pink liquid in gallon jugs, and a bowl of lemon slices.

"What's that?"

"Strawberry lemonade," Julie answered, setting down the lemon. "Where should this go, do you think?"

"Up here near the window, maybe?" I suggested. "Then it's out of the way everything, but it's still accessible and pretty to look at."

Smiling at the silly logic, Julie nonetheless agreed and moved the drink dispenser as indicated. "While I fill this up, why don't you put those desserts on the table?"

Leaving room for Angela's cake at the center of the gift table, I added a glass container of rock candy swizzle sticks on the left side and a glass jar of gumballs and jellybeans on the right.

"These are pretty, Mrs. Weber," I told the woman of her orange, yellow, and pink flower cupcakes.

"I ordered them," she informed me right off the bat, sealing the lid of the dispenser and picking up the remaining lemons. "I'm terrible at anything more than basic frosting."

Smothering a laugh, I took the cupcakes out of their box and set them out around the front half of the gift table, between the jars of candy and the empty space for the cake.

"I wonder where Dale is?" Julie muttered more to herself than to me, frowning as she headed to the phone.

Before she could dial a number, keys jangled in the front door. In a hurry, I picked up any trash from my decorating and excess containers from the desserts and rushed them into the kitchen. Julie pointed me to the trash instantly.

Sure enough, as the door swung open, Pastor Weber called out pleasantly, "We're back, Julie. Is it safe for everybody to come in?"

"Who's everybody?" she wondered amusedly.

"Carlisle, Esme, and Edward are here," Dale explained.

"Oh, yes, they can come in," Mrs. Weber called back, waving it off and removing her apron.

Excited, I walked out to meet my 'family' in the living room. Carlisle and Esme smiled warmly as they stepped in together, hands intertwined. Following behind them, Angela was decked out in a hot pink blouse and jeans, long hair pulled into a half-ponytail and little pink ball studs on her ears. I had the feeling her mom had encouraged the unusually vivid outfit to match the party and have a little fun for a change. Beyond all that, Angela carried an absolutely enormous bunch of balloons in one hand, all as orange and pink as the decorations.

"Dale!" Julie scolded her husband exasperatedly when she saw the balloons.

"Oh, what?" the pastor chuckled at his wife and threw an arm around an incredibly shy Angela. "I can spoil my girl a little for her sweet sixteen, can't I?"

"I think you've been spending too much time around Carlisle," Esme teased. We all laughed while Carlisle eyed his wife shrewdly, but his lips twitched too much to be taken seriously.

"Angie, why don't you take a look around?" Dale recommended mischievously once he saw the decorations more clearly.

Doing as her father suggested, albeit confusedly, Angela gasped the same as he mother had earlier and quickly exclaimed, "That's so wonderful, Mom!"

"Don't give me too much credit," Julie laughed. "I bought the decorations and desserts, but I didn't put it together. You can thank Mireille for such a beautiful party."

"Thank you, Ray!" Angela smiled broadly and hugged me in gratitude. "You really know how to decorate."

"You're welcome, Ang," I returned her hug, but had to add, "Really though, if your mom hadn't bought such nice decorations, I wouldn't have had such good stuff to work with."

Julie opened her mouth to say something, but two loud voices overrode us as they dove into the house and two small bodies propelled themselves at Julie's legs, nearly knocking her for a loop until she grabbed the wall for balance.

"We want kabobs!"

"No, we want cake!"

Joshua and Isaac looked nearly identical in every way, except one of them had a very different nose from the other.

"And who are these little rascals?" Carlisle wondered with an indulgent smile matched only by Esme's.

"These troublemakers are Josh and Isaac," Julie emphasized each boy with chuckle and a tap on their messy heads. Josh was the one whose nose had a smooth bridge, whereas Isaac had a slight bump in his.

Edward caught my attention as he entered the house belatedly and the twin boys prattled to their mother about something or other regarding food. The bronze-haired vampire seemed to have been keeping the two entertained outside for a moment. Catching my eye, Edward smiled ruefully, silently admitting his amusement over the rambunctious kids.

"Boys, why don't you say hi to Carlisle, Esme, Edward, and Mireille?" Dale prompted his boys.

"Hi," they replied in unison, rapidly turning back to their mother in hope of food or sweets.

"No," Mrs. Weber concluded decisively, although a smile teased her mouth.

Groaning disappointedly, the two boys turned to offer their big sister a scowl.

"Don't look at me like that," Angela laughed. "I can't help what Mom and Dad say."

"Yeah, but it's _your_ birthday," Isaacs wheedled, but Angela just laughed again.

"How old are you guys, anyway?" I asked, squatting at their level. With a hidden smile, I intentionally suggested older ages than I knew them to be, "Ten? Eleven?"

"Yeah!" Josh smiled, lying through his teeth, and his family laughed loudly at the obvious deception. Even Isaac laughed at his brother, whose grin turned a bit embarrassed.

"We're only eight," Isaac confessed solemnly, more laughter following his remarks.

"Aw, shucks," I snapped my fingers disappointedly. "I thought you were all grown up."

"You knew we weren't ten!" Josh accused, but he was grinning widely as he said it.

Barely able to stop laughing with everyone, I kept up the charade longer and clasped a hand to my heart, "Oh! Are you calling me a liar? I'm _so_ offended!"

Both boys laughed freely together over the obvious ruse, their voices still young enough to have an adorable childlike quality.

"All right, you two little monsters," Julie sighed humorously, "Go wash your hands and change those muddy shoes."

"Aw, Mom!"

The dual complaints did nothing except draw both parents' stern gazes and encourage the boys upstairs as instructed, Dale following to ensure the directive was followed to the letter.

While the twins cleaned up, Julie brought out a three-layer cake frosted in pink, orange, and white, with a single '16' candle in canary yellow just waiting to be lit.

Everything snowballed after that, relatives and churchgoers dropping in left and right, as well as our classmates and their parents. I doubted the Cullens had ever interacted so closely and familiarly with humans before, but they behaved as normally as I had ever seen them and even seemed to enjoy it as the night wore on.

Carlisle, in particular, simply shone in this social capacity and I regretted he could never truly live that kind of life without fear of being found out. As Angela began opening her gifts, a pained look entered Edward's eyes across the room and I felt guilty for putting it there. Edward shook his head and I knew he wasn't blaming me – but I was.

Whenever I ran into Jessica during the party, she wasn't precisely friendly, but she didn't particularly avoid me, either. I didn't think much on it because we would be spending an entire night around each other; that alone worried me. Katie more than made up for Jessica's quiet; the redhead rambled about things at school like nobody's business.

At last the party came to a close, the relatives left little by little, and of our school friends, only we four girls remained. Carlisle, Esme, and Edward prepared to leave quickly, and then it would be time for another movie night.

"Have fun," Edward teased lightly as I said goodnight to him and his parents at the door.

"I will," I retorted with equal lightness, knowing all too well he meant to loosen up my anxieties over the worries Vanessa caused.

Chuckling over our bit of banter, Carlisle and Esme both hugged me before they walked out to the Mercedes.

"This is really cute," Katie remarked in quiet amazement from behind me.

Turning, I found the three teen girls sitting on the couch with a soda, cupcake, or candy and examining the remains of party decorations all around. The balloons above waist level had all survived Josh and Isaac's earlier 'sneak attack' and the streamers miraculously remained unharmed wherever they hung. The tulle doorway and the table skirting had gone a little askew and boasted frosting in a couple of places, but overall everything still looked quite nice.

"You decorated so pretty, Mrs. Weber," Katie complimented the mother of three, who picked up a few stray pieces of trash. "I love streamers a bunch."

"I didn't even really notice the decorations earlier," said Jessica. "There were so many people in here."

"It was packed," Julie chuckled over their comments. "And you can actually thank Ray for the design in here."

"Wait, you decorated it?" Jessica wondered in surprise, finally looking me in the face for the first time that night.

"Well, Mrs. Weber chose all the decorations," I refuted.

"I bought them and that's it," Mrs. Weber laughed. "My Lord, Ray, you're as reluctant to take credit as Angela is."

"I like to give credit where it's due," I countered.

"Then you'd better include yourself," Julie argued calmly and far more effectively, silencing my debate.

"Oh, hey, would you like to help me with the church egg hunt this year?" Angela spouted in the awkward pause, whirling around to face me with excited eyes. "I'm not so good at decorating, but no one volunteered to take the egg hunt, so I did it. The little kids just love it, even my brothers, and I hate to see them miss out."

"Why would you need decorating for an egg hunt?" I asked, nose scrunched with confusion.

"We have to hold it inside usually," Julie offered. "Rain is so constant around here, especially around Easter, and we just don't like to chance it."

"I always remember a bunch of funny Easter characters people made," Angela recounted wistfully. "You know those cardboard stand-up things? They ended up hiding eggs behind them every time. I got really good at finding them."

Laughing at the admission, I remarked, "Well, I guess if you really want help…"

"I'd love it!" Angela exclaimed gladly. "It's hard to think up ideas. Maybe it's just me, though."

"Oh, you should join Prom committee, too," Katie mentioned, fueling the girls' enthusiasm. "Aren't your meetings on Wednesdays, Jess?"

A little hesitant at first, Jessica nonetheless confirmed, "Yeah, they are."

"Sophomores at Prom?" I inquired confusedly.

"Freshmen and sophomores decorate for the upperclassmen," Angela explained, "but freshmen usually don't come."

"We're short a couple people, actually…" Jessica confessed.

"Uh, I'm not sure about it," I waited, tentative in the extreme. One more thing to possibly bring Vanessa closer to me? Or to leave me without the Cullens' protection? That didn't sound helpful at all.

"Just think about it," Katie waved my seeming concerns away and stood with a hop to lead us upstairs.

Katie simply couldn't wait for _Pearl Harbor_ to start, bouncing on a pink bean bag while the previews began. Once again, I had chosen the films for the sake of keeping the peace between the three girls.

On the other side of Katie, Jessica sat more quietly than usual, even though Katie had already revealed the short girl's interest in the movie. While Angela took the time to grab more sodas from downstairs – despite our protests she was the birthday girl and therefore exempt from work – I surreptitiously studied Jessica's profile.

She looked a little tired, but nothing abnormal from what I could see; mostly like she just stayed up too late watching TV or something similar. Her clothes were the same as usual, too, and her hair stood out as the same curly mass it was almost every day. From all angles, Jessica Stanley appeared normal and unbothered. Unwavering alertness deep in the set of her eyes, however, stood out like a beacon.

Whatever Jessica tried to play off for her façade, she still held an unceasing belief someone at school was listening in on her conversations. Seeing the expression so heavily buried in Jessica's features, I didn't doubt, even for a moment, that Vanessa Travis was that someone. An indefinable feeling in my bones told me it was true, and it took several minutes after Angela's reappearance to determine if the feeling was my natural instinct or the effect of my gift as Rosalie believed.

My gift, such as it was, had nothing to do with the sensation I felt; if anything, it fell by the wayside because I knew the truth so inherently.

Irritated and increasingly incensed by Vanessa's continued interference and the clinging claws she had locked onto my life and experiences, I decided unequivocally to ascertain the potential purpose in the bully's rumor peddling.

Try as I might, however, I couldn't really understand the reason for spreading such ignorant rumors around the school. Most everyone would notice Jessica's silence on the matter, surely?

Then again, her silence could reinforce the idea of emotional distress beyond her control. That didn't sound very encouraging for the impression others took away when they thought of me.

It remained possible, then, that Vanessa hoped to demoralize my image in front of the school so no one would back me up if I ever tried to point a finger in her direction.

Yet that still didn't make much sense; there was no reason for Vanessa to think I would accuse her. After all, Vanessa knew – _had_ to know – I never saw her face that night in November.

Even the Cullens' hostility towards Vanessa in the hallway didn't reveal our knowledge of her participation in the attack. For all Vanessa knew, my 'family' acted hostile towards her because she was Greg's girlfriend and seemed a likely target. No proof actually existed to show we knew the identity of my second attacker. Vanessa would have to be working from the merest crumbs of suspicion to believe such a thing. As smart and stealthy as the blonde was, I doubted her intelligence stood to such a grand level as all that.

Perhaps, as Carlisle had told me in the hospital, there was no rhyme or reason at all. Perhaps Vanessa wanted to inflict more pain because she was simply an extremely angry individual with deep-seated jealousy of the Cullens.

While this line of reasoning began to feel more and more likely, I hated the thought of such a black and white answer. If there were no real reasons other than jealousy and causing pain of some kind, then how could I plan against the threat Vanessa presented to me? She could do anything at any time and no matter what, it would satisfy her simplistic, selfish goals with ease.

"Mireille?" a much stronger voice than expected called to me, breaking me from my growing anxiety like the crack of a whip.

"What?" I responded too sharply, eyes keen on the three – oh… no… make that _five_ – surprisingly worried faces staring back at me where I sat on the far right of our high school quartet.

"Are you okay, Mireille?" Julie Weber asked me with deep concern, squatted beside me where I sat on a couch cushion on the floor.

Realizing only to easily how I must have looked to her and Dale, who stood in the doorway, or even to my three tense human friends, I cursed my intensive inward focus for worrying everyone. The movie had long since ended, judging by the black TV screen. Angela must have gone to get her parents when I failed to respond.

"I'm fine," I replied strongly, despite the lack of foundation for that belief. I could only do so much to appease after letting my mind wander so deep as to become lost to the girls' calling. "I just need to stop daydreaming so much. Sometimes I can get seriously lost in my own thoughts. Sorry if I scared you."

Relief crowded everyone's features except Julie, but something in my gaze must have told her I would not be moved to speak further. With pursed lips, Mrs. Weber finally nodded.

"All right, Ray," she accepted, a level of comprehension I didn't expect crossing her face. "If you need to go home, or you want Carlisle or Esme to come over, that's okay, honey. No one would judge you for that."

Taken aback by the odd suggestion and even odder addendum at the end, I simply nodded my understanding.

"Call us if you need anything," Dale said to the room at large as the two parents left, the husband casting his wife a strange look she failed to acknowledge while still in our presence.

"We will," Angela agreed quietly. She seemed less relieved than before, also offering an unusual look to Mrs. Weber before the door closed.

"Are you really okay?" the tall girl turned to me next, all too focused for any diversion in my features.

Placid in a way I most assuredly didn't feel, I smiled at the kind teenager and confirmed, "I really am, Ang."

Satisfied enough to stop asking or staring, Angela sighed gently and stood to change DVDs.

Quite unlike Angela, Katie had accepted my story so well that she went right back to the snacks and drinks left from the birthday party, grabbing what she wanted before the next movie.

Far and away the most peculiar reaction of all, Jessica eschewed a tenuous hold on her reassured look. Against all logic, the black-haired girl's vigilance increased while at the same time her confidence seemed to return a little.

"You really should join prom committee," Jess spoke up, bringing my attention directly to her face. "Most of us don't have a clue about decorating. There are ten of us right now and only two of the girls have ever really decorated much of anything. The boys are totally lost. We've only had two meetings so far, so you wouldn't be out of the loop."

"I just want to double check with Carlisle and Esme," I allowed cautiously. Whatever confidence boost Jessica had gained, it made me rethink my immediate refusal a little.

"Okay," the short girl left it at that, another surprising gesture on her part.

Carlisle and Esme, along with the rest of the Cullens, amazingly had no issue with my joining prom committee – just as long as Vanessa didn't catch wind of it and wait for me after the meeting ended. Alice didn't see any issues, though, so I figured it was worth a shot joining the small group. Edward would have to drive even faster than usual to make up that hour of time and still reach Olympia, but he was all too excited to have the opportunity and I laughed out loud at his gleaming eyes.

By the time Wednesday rolled around, of course I felt a little less sure of my chances, but Alice continued to see a good day right up until we separated after last class and the meeting was to start.

Edward waited out in the car for me while I followed Jess to an empty classroom they were using for the meeting that day. Apparently they changed every day to make sure no one overheard and saw their surprises for the dance.

Nine people – six girls and three boys – sat in desks they had moved into a circle for the meeting. To my surprise, two empty desks waited for Jessica and me already.

"Hey guys, this is Ray," Jessica introduced me, brief and to-the-point as we sat down.

"I thought you two didn't talk to each other?" one of the girls queried in astonishment.

"Of course we talk to each other," Jess spoke before I could, that confidence I had noticed at Angela's sleepover now bubbling up. "We were both at Angela's birthday hanging out, right Ray?"

While her phrasing left a bit to be desired, I decided fighting back those rumors was a little more important. "Yeah, us, Katie, and Angela. Just like last time."

"Yep," Jessica agreed, seeming pleased by my additional comment.

"Yeah, but Lauren said—" a second girl added uncertainly.

"You're not going to believe a bunch of crap rumors, are you?" Jessica cut the girl off, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"No, I guess not," one of the guys shrugged.

"It's Lauren, I guess," another girl rolled her eyes. "Should have known better."

"Anyway," Jessica pushed on, clearly trying to get past the topic quickly. "So Ray, these guys are Nathan, John, and Chad. John's our secretary."

Each of the guys waved a little when their name was called, thankfully not looking at all interested in flirting like Mike and Tyler.

"And that's Brittany, Jennifer, Ashley, and Megan. Amanda's in charge and Jamie's the treasurer."

Each of the girls smiled or waved a bit apologetically, but I just smiled back and left it alone.

"Welcome to prom committee, Ray." Amanda finally started the meeting. John had a notebook out and pen in hand. "Okay, as a recap, the first meeting we decided committee chair, treasurer, and secretary. And we wrote down the dance themes we've seen so far at the high school. Last meeting, we just tried to decide on a theme, but there was a lot of disagreement. Any new ideas?"

"Just that we _have_ to choose a theme today," Nathan pointed out. "Mr. Green wasn't too happy with how long we've taken."

"You've only had two meetings so far," I half-laughed. I couldn't help it.

"They really should give us a little more time," Brittany commented irritably. "I mean it's only eleven weeks away now."

"That's just what we have," Amanda drew us back to task. "So we mentioned disco, 1980s, surfing, candy, and a casino. And John mentioned the moon…"

"What was the prom theme last year?" I asked.

"Stars," Megan sighed a bit tiredly. "My sister said it was super boring. Like all white and gray balloons or something."

"Ew," Jessica remarked simply, to which I couldn't help but agree.

"They seem like stars around here," Jamie mentioned.

"Well, clearly we don't want stars in our theme," Nathan concluded rapidly, leaving the discussion open to silence.

Everyone seemed to be looking at me, the only one who had not participated in their previous theme argument, which of course made it ten times harder to not give their theme ideas a dirty look. My high school back in Michigan had used all but the casino theme for our dances and I had zero illusions of wanting to retreat into my memories during this new life if I didn't have to.

"What about something to do with spring?" I suggested delicately, giving no indication of my disillusioned memories. "There's so much green in May and I think it would be nice to utilize that in a theme somehow. Everyone loves the beauty of nature and we could bring that indoors. There are a million ways to lower our spending if we use plants rather than all cardboard cutouts and prefabricated items from a prom shop."

"So… what theme could we do that with?" Jess spoke up, seeming to be the only one who had fully grasped my paragraph of speech.

"Well, a garden theme in general," I offered first, but scrunched noses around the circle convinced me otherwise. "A forest theme like Forks? …Maybe a jungle?"

A couple of noses eased at the last intriguing idea, but Jessica, among others, remained set against it. I tried to think of an actual, cohesive theme that used plants a lot, but I supposed most seemed less than 'cool' for a typical high-school student. Feeling a little like I had stepped back in time to the stuck-up group of wealthy teenagers at my old high school who had an overlarge sense of entitlement, I thought hard about something unique but not too adult.

"Oh, what about mythology?" I brought up, an inspiration hitting me. Perhaps going all garden was over-selling it. "Greek gods and goddesses, columns and ivy? White and green, some light blue like the sky and brighter blues like the ocean? We could paint a fountain, a Greek monument, or something like that to cover the bleachers…"

"That's kind of cool," John noted. Interest from the guys was a good sign; it meant the theme wasn't outrageously girly and childish.

"I like the idea of a big painting or drawing to cover the bleachers," said Brittany.

"Yeah, they're such an eyesore," Jessica agreed, nodding.

"None of us can draw except Nathan, though," Jamie admitted.

"I only draw anime characters, Jamie," the boy in question deflected with a light laugh. "Trust me, I don't do buildings or plants."

"I can paint and draw."

Startled as much as anyone else by the words spewing from my mouth, I tried to play it off as nonchalantly as possible, but I didn't feel all too successful.

"You never said!" Jessica remarked agog.

"Never had the opportunity," I shrugged awkwardly.

"Would you be able to make all that in eleven weeks?" Chad wondered. "That's a lot of art to get down."

"It's easy for me, actually," I responded honestly. "I just love art so much."

"Well, that's the best idea we've had so far. Any problems with it?" Amanda looked around at everyone, but they all shook their heads, appeased. "Cool! We have our theme!"

"What should we call it?" Ashley wanted to know.

"We could name it 'The Pantheon' prom," Brittany offered up.

"That's just a building, though," Megan countered. "It doesn't sound like it would have ivy and fountains and blue skies."

"It rhymes too much," Chad griped.

"How about 'Ancient Greece'?" John recommended.

"Yeah, that could work," Jennifer tilted her head side to side, not exactly happy.

"What about 'Mount Olympus'?" I proposed. For some reason fashion week had sprung to mind and the name of it had spurred me on. "We could add white fluff or batting to make clouds around the plants and columns and everything; it would make it look like a dream up in the clouds with all those deities."

"That's awesome!" Jess agreed empathically. "The white fluff will show up in the dark really cool."

"Maybe if we have enough of a budget, we could add lights under the batting or something," Jamie added with growing interest. "That way it'll show up even better."

"Plus we use that for the photo background!" Ashley appended excitedly.

"I love that idea," Amanda approved. "We only have a few minutes left, so let's leave this for now. We'll meet tomorrow after school to see what we're working with in the gym. Is everybody okay with that?"

Amid agreement from everyone, John wrote furiously quick, adding everyone's' additions to his notebook.

"All right, before we leave, is there anything about Girls' Choice Dance?" Amanda asked of us. "Most of us are on both committees, so I figured we could get any big issues out of the way now instead of Friday."

"Um, I had a problem yesterday," Jennifer mentioned hesitantly.

"What happened?" Nathan wondered. It sounded as though a lot of things had been problematic for them lately.

"I didn't mean to do it…" Jennifer continued nervously. "But… well, when I went to open up the banner and ticket pictures for the Kinko's guy, I sort of… accidentally deleted them…?"

Groans went up around the room at this proclamation.

"Why do I have the feeling those were your only copies?" I remarked dryly.

"Yep," Ashley asserted succinctly, eyes closed as if to pray for patience.

"So… no banner, no tickets…" Chad reaffirmed out loud.

"What now?" Jamie threw her hands into the air.

"Uh, Ray, I know it's kind of last minute," Jessica stepped in with extreme hesitance, "but um… you said you're quick on art and you really love it, soo…."

"Is there any way you could create a banner we could get printed?" Brittany completed the short girl's request for her, not beating around the bush. "And a picture for the tickets, too?"

"What's the theme?" I asked, biting my lip at the added pressure on top of my already loaded homework and training.

"Under the Sea," Megan answered. "We really only had a blue banner with bubbles and white lettering on it, but it wasn't what we all wanted to do. It's just what we were able to make at the time."

"What did you all want, then?"

"We liked the bubbles," Chad added, "but we kind of hoped we could have fish or seaweed. Something to tell you right off the bat it's actually under the water."

Despite my busy schedule and the lurking presence of Vanessa, I found excitement flowing through me. Art was my third great love along with writing and music; the prospect of using it in such a fun, simple way sounded too wonderful to pass up.

"Can you write down everything you'll need on it?"

"Sure can," John enthusiastically agreed, quickly turning to a fresh sheet of paper.

Bombarded with responsibilities upon leaving that first committee meeting, I barely talked while Edward drove us to training that afternoon.

"You're remarkably quiet today," the bronze-haired vampire observed quietly, glancing my way.

"I just agreed to so much," I revealed, exhaling as a means of loosening up. "I know it's not the end all, but it's still a lot to do."

"Yes, it is," Edward concurred plainly, "but you can do it. I know you. You always do what you set out for."

"Thank you," I replied, smiling. "Your vote of confidence means a lot."

Silent moments passed as we came closer to Olympia, the world speeding behind us in a rush of color and dull light in the early evening hours.

At last, with the gym in our sights just down the street, Edward murmured gently, "You'll always have my vote of confidence, Miss Holden."

"Whitlock," I corrected him just as gently, deeply touched by his soft declaration of support.

* * *


	46. Chapter 44: Immaculate

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
Gimp is pronounced with the G in 'gun' (not like the J in 'jump').

Oh, here we go… Are you guys ready for this rollercoaster to start falling over the top?

**Song Inspiration:**  
 _Russian Roulette_ by Rihanna

**Previously** – Mireille was too busy to truly worry over Vanessa. Carlisle and Jasper teamed up to enhance Mireille's chess skills. Mireille helped Mrs. Weber decorate Angela's sweet sixteen. Mrs. Weber confided her regrets about raising Angela and Mireille eased her worry. Carlisle, Esme, and Edward attended Angela's birthday party. At the sleepover, Mireille was lost in thought over Vanessa and Mrs. Weber seemed to understand somehow. Angela suggested Mireille help decorate the church Easter egg hunt. Katie and Jessica suggested Mireille join Prom Committee. Mireille joined the committee and Jessica denounced Lauren's rumors. Mireille brought fresh ideas and agreed to create artwork for Girls' Choice and Prom. Edward assured Mireille he would always believe in her.

> **Chapter 44: Immaculate**

Thursday after school found me walking into the gymnasium of Forks High School with Rosalie beside me, bulky Emmett trailing behind us with a muted grin on his face and a huge roll of white paper in his hands. Rosalie really only came along because Emmett was there, but she would be helpful I knew. Emmett's presence served a dual purpose that day – serving as a form of protection and also as the tallest person I knew.

Height meant a great deal for the task of the afternoon, which was to determine a general framework for my prom art piece that would cover the bleachers on either side of the gym. The Prom committee had showed up in full, everyone planning to take measurements of the space and any obvious obstacles or items of interest for our dance designs.

"Hi, guys," Jessica greeted us first, eyeing Emmett a little dubiously – along with the other nine members of the committee. Their reactions were absolutely comical. When they saw Emmett, the first instinct was to make saucer eyes at the brawny young man's size and musculature. Intimidating, they probably thought; scary, even.

When I looked at Emmett now, all I could see were fluffy penguins and dimples.

Repressing a laugh at the thought, I responded to my human friend, "Hey, Jess. Hi, everyone. This is Rosalie and Emmett. They're helping me figure out proportions for the bleacher backdrops."

"Hey," Emmett greeted them simply, keeping it brief for the sake of their health. Rosalie didn't speak, but nodded once.

"Um… juniors aren't really supposed to see any of this," Jamie remarked too quietly, eyes still wide as dessert plates.

"My family will probably see some of it when I make the art, though," I confessed apologetically. "It's just too darn big to avoid that."

"That's true," Jessica backed me up, recovering before anyone else did. Shaking herself, the black-haired girl moved on to whatever she was doing before we came into the gym.

"O…kay…" Amanda and Megan both backed up slightly and waited for me to do what I needed to do.

Sharing a conspiratorial look with Emmett, I waved him and Rosalie over to the bleachers to start measuring.

"Okay, I wanted to make the structures big," I explained to the two Cullens, "but not so big that they look unreal. I want it to feel like your actually standing beside a pillar or something."

"So you want the top of the arches a little above my head or what?" Emmett clarified, gesturing approximately a foot above the top of his head.

"Maybe…" I considered, biting my lip curiously as I eyed Emmett next to the huge bleachers.

"Maybe you should make it above his furthest reach," Rosalie recommended. "The Greeks did make large-scale architecture, after all. You could even go larger if you wanted."

"Yeah, that's a good point," I agreed. "I want to leave room for some sky and clouds at the top, though, so I'll leave it at how far you can reach, Em."

Nodding in understanding, Emmett reached as far up the bleachers as he could go, holding the top of the white paper while Rosalie carefully unrolled it down to the base of the bleachers. Marking off the length and what it was for, I let Emmett and Rosalie roll the paper along the length of the bleachers. That I also marked off and labeled, then we moved on to the actual height of the bleachers.

By the time I was done making measurements for the big painting, everyone on the committee had thankfully found something to do other than stare at Emmett and Rosalie.

There were a lot of ideas floating around for how we could plan for our Grecian theme, most of them theoretical until we actually searched and shopped, but it was a great brainstorming session and I also got some more specific ideas for the Girls' Choice banner art I had to complete and have printed for the dance in little more than a week. The ticket image had to be done sooner, but at least it was a small item and easier to finagle the picture for.

Buoyed by the fun I had with planning artwork once again, all in all I was having a great day by the time I made it to self-defense with Edward that afternoon. Daniel picked up on the good mood with a wry expression.

"This must be a really good day for you," he joked when I dodged an 'attack' and backed up a little.

"Kind of," I admitted with a little grin. "I'm really enjoying myself for a change."

"That's always good," Daniel laughed a little with Edward over my well-humored countenance.

Several more surprises – a quarter of them successfully blocked – and I felt really, truly accomplished for the first time about my training.

"Feels good to have achieved a little progress, doesn't it?" Edward smiled gladly over the change in me on the way back to Forks.

"It does," I confirmed, matching his smile with ease. "I think it helps that I can trust Daniel. And of course I can trust you, when you help me practice. That's a wonderful thing for this kind of training, don't you think?"

Humming noncommittally, Edward only partially agreed, "I believe it's a good start, but I wouldn't want to feel complacent in that trust and familiarity."

Frowning slightly in the midst of my joy, I considered that statement carefully before I responded, "You make a good point… I don't think I've become complacent yet, though. Do you?"

"Oh, of course not," Edward answered in all sincerity, waving off my worry like a fly. "That's not what I meant to imply, Mireille. I just want to make sure we all remember why you're doing this, so that you _don't_ become complacent with this comfort zone you've built. A precaution, not an accusation."

"I understand what you're saying," I nodded more seriously. "I'll keep that in mind as we go along."

"That's all I wanted to ask of you," Edward smiled again and left the topic alone.

That weekend I spent almost all my time working on the banner for Girls' Choice. I knew the base would be blue with bubbles to represent the ocean, but that was all I had when I began working Friday night. Spread out in Esme's workroom with the vampire herself helping me brainstorm, the process never ceased to be fun, even when it became difficult to decide my design.

And difficult it definitely was for a while. The biggest problem I had was the lack of interest on the banner. A whole school of fish seemed overkill and it looked funny having seaweed all along the bottom, almost as if the banner had been cut.

"All I have are fish, bubbles and seaweed. What else is under the sea?" I wondered aloud, lost and exasperated as Esme pulled out blue paints for me to choose from.

"Many things," Esme smiled at my dilemma, but offered a few suggestions all the same, "Coral, sand, antiques, sunken ships, treasure chests, gold, shellfish, oysters, pearls, jewels…"

"Treasure chests!" I exclaimed with intrigue. "That's a neat idea, Esme!"

"Why thank you," she laughed.

"No, thank _you_. That's what I'll do for the banner," I decided happily. "I can paint a couple of fish swimming around a treasure chest, with a few pieces of seaweed floating around them."

"I like it," Esme nodded once, joining me on the floor in front of my blank paper. "It's interesting and still simple."

From there, it was remarkably easy to sketch out a framework and begin painting. To make the look a bit different on the tickets, I decided to rotate the item vertically instead of horizontally, words above and beneath the sea drawings. The final touch was a stylistic treatment to the basic lettering, adding little swipes at the edges of letters and numbers where possible.

Wednesday's next Prom committee meeting looked like a bunch of leprechauns had gathered together, so green was everyone's St. Patrick's Day clothing. Jessica's dark green top thankfully didn't blind me as Katie's neon sweater and flats had done at lunch time. Dressed in a floral top and muted green cardigan, Angela had looked amazed at the vibrant color Katie wore with her vivid red hair. No one wanted to get pinched, that was for certain, and I was no exception. My own Paris-green blouse had appealed to me instantly that morning, the charming, ladylike style very pretty and very, very green.

Even Esme, Alice, and Rosalie had dressed in green for the day, although who would dare pinch either sister at school – especially Rosalie – I could barely fathom. Esme had looked classy as usual in a subtle green blouse and tan skirt, Alice brought a breath of spring with her light green lacy top, and Rosalie dressed just as sharply as always, just in a floral printed blouse and black slacks this time. Emmett had made me laugh with his green t-shirt reading 'Pinch Me And I'll Punch You'.

When I presented the banner and ticket designs, it took quite an effort not to wig out at the last second. It was a good design and Esme had liked it; there was no reason to be so nervous.

"Wow, that's great!" Nathan enthused over the fish hovering in the 'water' above the brown and gold treasure chest.

"Thanks," I answered, some of my nerves easing at the warm reception.

"Thank you for saving our butts – well, especially mine," Jennifer laughed as she looked over the banner. It took a minute to remember Jennifer had been the one to accidentally delete their original work.

"It matches pretty good, too," Ashley added.

"Except the orange fish," Amanda wrinkled her nose hesitantly. "We don't have anything that color in the decorations, do we?"

"We can add that on the cheap," Chad shrugged, unconcerned.

"Yeah, if nothing else, we can add orange balloons," Jamie suggested easily.

"Maybe we can make a few fish for the tables, too," Jessica figured.

"I think we should make a centerpiece with a fish on it," Megan informed everyone decisively. "Like a… coffee can with a little picture on it?"

"Sounds good," John put in easily.

"No, we don't have anything to put inside it," Brittany piped up excitedly, "but if we could hold up a cutout of a fish somehow and make it look like it's floating in water, that would be cool!"

"What about picture holders?" Amanda inquired thoughtfully.

"And paint them the same color as the blue tablecloths," Ashley added creatively. "That would really make then look like their floating."

"Great, then we're all set," Nathan determined with pursed lips, clapping his hands together as an end to the meeting.

Everyone walked out to the parking lot together, chattering quietly about schoolwork, a little sports, and putting up all the dance décor on Saturday. I wasn't actually going to be a part of that event, merely arriving in time to enjoy the decorations. I had heard precious little during our prom meetings, so I knew I would be pleasantly surprised by everything they came up with.

Shopping also came up, of course. Brittany had yet to buy a dress, complaining to Jennifer about the selection in Port Angeles being too stingy and boring.

Reminded of my own dress and shoes, already waiting in the closet for Saturday night, I hoped Alice hadn't tried to add some outrageous necklace instead of the one I'd already picked out. Not that I wouldn't be willing to put it right back where it was, but Alice would probably hide my first choice if she liked hers well enough. Regardless, I figured I could always get Edward to find it for me.

"Would you like to come with us, Ray?" Megan asked me about something I hadn't heard.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Would you like to come get your hair and nails done with us Saturday?" Jessica explained for everyone.

"Oh, I actually already planned to go with Alice and Rosalie," I explained rapidly, happy I didn't have to lie to avoid going by myself with the other girls. I wasn't worried about them, but I knew the Cullens and I worried about Vanessa following me somewhere without vampire protection to back me up. While I felt decent in my lessons, I didn't want to test the theory until Daniel and all of the Cullens agreed I was ready to protect myself.

That could take a longer time than I originally planed for, but it was worth waiting for. I just wanted to be able to defend myself.

"That's cool," Amanda responded easily for all the girls. "We'll see you at the dance, then."

"See you then," I waved to them as I walked out to meet Edward where he leaned on the Acura.

Two days passed in a blur of routine, leaving Saturday dawning the same as any formal event in the Cullen household could. Why Alice and Rosalie always found something to argue over, I would never really understand, but they certainly did so with great aplomb. Alice could be uncomfortably shrill when she wanted to be.

Dressing took more concentration to avoid hearing the high-pitched argument that had somehow carried itself right up to the third floor, but mercifully Edward closed the door on his way out and I was left in relative peace to slip into a strapless coral dress with soft peachy ruffles mimicking the ruffling formations of a coral reef. Quirky and a bit over-the-top, the colorful and cheerful gown nevertheless made me extensively happy, as had my hair, makeup, and nails. Esme had gently pulled a few light pieces of hair around the crown of my head and left the rest to hang in waves while I had shaded my eyes in peach, stained my lips coral, and lacquered my fingernails in the same soft peachy tone of the ruffles on my gown.

Thankfully by the time I had slipped on coral earrings and bracelet – as well as the coral flower necklace Alice had gratefully left alone – and stepped into neon coral pumps, Alice left Rosalie to her silver heels and saltwater pearl jewelry without another complaint.

Seeing Rosalie's strapless yellow gown made up of an embellished bustier and flowing chiffon skirt, I couldn't quite figure out why Alice would have argued over the well-matched jewelry and strappy silver heels. Alice also looked very well-matched in a light blue single-shoulder dress with mint blue and gold necklace, earrings, and bracelet, and color block heels of peach and light blue. The clam shell clutch in Alice's hands as she came downstairs stood out just as well as Rosalie's yellow beaded purse, while still matching the general theme of their outfits.

Quite differently from Homecoming, after another sisterly disagreement about flower choices, Alice had reluctantly handed Esme the task of choosing corsages and boutonnières for Girls' Choice. White poppies and small chrysanthemum with a bold yellow center drew up the yellow of Rosalie's gown, whereas soft white sweet pea and pale blue tweedia blended more gently with Alice's light blue. White spider mum added a slight edge to my outfit while coral-toned hypericum berries softened the arrangement and added a necessary burst of color.

To myself – and of course, Edward – I mentally admitted a preference for Esme's artful, simple, well-formed arrangements rather than Alice's more unique tastes.

Edward snorted over my mental rationale, gladly accepting the white corsage to slip on my wrist. This time, I didn't have a single issue attaching Edward' boutonnière.

"Oh, that took longer than I wanted," Alice muttered, tossing a frowning expression towards the clock. "We'd better go. We can get a picture or two at the dance."

Shaking my head at the pixielike vampire's constant picture needs as she stashed a small camera in her tiny purse, I waved farewell to a chuckling Carlisle and Esme and headed to the Acura with Edward, Alice, and Jasper while Emmett and Rosalie took the Volvo.

Jasper took the wheel this time, mainly because Alice found a curl of my long locks that somehow became 'just out of place' and required immediate fixing. Rolling my eyes with light exasperation, I let the small woman do her work in silence on the way to the high school.

The dance banner looked even better on the front wall of the gym when we walked over from the car, the art advertising 'Under The Sea' and 'Girls' Choice Dance' on a bold aqua blue background with a brown and gold treasure chest, four pieces of green fluttery seaweed, three orange fish, and white lettering.

Katie's simple purple dress displayed a slight beachy vibe to its halter design that matched her nude pumps with a thick cork sole. As she stood waiting in line with her vibrant hair hanging loose, the redhead reminded me of _The Little Mermaid_. Beside Katie, Angela waited patiently in very low black sandal heels and a gray and black dress with a slim belt and lacelike design. Further ahead of the two girls, Jessica chattered to some of the dance committee members, her short silver-embellished mint dress standing out against raven hair and sparkling silver peep-toes. Samantha Emerson stood near to the small committee group, wearing another horrendous creation of a dress that looked like a jungle peacock theme in yellow, teal, green, and red. Alice sounded as though she was choking when she saw it.

"I will never unsee that," the tiny vampire muttered furiously, shuddering at the patterned dress paired with gray and yellow bow pumps. Jasper and Edward snickered at Alice's dilemma while I tried not to laugh.

"Mind your business," Alice retorted sharply, glaring at her brother and husband.

"I give Lauren props for having a bit of style," I commented, eyeing Lauren Mallory's royal blue dress and blue sequined pumps that reminded me of fish scales.

"That's _all_ I give props for," Rosalie remarked, a sneer in her chilled voice as Vanessa Travis came to stand beside Lauren and Samantha in line. The highlighted blonde wore voluminous curls and a bright orange mini dress with silver detailing on the bust; one foot jutted forward imperiously, silver open-toed pumps glittering on her feet.

Honestly, Rosalie looked rather tame in comparison, even with her immense golden curls hanging loose over her left shoulder and her long yellow dress bright like the sun. Perhaps because she actually looked classy or perhaps because I simply couldn't stand Vanessa, but either way, I thought Rosalie would be far superior in looks, style, and posture even as a human.

A familiar head of strawberry blond hair caught my eye, drawing my focus to Whitney Duran in a white dress with flora print and black trim. Paired with modern black heels, the dress was very pretty. Looking more closely at the junior's face, I noticed quite the dark circles and an incredibly forlorn glint in her hazel eyes. Once again, I felt sorry for her; it couldn't be easy to feel such fear of her little brother being harmed. Thinking of Angela and how much Josh and Isaac meant to her, I realized I felt no ill will towards Whitney for being unwillingly complicit in Vanessa and Greg's activities. Fear for a loved one could make a person do crazy things.

"You're clearly a much better person than I am," Edward murmured in my ear just as we reached the line.

Turning to stare at him in surprise, I frowned unhappily at the self-degradation. "What on earth is that for?"

"I tried very hard not to hate Whitney as I do Vanessa, but it's difficult," the bronze-haired vampire explained, slightly ashamed. "You find such an easy sympathy and compassion for other people's pain, even when they look their worst. Yet you don't let them walk over you like a doormat. I admire the balance you keep."

The line moved closer to the table and in the movement, Jessica caught sight of our group and interrupted before I could say a word.

"Ray!" she called out, waving down the line and drawing Angela and Katie, then Samantha and Lauren, then Whitney, and – of course – _Vanessa_ to stare down at me.

Coldness shrouded the senior's malicious blue eyes as she looked me up and down, taking in my appearance and the surrounding Cullens in all their finery and beauty.

Low growling deep in Edward's chest startled me away from the pair of eyes that so terrified me back in January. Grimly I wondered if the blonde would ever look away, when finally Lauren drew Vanessa's dark attention to the moving line.

Released from those dreadful eyes, I shivered slightly as a chill raced up my covered back.

Cold to the touch, Edward's gentle hand nevertheless felt almost warm as he laid it over the part of my back where Vanessa's knife left its mark. Comforted marginally by the gesture, I looked up into fathomless golden eyes filled with a storm of hate, pity, and care that could hardly be distinguished from each other as he gazed on my tense features.

"Someday," he promised gravely, leaving the word to stand on its own. One couldn't help understanding his vow and its connotations.

Smiling weakly at Edward for his supportive consolation, I let him lead me forward until we eventually reached the table and showed our tickets. All the while, a nerve-wracking sensation of discomfort overcame me; seeing Vanessa played on my anxieties every time it occurred and this was no exception. Forcing the irrational sensations back, I decided not to let my natural nervousness override the fun I might be able to have that night.

The coat check seemed nicer at this dance than at Homecoming and I became curious why there was such a difference. At our committee meetings, I had thought the same group decorated the fall dance, but it didn't seem to be true.

While still relatively plain, so much more life populated Girls' Choice than Homecoming, from dozens of aqua and orange balloons to blue and aqua paper 'bubbles' strewn across the walls and green streamer seaweed attached near the floor. There were tables covered in aqua tablecloths with an orange fish at the center; the committee had done exactly as Brittany, Amanda, and Ashley suggested, painting picture holders to match the tablecloths and making each fish appear to be floating or swimming.

One of the exterior hallways had been cordoned off for taking dance photos and it was there we became bombarded by Jessica, Angela, Katie, Ben, Austin, Conner, Lee, and Nathan, Jamie, and Megan from the prom committee. Even Mike and Tyler were with us, although the last two seemed intensely quiet in the face of whatever dire expression Edward and Jasper offered in their direction. Forcing back a laugh, I said hello to all of the students present, some less warmly than others.

"Hi everybody," I said with a smile. "The dance looks wonderful, you know."

"Thanks!" Megan smiled gratefully for the compliment, leading into a bit of discussion about the process of decorating earlier that day.

While we talked, I found my attention drawn to Jessica, who kept giving a few half-smiles to Mike that went nowhere with the blond-haired boy. His blue and white columbine flower didn't match anyone in the group, so I didn't understand why the boy who was apparently still single seemed uninterested in popular Jessica. She looked nice and she had actually been a lot better lately in the personality department.

"Cute dresses all around," Katie remarked after a lull in conversation, gesturing at the different colors and styles of each girl in the group.

"I don't know about that," a nasal voice intruded haughtily.

Turning, I found Lauren Mallory sidling up to Mike in her blue gown and I recognized the same blue and white columbine flower on her corsage as Mike wore on his lapel. _That_ was interesting…

"Some of us just…" Lauren continued speaking – or simpering, more like – pretending to be at a loss for words until she finished with, "well… some of us just can't be as well-dressed as others."

The attempt at a sly glimpse towards my coral gown failed spectacularly and I was forced to withstand rolling my eyes. Edward snorted with utter disbelief at the stupid comment.

"Oh, Lauren, you don't have to compare yourself to Ray," Jessica commented with a light, fake smile before anyone else could get a word in; the short girl eyed Lauren's hand on Mike's arm with absolute flames in her blue eyes. "Even if _you_ can't see how much prettier she looks tonight, I think Mike has it covered."

In a swift turn, Lauren and I both caught Mike staring above the top of my dress. Caught out, wide-eyed Mike turned away, awkwardly clearing his throat to diffuse the situation.

While the ruffle on my gown hid any noticeable cleavage, the very notion that the boy stared in such a direction was enough to be irritating and off-putting. I felt the deepest desire to give Mike a good hard slap on the face, but I also wanted to elbow Jessica in the ribs for turning a molehill into a mountain with Lauren. There was enough animosity already present without adding this on top of it.

Edward squeezed my hand in both restraint and comfort, apparently willing to let the situation play out on its own before we became too deeply embroiled.

Had it been anyone else to insult her, Lauren might have looked down her nose at them and remained unaffected, but seeing it was Jessica, the one person who seemed to be her true rival in several ways, the corn-silk blonde actually became quite angry, her eyes narrowing into a glare and her mouth curling distastefully.

"At least she was able to find a date, unlike _you_ ," the green-eye girl snapped at Jessica and stomped off, practically dragging Mike behind her.

Taking a steadying breath, I wondered just how these kinds of things always happened so nastily, but Edward tugged on my hand to stop those morbid thoughts.

"Jess, you shouldn't have said all that the way you did," Angela quietly reprimanded the black-haired girl, frowning deeply as her light brown eyes alternated between me, Edward, Jessica, and the spot where Mike and Lauren had exited our group.

"Look, she's just doing this to get back at me," Jessica retorted, grossly frustrated. "She heard a rumor from someone – I still don't know who – and started spreading it around that Ray didn't want me to ask… this one guy… to the dance. The moment word got around that I said Lauren's rumor was wrong, suddenly she was going to the dance with Mike. I was about to ask him when I heard she already did."

"So… Jessica wanted to ask Edward to the dance," Tyler spoke up almost mindlessly in the circle of our group, gesturing at each person in his narrative with unfocused energy and not bothering with any kind of personal courtesy. "But Ray told her to stop… so Jess stopped. Then Jess told everyone Ray _wasn't_ stopping her, not really… even though she actually kind of was… And then Jess kind of called Lauren liar… then Lauren asked Mike to the dance because Jess called her a liar. Now Ray came with Edward… and Jess never asked anybody… Wait, did you ask somebody else we don't know about?"

Jessica glared hard at Tyler for revealing her plans to ask Edward. Sighing tiredly over the drama, Angela shook her head and gave up.

Meanwhile, Edward and I were trying our best not to laugh over the whole angsty, teenage situation. Only with teenagers could someone get such a ridiculous conversation going and actually take it seriously.

After all the commotion, I realized only belatedly that Lee and Katie were kind of close and Lee happened to be wearing a purple carnation. Glancing at Katie's wrist, I saw a corsage also made of purple carnations. Amused, I gave the other girl a compelling look. Turning pink as she realized the insinuation, the redhead smiled a little and performed a funny little dance of a shrug as affirmation of her date.

"We should get a group picture!" Katie brought up suddenly, partially trying to ease the drama and also partly excited by the prospect.

Everyone did seem to cheer up by the recommendation and started down the hall, even Jessica and Tyler overcoming his dumb summarization enough agree.

Sharing an expression of utmost exasperation, Edward and I headed off that direction regardless and indeed took a picture against the backdrop of a blue tablecloth covered with green and aqua streamers inspired by seaweed and water, and aqua and orange balloons to mimic bubbles and fish.

"Is that a _lobster_?" Jessica wondered, face weirdly contorted in her surprise of the odd, coral-colored clutch in my hand.

"It's a shrimp, actually," I clarified, grinning and feeling silly but content. "Alice just about killed me for the weird accessory, but I thought it was hilarious."

Snorting, giggling, and laughing at the foolish little idea, the other students shook their heads at me. Despite their vaguely exasperated amusement, the shrimp clutch purse became something of a photo prop for our continued pictures. Thereafter followed a hoard of silly, typical teen crazies and their ideas for cool or funny photos. 'Gimp the Shrimp' – as my purse became known – took center stage for some very ridiculous poses ranging from Conner proposing to Gimp with Jessica's pinky ring, to Katie being attacked by the horrible, terrible, man-eating shrimp.

After a few takes and realizing with a sudden fear just how much it would cost if we kept this up, I offered to foot the bill so no one would miss out on the fun. Angela hesitated a moment, but Edward backed my play with an indulgent expression for my sheepish eyes. Admittedly, I was having ball with just this one part of the evening.

At last we managed to run out of ideas, even with Gimp the Shrimp, and made it into the gym for the actual dance part of the evening. Well, at least we did after a run by the dessert and drink table for the dance committee's sake.

Finally tucked into Edward's grasp and twirling around to an upbeat style of 'slow' song, I felt relief creeping into my bones. As joyful as the evening had been so far, I needed some time to breathe. Laughing without a single worry, Edward teased me through his eyes for being so anti-social.

"You're hardly anti-social," he rolled golden eyes at my word choice, speaking just loud enough for me to hear. "You just happen to enjoy peace time without all the drama and emotional whiplash. In that regard, you have every right to call yourself a Whitlock."

"You mean 'recovery' time," I joked.

Laughing just as loudly as the first time, Edward spun me once and let the topic dissipate.

As we all danced, I was pleased to see Lee and Katie having a nice time together; Lee actually seemed very open in Katie's presence. Perhaps what happened on Valentine's Day had made him see a little more clearly. Jessica reluctantly lowered herself to a dance with Tyler, but she appeared fairly pleasant by the end of it. Austin even asked Angela to dance, but the shy girl declined almost immediately. Austin persisted, however, his simple friendship offering finally swaying the tall teen into a dance.

High humor overcame me when I noticed Austin winking over at Ben, who stood off to the side of the dance floor. Ostensibly talking with Conner, Ben didn't fool his best friend – or me – in the least. Brown eyes strayed all too often to glance at Angela when she smiled. Even Austin was matchmaking the two of them, for goodness' sake, so I hoped it worked out some day.

"They're just being…" Edward tried to be diplomatic about it, but after a couple of minutes trying, he sighed and just said what he thought, "They're being dumb teenagers. There, I said it."

A laugh trilled from my throat at the slightly dubious expression on Edward's face.

"I don't how else to put it," he apologized a bit sheepishly.

"Don't worry," I still laughed quietly at him. "I think that's probably the _only_ way to put it right now."

Rolling topaz orbs, the bronze-haired vampire didn't elaborate further, but spun us to face the opposite direction with a gentle flair.

Emmett and Rosalie swayed expertly together far across the gym, only visible at such a distance because Emmett stood so much taller and broader than most of the people around them. Close by the bold vampire couple, Alice and Jasper enjoyed a slightly less complicated sway to the slow song that came on next.

"The Lauren and Jessica Show has begun again," Edward sighed just loud enough for my ears. Following golden eyes towards the drink table, I watched Lauren glaring at Jessica, whose mouth was running.

"Uh oh," I sighed as well, more heavily this time. It didn't appear that either girl wanted to release the argument this time.

Leaning down towards my right shoulder to keep the conversation away from prying ears, Edward nearly breathed the words, "Jessica's accusing Lauren of being the real saboteur with the boys, and also of being the one to start the rumor about we three the week of Valentine's Day."

"This isn't going to end well," I muttered in return, twisting moderately towards Edward's bowed head and exposed ear. "Especially for us."

"I agree," Edward nodded once, face attuned in great concentration to the growing catfight across the way.

' _If Vanessa finds out…_ ' I thought strictly for Edward's benefit, nerves returning to me from earlier that night when I had first spotted the blonde senior.

"I think it's too late for that," Edward's voice morphed from low murmur into graveled growl.

"What!" I exclaimed as quietly as I was able, head twisting to take in the very bully I worried over. Vanessa walked up to the two sophomore girls during their argument as though she was their mother, getting much too deeply involved in their business for my liking.

After a few minutes of words from the orange-clad senior that had Edward growling deep at the back of his throat, Vanessa pulled Lauren away rapidly and they practically stomped away into the student body. Jessica looked radically peevish and stood with bunched fists for a moment before she squared her shoulders and started to march after the two other girls in a towering temper.

"Edward," I gasped concernedly for the short girl. Starting trouble with Vanessa was just asking for problems.

"Come on," the seventeen-year-old pulled me quickly through the crowd and over to Jessica's moving form.

With Edward's long legs, quick stride, and ability to naturally repel others, thankfully we caught up to Jessica in time for him to grab her arm and pull her to a stop.

"Stop holding me back," Jessica fought back a little, but when Edward's hand grasped her other arm and turned the girl completely away from her target, all fighting ceased. Staring with vexed eyes between the two of us, Jessica finally seemed to settle down.

"What?" she inquired uncomfortably, yanking her arms away to cross them defensively over her waist.

"Don't go starting something you can't finish," Edward told Jessica exasperatedly, hand dropping back to his side.

More firmly, I went on to add, "Mike isn't going to change overnight and magically adore you, especially when you act the same as Lauren. He'll get over her eventually – or she'll get bored with him – and then you'll have a chance to try things with him. Right now just isn't the smartest time."

Jessica returned abruptly to her anger in full force, eyes blazing at my attempt to reason with her. Buried under that burning edge, though, I could see a torrent of hurt. All I could think was that either Jessica must _really_ like Mike, or she genuinely considered Lauren a friend who wouldn't turn on her like this.

With this thought in mind, it made it much easier to handle Jessica's next words.

"Easy for you to say," the words tumbled thoughtlessly from her bright pink lips. " _You've_ got Edward Cullen. You don't have to wait at all!"

Suddenly bursting into a small slew of tears waiting to fall, Jessica hurried away, rushing out of the gym and into the hallway.

Stunned by the emotional episode and all the drama I had let into my life by befriending so many teenagers, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, only to let it out incredibly slowly. Edward's repressed snickering filtered into my ears and I opened my eyes solely to scowl at his humor.

' _What did Vanessa say to her?_ ' I eventually thought tiredly to my companion, not bothering to scold his amusement. I had long ago learned it did little good anyway.

"Mainly efficient, pre-planned lies to keep Jessica in shock," Edward murmured, forcing back laughter as the subject turned serious. "Things about who Newton really likes, who's really the popular girl around here..."

' _And about us?_ ' I wondered sarcastically, daring him to lie and say there hadn't been a word said about him and me.

Grumbling under his breath at my stubbornness, Edward caught sight of my raised brow and answered with extreme reluctance, voice impossibly soft, "All right, Vanessa said we were obviously 'together' now."

Immediately cautious of the way Edward emphasized 'together' so strangely, I gazed at him through narrowed eyes until he exhaled irritably and clarified uncomfortably and even more softly, "In her words… friends with benefits."

' _Friends with benefits?_ ' I half-shrieked in my mind, making Edward wince at the deafening thought.

Forcing calm over myself, I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't utter a sound before Edward cut in, "Jessica doesn't actually believe them. She was just hurt by Lauren and wanted us to leave her be. She's already feeling better for crying, so she'll be back without confrontation. And she won't spread the rumor Vanessa told her."

Groaning quietly, I let my forehead thump against his shoulder in exhaustion and weary annoyance.

"I hate high school."

Pure, undaunted laughter fluttered over my head as Edward displayed his vast amusement over my proclamation.

"Oh, man," I stopped dancing abruptly, regretting the three glasses of punch I'd nursed at the refreshment table earlier in the night.

Chortling now, Edward released me to fulfill my human minutes. Perplexing to all but myself and the Cullens was the serendipitous appearance of Alice at the very moment I headed towards the bathroom. Winking slyly, Alice giggled quietly and followed me in for my own safety.

The very moment I moved to open the stall door, Alice gasped under her breath and startled me into looking her way. Glassy golden eyes didn't encourage me, but I waited as patiently as I could to hear what happened.

"Alice?" I prompted when she didn't reply immediately. Worry began to grow in my chest that I couldn't dispel.

"Jazz is having a problem," she whispered barely loud enough for my human ears. "Someone sliced their hands up on the bleachers."

Alice hesitated a second or two, clearly worried over my safety, but Jasper had to hold a higher importance when it counted most. Besides, if Jasper had an accident, not only would the Cullens have to leave Forks – and Bella's arrival – behind them, but some young teen would have lost their chance at a future. I couldn't bear the thought of it.

Without a shred of hesitation, I simply told the small vampire, "Go."

Not waiting for further elaboration, Alice slipped away wordlessly. When she was gone, I returned to my original intention in the bathroom. While I worried for Jasper in such an unexpected situation, somehow I still found the ability to absently note how much I hated dealing with big dresses in the school bathroom. Either they puddled at my feet on the germy tile floor or I had to hold the voluminous skirts up awkwardly in my arms to avoid other, more disgustingly germ-infested places.

Moments later, someone else entered the girls' bathroom, the creaking door reminding me all too well that this was the same bathroom where I had first encountered the gossiping Vanessa, Lauren, and Whitney, however unwittingly the last had spoken her words. A thrill of irrational anticipation crept up my spine, but I pushed it back as the closing door drowned out the heavy bass beat of unbelievably loud music in the gym.

Shaking away the memory, I returned my focus to the present in just enough time to notice familiar silver peep-toes passing the stall door and heading into the next one.

Jessica.

The thrill of anticipation returned and I realized I wasn't just feeling a random memory of fear, but a genuine sense that something was about to happen with Jessica. Already expecting an argument we might not recover from, I sighed quietly and made up my mind to speak to her before things became unbelievably awkward.

Well, any more awkward than talking to the girl about boys and backstabbing while we both took care of human minutes in adjacent bathroom stalls. Snorting quietly at the weird things I sometimes had to do when taking care of the bonds I had built in Forks, I nevertheless made myself speak to the black-haired girl.

"Jess?" I greeted tentatively.

A small grunt was my only answer and I sighed again.

"Look, Jess, I didn't mean to tell you what to do," I tried. "I just… I didn't want you to waste your time on a guy who's invested in someone else right now. I'm sorry if I seemed too pushy."

No response was extended to me and I worried even more stringently that Jessica was not as all right as Edward expected her to become after her crying fit.

"Jess?" I repeated as the girl slowly left her stall. Frowning, I made sure my dress was all in place once I was ready to step out.

Silver heels stopped in front of the stall as I reached for the door, but there was something different about them than I remembered. I didn't recall Jessica's shoes having small gems, but sequins.

"Are you okay, Jess?" I asked ever more anxiously.

"I doubt it."

Frozen inches from the lock, my fingers curled back in terrible understanding.

I knew that voice.

"Hey, Whitlock."

The most terrifying, electrifying sensation gripped my chest in a vicelike grip, leaving air scarce for my lungs. Trembling infused my limbs and stark disbelief sharpened my eyes upon the plain, tan door – the only barrier between me and my enemy.

Silver heels never wavered in front of the door, leaving my eyes focused with blank, expectant terror at the revealed toenails painted just as orange as the mini dress they matched and just as angrily vivid as the girl they belonged to.

Why was I not trying to run, fight, scream, _do_ _something_? Would frozen fear remain my most dominant trait for the rest of my life? I found no answers in the smooth metal surface ahead.

I could scarcely believe my return to that moment in the hallway – that nauseating moment when the pain I suffered in those woods paralyzed me against action. After all the training and practice and encouragement since then, I simply couldn't comprehend how I had lost all sense of rational thought and instinct I ever gained or possessed.

Yet the answer hovered in front of my face, as if I had always been asking the question and always had the answer in my head.

Vanessa.

Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa.

"You can't stay in there forever," that harsh voice snapped like the crack of a whip.

Right as she unfortunately was, I didn't know what else to do. Nothing in my body wanted to move. Frozen. Always frozen.

The Cullens were who-knew-where, involved with Jasper not having an accident, and no doubt Alice's visions were entirely engrossed upon that situation. Then again, was Vanessa even making a decision Alice would ever see, or was this simply on the fly, her torment merely an afterthought to her inner character?

What could I do now?

The decision was taken out of my hands when the lock mechanism began jangling little by little.

"You know these are really useless locks?" Vanessa wondered almost conversationally through the space between door and wall. "They're so easy to undo from the outside. All you need is a little time."

My heart beat _th_ - _thump_ , _th_ - _thump_ , _th_ - _thump_ at the speed of light, drawing out my wildly swelling panic as the lock did, indeed, begin to move. Without a solid grip on the lock itself, the blonde could only creep along in her work, but it still steadily inched along. Eventually, Vanessa would have that door open and I would be caught in that tiny stall with a girl who had no right to be called by such an innocent-sounding title.

I congratulated myself on acknowledging that the door would open inward, although what good that did when I still couldn't force my body to move, I could hardly imagine.

Stuck in my own head, my thoughts and decisions the only free will I had left in my frozen state, I knew I had to decide something. Something… something big. Something quick.

The lock jarred loudly in the catch, but didn't release, and something in my chest cracked like an eggshell.

I could move.

Thank God, I could _move_.

Sucking in a breath, suddenly I felt all of the nerve endings in my body in a cloud of sensation; buzzing, tingling little gnats fluttering within my flesh and bones in an unending wave of premonition and expectation. All the nerves and anticipation I had felt that day were not merely natural emotions based on circumstance. My ability – for I could no longer deny it as such – had been warning me all along.

Looking all around me with wild eyes, I tried to imagine anything – anything at all – that would be unusual enough of a decision for Alice to see or Edward to take notice of in my head while he was no doubt still so focused on Jasper's.

Another jarring sound forced me to whip around in terror, but the door had still not budged completely.

Time, Vanessa had said. She needed time to get through that lock.

Almost at the end of my rope, I made a decision of utter madness and bashed my fists against the plastic toilet paper canister on the wall. It hurt my hands after just one hit, but I kept on hitting it again and again and again.

With a loud _CRA-A-ACK_ the container finally broke on one side, a single piece dropping to the tile floor with a clatter. My hands hurt terribly from hitting it so many times, no doubt bruised beyond measure, but it had to be better than whatever Vanessa could think up.

"What the hell are you doing?" Vanessa uttered mockingly, momentarily pausing in her maneuvering of the metal lock to laugh derisively at my strange attempts at helping myself. She moved somehow, stepped back or perhaps to the side, and apparently noticed the plastic piece of the floor. "That's the best idea you have?"

Somebody had to walk into the bathroom at some point, didn't they?

I wondered at the possibility futilely, desperately as the fear spiked my brain with all the force of an aphrodisiac in the bloodstream.

Vanessa absolutely enjoyed the fear and desperation in her victim; it was a drug high for her, like human blood to a vampire. I was reminded of James when he hunted Alice and Bella at different points in time. The thrill, the sheer adoration, of having power had turned both the vampire hunter and the human senior insane. I could find no other explanation for the way Vanessa acted. She was only eighteen, for God's sake! Jealousy, envy, resentment… none of those feelings could turn a person so cruel and dark at such a young age without some kind of insanity to go along with it, no matter how seemingly mild.

When the lock burst open, I barely had the time and wherewithal to bash the door in Vanessa' face as she rushed forward. Grunting angrily in pain as I tried to rush out around her, the blonde recovered with impossible timing and wrenched me back by the arm.

Groaning with the discomfort and worried my arm could be sprained by the force of the action, I tried to pull away from her grip, but failed as her grasp tightened painfully around my upper arm.

Vanessa spat an unsavory title at me, swiping at a little blood on her lip from where the door had smashed into her unholy face.

Shoving with all her might, the blonde knocked me back into the wall with bruising force and sent me tumbling to the ground. My head thumped lightly against the sink as I went down, leaving me momentarily dazed as the dull ache subsided.

In my brief seconds of recovery from the fall, Vanessa had pulled something from her purse and tossed the glittering silver-sequined bag to the ground carelessly.

"You had to get Greg put away, didn't you?" Vanessa continued taunting quietly, her heavy makeup and bitter glare all the more menacing under the sickly lights. "Like you're so much better than the rest of us, all you Cullens. You don't belong here. Ugly little freak!"

A power beyond my control prevented me from speaking, from calling out for help. Fear still… Or perhaps something else, deep under the surface… a deep wondering if those words held true, no matter what the Cullens did to show they cared about me…

Despite my doubts and insecurities coming back to raise Cain in me, I took extraordinary notice as the low yellow light of the bathroom glinted ominously in the silvery sheen of Vanessa's blade.

I couldn't let her do this to me.

Not again.

The knife swung towards my face and I barely ducked out of the way as the metal swung into empty air with a loud _WHOOSH_.

Further angered by my evasion, Vanessa reached out to hold me in place, but I moved again and all she could clutch were the ends of my hair.

That was enough for her, however, and I expelled a groaning cry at the throbbing twinge where hair met root under the demanding grip. Again Vanessa moved to strike with her weapon, and again I somehow evaded the blow aimed at my face, even while clutching at her hard fist with both hands.

Heavy clumps of hair became the cost of my elusion, as well as incidental slices on my clenched hands where they dug into the back of Vanessa's fist.

The cuts burned, but I didn't let go. I couldn't.

Vanessa tussled with me, trying to turn us and make me vulnerable, but I remained stringently attached to her wrist as we half wrestled in front of the stalls, unwittingly moving out of sight of the entrance.

One last blow and I eluded her again, but this time the blade in her hand butchered my hair and separated Vanessa from her grip on me, the blonde stumbling backwards onto the floor with a tangle of my golden-brown hair clutched between her claw-like fingers.

Creaking invaded the cloud of battle enshrouding us, and I held my breath the same as Vanessa did.

"Ray? Are you in here?"

Angela's soft, concerned voice reached me from around the wall dividing stalls from the door. The sound equally terrified me and brought tears to my eyes. Tears nearly fell because I wanted so badly to answer her and get help. I wanted to escape Vanessa's hatred and run straight into one of Carlisle's gentle, comforting hugs.

Yet my tears, along with my terror, spread because I simply _couldn't_ call for Angela's help.

If I called out and Angela came inside the chaos of our battle, Vanessa would hurt her. She would cause pain to that sweet kid who loved her baby brothers with all of her heart and felt happy for the simplest things life could offer.

My throat closed in on me and I made not a sound as the creaking door closed again, slowly sealing me back into the room with the creature across from me.

Vanessa seemed hesitant now, as I looked at her face still turned towards the direction of the entrance.

At some warning shot I couldn't hear, the blonde scrambled to her feet, wrenching her purse off the ground and throwing the knife inside it – a smear of blood still on it. Vanessa gave me one last hateful look before she hurried around the wall and to the door. Now afraid of discovery, the blonde's steps paused at the entrance until she decided it was safe. The creaking of the door sounded off ever so slowly this time while the senior checked for prying eyes to her escape.

In the dead silence left behind, I started at the hiccupping sob that left my throat so loudly.

As wretched, ruined bunches of my golden-brown hair fluttered onto the ground off of my dress, and the blood slipped slowly from my wounded hands, I felt despicably vulnerable and exposed.

For all my talk of defending myself, being strong, not letting anyone trap me… I was a coward. Fear wound so tightly inside of me that I prevented myself from doing the very thing Daniel had been training me to do for the last two months.

After all I had experienced, it seemed the only lesson I had learned was not to freeze in place. I hadn't screamed for help once, nor caught the faintest vestiges of action before it happened, nor even truly defended anything more than my destroyed hair.

What good did self-defense do, if I couldn't apply what I learned to my real world experiences?

When I stood with the nearly-invincible vampires who took me in, I felt so strong. I felt as if I could conquer the fears inside me.

But I was never that strong, never that brave.

Hadn't my parents showed me that? They told me what to do and I did it. Because I was afraid of them. My mother told me to wear the latest fads and the highest heels and I did it. Because I feared her. When I finally 'stood up' to them, it was only to get myself into a school more expensive than I knew how to deal with and studying a program I would almost never get a return on. Even worse, it had left me at odds with my mother when she died. That wasn't strength; it was just pride.

Maybe my parents had been cold, selfish, and cruel, but they had been right about my decisions at college. I had run mindlessly from their control and into a mess of a life that only ended once I somehow appeared in a different world.

Now here I stood in another mess of a life, still letting someone stomp all over me, still allowing my life to be dictated by fear.

Vanessa Travis scared me to death.

With her anger, her rage, the power with which Vanessa fueled her ghastly actions, everything about her intimidated me and frightened me into a world of empty promises. Once I was stronger, I would fight back. Once I was more powerful, I would protect myself. Once I was a million different things that I knew I could never be, I would stop her.

The shallow cuts on my hands thrummed and burned. While I had faced far, far worse at Vanessa's hands, these small symbols of my weakness slapped me in the face.

For the first time in a long while, I felt incredibly useless, stupid, and unappealing.

I had felt plain compared to the supernatural beauty of my vampire friends, certainly, but that was only to be expected under the circumstances. Aesthetically speaking, the Cullens would always be better looking than everyone around them; it was a part of their physiological makeup that no one could change. That wasn't a criticism of my own appearance, but a fact of life I had no trouble facing and accepting.

In that moment, however, sitting on a dirty high school bathroom floor in horrendous, dank yellow lighting, chunks of my wavy hair all over the black-flecked white tiles and crimson stains gradually staining my delicate, once immaculate coral gown, I had never felt like more of a failure.

Nor more perfectly ugly.

* * *


	47. Chapter 45: Invisible

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
The manner in which I handle the attack is not exactly how some might hope, but the reasons are put into the chapter very clearly. Just read carefully. Everything will gets its due time and place, I promise that much.

And grab some tissues? I don't know if this hits quite that hard or not, so just be ready.

**Music in this Chapter:** **  
** _Harp Concerto in G Major: II. Andante_ by Wagenseil

**Song Inspiration:**  
 _Invisible_ by Hunter Hayes

**Previously** – Emmett  & Rosalie helped Mireille with art. Edward cautioned Mireille of complacency. Esme helped Mireille make the banner for Girls' Choice. Everyone wore green on St. Patrick's Day. For safety, Mireille declined getting hair/nails done with the girls. Mireille felt pity for Whitney and Edward regretted not being as kind. Mireille and Edward mingled and Lauren interrupted. Mike/Lauren were revealed as dates, Jessica and Lauren argued, and Lee/Katie were revealed as dates. The sophomore group took funny pictures and Mireille danced with Edward. Jessica, Lauren, and Vanessa squabbled. Mireille and Edward stopped Jessica arguing further and Jessica left upset. Mireille used the bathroom and thought Jessica walked in, but realized it was Vanessa. Vanessa and Mireille fought and Vanessa sheared Mireille's hair. Mireille barely protected herself. Angela looked for Mireille and Mireille stayed silent to protect her. Vanessa ran and Mireille became convinced she was a failure.

> **Chapter 45: Invisible**

It was Rosalie who found me.

Of course it was.

Alice could hardly be expected to leave Jasper after he nearly had an incident. He would feel guilty afterward and she would comfort him, even if nothing happened.

What was I saying? I didn't even know the outcome of that situation. With how much had occurred without a Cullen intervention, clearly Jasper had put up a fight.

How arrogant of me to have thought his problems eliminated because of my suggestion.

Silver stilettos clicked lightly upon the floor, even steps crossing the tile to my position in the corner. I had moved only to curl deeper into the junction of two walls and wallow in my self pity.

"Mireille," Rosalie called to me warily.

I didn't – couldn't – speak. So much dead weight lived inside me now. I wondered briefly if there were any ways I hadn't failed myself that night, but came up as empty as my chest felt.

Those high heels clicked more slowly in a small arc around me, finally coming to a stop between my slumped form and the last stall. If I could have felt and acknowledged shock in that moment, I would have stared with eyes as wide as saucers at what the blonde vampire did next.

Self-centered and vain almost to a fault for most of her life, that proud woman borne of Rochester elite carefully slipped down beside me onto the dirty tiles, heedless of her beautiful, spotless dress or her statuesque posture or her perfect curls. Rosalie pulled me into her arms cautiously but smoothly, tucking my wretched head of hair up under her chin.

Unbearably soft and remarkably kind, Rosalie's voice barely whispered into my eardrums with the consolation of a cool, playful breeze in the summer sun.

"I'm sorry, Mir."

We sat there for what seemed like ages in subsequent silence that filled the room and spilled over into some alien atmosphere of adverse peace. Cold and hard, Rosalie's skin nevertheless reminded me of the protection she could now afford me.

A commotion just outside the bathroom woke us from our unmoving poses, though we didn't move away; I merely buried my face more solidly into Rosalie's stone neck.

Furious footsteps paced along the floor of the bathroom soon after, the sound of high heels surprising. I doubted Alice would be back so soon.

The click-clack of heels halted abruptly near us as someone took in a sharp breath of shock.

"Mir?"

Hearing Esme's sweet, tremulous greeting did little more than the commotion of her heels had done seconds before. The only changes were the tears that started to fall from my eyes in response to that loving voice so filled with hated sadness.

When I failed to respond to her caring appearance in the bathroom, Esme breathed as though in tears and tentatively stepped back towards the door.

I couldn't imagine why she intended to leave, until I heard the gentlest voice of all.

"Honey, it's all right," that familiar tenor whispered, sounding as choked with tearless crying as his dear wife had been.

Hardly filled with even an ounce of willpower, something within made me look away from Rosalie's granite throat and up into the golden face I knew so well.

Carlisle knelt smoothly before us, fingers outstretched to tenderly wipe away the tears silently falling down my cheeks. Behind him, Esme stood waiting with grieving eyes, her hands twisting and turning with each other.

"Come here, sweetheart," Carlisle offered oh-so-kindly, opening his arms to me as Rosalie moved away and he took her place on the tiled floor.

Their transfer of my useless weight was effortless and gentle, encapsulating me in the precise type of embrace I had desperately craved after Angela nearly walked into the situation with Vanessa. Carlisle cradled me like a tiny baby, pulling my bruised body up onto his lap and kissing my head. While Carlisle held me in his strong yet soft hug, Rosalie reached into his bag beside us on the floor and began pulling and placing the supplies to care for my hands.

Esme's attention became divided as someone clearly vied for her attention from outside the bathroom. After a few minutes, the motherly vampire left with an apologetic expression for my blank eyes.

Tendrils of confusion attempted to thread through my emotions, but even as some distant part of me pondered how Carlisle and Esme had shown up or where the others were or whether the school knew yet… Overall, I couldn't draw upon enough energy to care. They were here and that was all I could hope for.

After an unknown period of time in which Carlisle and Rosalie cleaned and cared for my mildly injured hands, Esme returned to the bathroom. Quite a cluster of noise and chatter seeped into the bathroom before the door creaked shut again. This time Esme was followed by the chief of police as she walked towards us.

Charlie Swan looked ready to spit fire and brimstone, so irate was his expression.

"I swear to God," the chief growled impressively for a human being, "when I meet this son of a—"

"Charlie," Esme cut him off warningly, melancholy marring the motherly scolding as she stared at my ruined appearance while I sat with Carlisle.

The police chief caught his tongue before it ran away from him, but the fury didn't abate in the least.

"We're all blocked off and I have Mark out there scouring the hallway," Charlie said instead, a very different phrase from what he wanted to say underneath it all. "I don't have any good feelings about finding something, but I'm going to do whatever I can."

"Thank you," Esme replied sadly.

"This school's got a lot to answer for," Charlie insisted angrily, hands curled around his hips.

No one argued with his assessment, but then they didn't have to.

"Chief Swan," Rosalie spoke suddenly, drawing even my blank gaze to her suddenly interested tone.

"Yeah?" Charlie turned to the blonde.

"There's a lipstick tube on that side of the room."

Given we were in a girls' bathroom, it didn't seem like all that stunning of a discovery, but Charlie appeared fairly excited by the prospect.

"Good eye, Rosalie," Charlie complimented her, pulling out a pair of latex gloves and a baggie from his jacket pocket. As he made his way back across the floor to us, the chief stopped in front of the stall I had been trapped in.

"Was this always broken?" he asked, and I guessed he saw the toilet paper canister's broken state.

"No," Rosalie answered with certainty.

"Mireille," Charlie sighed deeply, upset with himself for what he needed to do as he squatted by Carlisle's side. "I know you're feeling terrible right now, but can you tell me anything about what happened?"

While the horrible truth floated in my mind, trying so hard to escape and incriminate Vanessa, I knew there was no evidence to back me up right now. She would just run free again and for my attempts she would hurt someone else like Angela, Katie, Jessica, even one of the boys. I couldn't put them in harm's way like that.

Shaking my head marginally from side to side, I lied straight to the chief's face, "Never saw them."

"Did you notice anything at all?" Charlie pressed concernedly. "You know I'm on your side, kiddo. Just tell me what happened."

Carlisle and Esme said nothing to encourage my speech, allowing me to understand I was making the right choice to be silent. Whatever Alice or Edward had seen or experienced with their abilities, it wasn't good and it wasn't going to be a victory for us. Somehow, if we fought this right then and there, Vanessa would win.

"Just a blur," I murmured, looking away and ducking my head into Carlisle' neck. "I didn't see them."

Exhaling roughly, Charlie let the subject go for the time being.

"Let me know if you change your mind," he informed both me and my guardians, standing again.

Almost everything that happened afterward truly _was_ a blur to me. Carlisle finished caring for any tiny injuries he could patch up without a more thorough evaluation. Then he and Esme talked with Charlie and Mark, and the school administration who were in attendance at the dance. All the while they talked, Rosalie sat with me again and held me reassuringly tight to her chest.

Finally Mark allowed us to leave the bathroom. I did my level best to ignore the flutters of hair that fell from my dress as I stood up.

I hadn't taken more than two steps when Carlisle came back and immediately lifted me into his arms.

On the way out of the bathroom and down the hall, we all watched Charlie grow increasingly agitated with the principal and three other teaches I didn't know.

"No security checks at the doors, no chaperones in the halls, no decent lights _anywhere_ , no cameras…" Charlie spread his arms and turned in an arc to encompass the entire hallway, the man now far beyond any level of reasonable patience with the school administration.

Smacking his hands back down against his sides in relentless agitation, Charlie turned back to the staff with a hard expression that made them all wince.

"What were you waiting for?" he demanded in disbelief.

"We've never had a problem like this before," Mr. Green dared to say. He looked sympathetic to my situation, but he didn't want to get in trouble, either.

"So?" Charlie barked at the man. "You should have had safe measures in place. You should have made sure your students have some kind of protection, or at least a backup if something _did_ happen. Now this poor kid can't even fight whoever did this because there's no evidence anywhere. If you'd had a camera in the hall, we could have easily found out who went in the bathroom at the time Mireille was attacked."

Mr. Green had no response to the logic presented, swallowing hard.

"Do you even have any cameras at all?" Charlie inquired sarcastically.

The expression on the four teachers' faces said it all.

"You'd better put cameras in this school," Charlie demanded of them. "You have money in the budget for it?"

"Well, we can rearrange the funding," one of the other teachers stammered slightly, but it sounded as though that would be a strain on finances.

"We'll pay for it," Esme stepped in, the reason for this generosity all too evident as Carlisle held me close. "Whatever the cost. We don't care."

Fumbling with words for a long moment, Mr. Green stopped at a stern look from Charlie and accepted the offer simply, "Thank you."

"We're not doing it for your finances," Carlisle reproached the principal firmly. "We're doing it to make certain these students have the ability to fight aggression without worrying about a lack of evidence to back them up. We won't have anyone else suffer that consequence because of carelessness."

Having said his piece, the doctor stalked past the staff with a cold demeanor and carried me out into the night air.

Esme and Rosalie followed quickly, the former jogging to reach her husband's side. The sweet vampire patted down my hair with all due gentility as we walked. Cringing at the sensation of those short strands as they moved against my neck, I turned away from even that soft touch and Esme's tender patting stopped.

When we reached the car in the parking lot out front, only one other vampire waited for us.

Edward stood motionless as a statue beside the Mercedes, fists clenched and his eyes mournful.

He looked as dead as I felt.

Even as the thought crossed my mind, Edward closed his eyes tightly shut against that matter-of-fact statement.

"Jasper will be as terrible about this as I was about November," Edward said painfully.

"We'll reach out to him as we did with you," Esme assured her eldest.

"Somehow, we'll move forward again," Carlisle murmured sadly,

How we could move forward when so much had been broken, I didn't understand, but I kept quiet as the doctor helped me into the backseat. Rosalie joined me on the other side of the car, pulling the belt over me and tucking me against her side.

"Edward, will you drive Mireille's car?" Carlisle asked of his son.

"Of course," Edward nodded, swallowing against emotion I couldn't fathom as he turned away. Everyone's minds must have been such a disaster for him to have to listen to, not least of all his own.

Carlisle slipped in the driver's seat with a heavy sigh, sitting a moment to steel himself against what was to come in our world now. Esme reached over to grasp her husband's hand in a tight squeeze of consolation and mutual weariness. Accepting the grip with a squeeze of his own, Carlisle finally turned the key and took us to the house.

Eschewing human company as we were now able, Rosalie didn't wait for her parents, but carried me inside the house herself. Within seconds the blonde settled us up on the leather sofa in Carlisle's office, removing my shoes, jewelry, and what few hair pins remained in the wreck Vanessa had left me with. Following up by removing her own jewelry, Rosalie waited until Carlisle and Esme appeared in the room before she left to change out of her yellow gown.

By the time Carlisle satisfied himself that I faced no more grievous physical injury than my hands, my hair, and extraneous bruises and bumps, Esme had retrieved something comfortable for me to change into and carted off my blood-stained dress.

Rosalie and Edward both entered the room with solemn expressions. This change in venue from our normal discussions in the dining and living areas made a definite mark in my mind, but I let it float away like so much dust and returned to my listless state.

Unsurprisingly, Carlisle took the initiative of breaking the silence between us all. "Where's Emmett?"

"The Volvo," Rosalie answered simply.

"And how is Jasper?" Esme asked.

More attuned to this question than any of the gentle words that had passed between Esme and Carlisle while they cared for me, I twisted but barely to face the vampires around my position.

"Defeated," Edward murmured gravely, eyes riveted to the view outside Carlisle's high, West-facing windows.

"It was all right at first," Rosalie explained further, standing with arms crossed beside her bronze-headed brother. "Once the girl slipped and injured herself, we all started to head outside just to be extra cautious. We were in different places in the gym at the time, so we went separate directions to reach the outside."

"Jasper actually started to leave the gym under his own power when Alice met up with him," Edward added; I detected a hint of pride in his tone.

"Emmett and I were waiting when they left the side door," Rosalie picked up the tale again. "Jasper was fine as she pulled him into the trees, but when he walked nearer to us, something overcame him. He just went wild all of a sudden…"

"Instinct overcame him and he felt threatened," Carlisle deduced, sighing slightly.

From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Edward fidgeting awkwardly, but by the time I refocused on him, the bronze-haired vampire looked completely normal. Deciding I was still edgy and not thinking straight, I let it go.

"It took every one of us to keep him subdued," Edward admitted with grim honesty, shaking his head as if exhausted. "Running on sheer instinct as he was, neither mine nor Alice's gift was all that helpful. Eventually Alice brought him back, but it was almost impossible for a few minutes. They went for a run after that."

"Does Jasper know…?" Carlisle inquired tentatively, leaving the thought unfinished.

"Alice hasn't told him yet," Edward confessed gravely, and I suddenly understood what Carlisle was asking.

"Will they come back tonight?" Esme wondered resignedly, the answer already plain in her voice.

"No," Edward replied quietly.

Sound ceased in the room, save our breathing, until Carlisle's phone began to ring.

"Dr. Cullen," the doctor answered, listening for a few moments as someone spoke. A hefty sigh left Carlisle's lips after a bit. "I understand… No, thank you. I know you did what you could… Have a good night, Charlie."

"What was that last part?" Emmett's big voice, even subdued as it was, startled me but barely in the quiet of the room as Carlisle hung up. "Sorry, Mir… I shut the door at the wrong moment, what did Charlie say?"

"Charlie found out who the lipstick tube belonged to," Rosalie explained sourly.

"So whose is it?" Emmett frowned at his wife's tone.

"The girl who damaged her hands on the bleachers," Carlisle clarified, the slow and jaunting lilt to his words exceptionally sarcastic compared to his usual personality.

"I should have known we couldn't have any proof of Vanessa," Rosalie hissed slightly, stalking over to the windows and staring out over the nearby trees.

"Come on, sweetie," Esme spoke to me in the ensuing pause, guiding me out of the office and up to bed.

Lying under the covers with all my aches, pains, fears, failures, and worries bombarding my brain, I wondered how I would ever fall asleep.

A blur rushed past my blank gaze and within moments classical music sounded throughout the room. As the slow, romanticized, ethereal notes of a harp danced across the air, Edward appeared at the foot of the bed.

"I hope you don't mind a change," he commented, clearing his throat a little awkwardly. "Wagenseil's harp concerto seemed like a very relaxing piece of music to put on."

While I could see there was something he wasn't telling me, I couldn't muster enough energy to bother questioning him about it and merely turned back into the cool fabric of my pillowcase. Edward's sigh was the last thing I heard before I fell into a fitful sleep quite some time later.

Never truly resting nor fully conscious, I found my attempts at sleep positively atrocious once I woke in the early hours of the morning.

While the last vestiges of restless sleep tried to clear from my mind, I moved habitually to push the mass of hair back off my neck.

Panicking as my hand met with mere spindles of once-lush hair, I tried to sit up and understand what was wrong. In a blaze of air, Edward settled before me on the bed, hovering around my anxious fingers as I kept patting around my neck and shoulders with hitching breaths.

"Mireille, stop, stop," the seventeen-year-old gently reproved my alarming movements, finally catching my fluttering hands in his cold grasp to hold them between us. Pulling me forward and leaning down just enough to catch my overwrought eyes, Edward spoke even more softly, apologetic for reasons I couldn't comprehend, "Think, Mireille. Remember what happened… It's all right now. You're all right now."

With Edward's calming mantra repeating over and over, my thoughts found a semblance of placid recollection and I began to think back on the previous night with far too much clarity for my liking. The well-nigh serene state of mind lasted mere minutes, invaded and eclipsed by those things my mind had not wanted to remember.

Girls' Choice Dance, the fight between Jessica and Lauren, taking silly pictures with the other sophomores, dancing with Edward, Jessica running off in tears, Alice's vision, Jasper's difficulty, the bathroom, Vanessa, my hands, my hair…

_My hair._

Detestable memory settled heavy and dark over my consciousness. My golden-brown hair was in ruins. Wrenched from me with a blade that had likely been shoved in my back months earlier.

Edward winced, but I didn't know how to stop my mind now that he had opened it to me once again.

Slowly reaching up to feel whatever was left of my hair, I felt as though I had lost a part of myself for all of time. Perhaps that was sententious of me, but I couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling from shoving a blade of grief into my insides.

"I'm so sorry," Edward breathed, features twisting with grief to match that which churned inside me.

Mindless, speechless, in the face of everything I failed to prevent, I made no reply. Edward opened his mouth to speak, but nothing left his lips and he closed his mouth without a word. Uncounted minutes passed as we sat there, Edward continuing to keep my hands ensconced within his long fingers and my thoughts running miles into uncharted emptiness.

In the bleakness of the moment, Esme's warmth paled slightly as she entered the room and reached out – as she always did – to brush back a piece of my hair with the intention only of comforting me.

So violently did I flinch that Esme jumped in response. Edward's face turned even grimmer than it had been the night before, but he did what he could to ease my tender anxieties.

"It's all right, Mireille," he repeated his earlier mantra, soothing and easy with my skittish actions. "Esme just wanted to make sure you were all right."

Nothing but silence greeted his recommendation and I remained hunched slightly against an incoming touch that never fell.

"I… just… made breakfast for you," Esme slowly and haltingly suggested, kindness and grief merging together in her golden eyes. "I made oatmeal. Just something simple. Okay?"

"You need to eat," Edward pressed just as soothingly, sleekly pulling me up to my knees and then off the side of the bed with one arm. "Come downstairs with me, all right?"

Refraining from speech, I nevertheless allowed that familiar arm – the one that so often stretched across my back at the piano bench – to lead me out of the room and down the spiral staircase. No one sat on the main level anywhere that I could see with my roving, nervous eyes.

"Carlisle is talking with Charlie at the police station," Edward explained. "Alice and Jasper haven't returned yet, Rosalie and Emmett are on a short hunt, and Esme's laying out an outfit for you right now. But you just worry about eating, all right?"

Food hardly appealed to my unsettled mind, but my stomach growled and Edward encouraged me with more easy assurances that it was what I needed, his chilled arm neither caging me nor freeing me, but merely waiting for me.

Although my hands weren't wrapped up to the point of uselessness, it was a little difficult to use the spoon all the same. When I could eat no more, Edward pushed the bowl away and led me back upstairs.

"Would you like to change?" he asked kindly at the second landing, but I had no answer for him either verbally or mentally.

Silent over the mindlessness, Edward nonetheless took me back to the third floor. Rather than take the clothing laid out on the bed, I climbed back on top of the covers, knees drawn up and arms wrapped around them like a shield.

Edward breathed in once, prepared to speak, but the words died on his tongue and he disappeared from my side. The only reason I knew he hadn't left was the sound of harp music floating in from the alcove. Soon afterward he came back to sit beside me in absolute stillness and silence, only deigning to grasp one of my hands in his pianist fingers as time wore on.

Sitting in the quiet atmosphere in something I guessed to be pajamas, with a mind full of nothing, I didn't know what to do. I didn't even bother to think about it. Not until Esme returned to the room an undetermined amount of time later, hands wringing together.

"Mireille," she tried greeting me, but still I said nothing. "Sweetheart… please talk to us?"

Edward shook his head almost inconspicuously and Esme sighed sadly before she left once again.

My next visitor was Carlisle. Not wearing his white coat or dress shirt, but casual clothes, the doctor had clearly not been in to work that day.

"I'm glad to see you up," Carlisle greeted me as though nothing was wrong, coming to sit beside me as Edward did. Contrary to his son, the golden-haired vampire reached out easily and surely to pull me under his arm. Head leaning gently against his chest, I felt only slightly more relaxed than a moment before.

"I spoke with Charlie just now," Carlisle continued calmly, rubbing my arm solicitously as he talked, "I'm afraid he didn't find anything in his investigation that identified your attacker."

Stirring only barely at the shivery sensation in my chest, I failed to reply.

"The school will have cameras installed within the next few weeks," Carlisle went on heedlessly, almost conversational in tone. "We chose the brand and style at the station. Right now, Charlie is working with the school board to plan out where the cameras will be placed. He's making certain the installation covers the entire campus."

Seeing all too clearly how little his words affected me, Carlisle sighed a tiny, careworn sigh and finally came to the most direct point I had heard that day.

"Mireille, please forgive me for what I'm about to say," the blond-haired vampire began again. The last time he had sounded so undeniably apologetic, we had been riding in an ambulance with Carlisle caring for my damaged body as we headed to Forks General. Suitably tense as to what might come next, I was not let down by my instincts when Carlisle suggested, "You'll be in want of a haircut before Monday, don't you think?"

Like a shot from a gun, one hand moved from a position wrapped around my knees to clutching at the few remaining chunks of longer hair that fell across my left shoulder.

A far heavier sigh escaped Carlisle and he added dolefully, "I know you're still frightened and having your hair forcibly shorn from you is a dreadful memory to live with… but you'll be pained twice as much if you constantly feel that jagged reminder of what Vanessa Travis did to you."

Still clenching the strands in my left fist, I ignored the very idea of anything sharp so near to my hair again.

An exchange of sorts must have been relayed in high-speed whispers over my head as I ducked down with a hand clasped to my shredded hair. After a few moments, Carlisle breathed deep and exhaled sharply, squeezing my shoulders in comfort one more time before he left my side and the room.

Still Edward remained, holding my free hand where it settled on my right knee.

One last time, a visitor entered my room. One last time, a Cullen tried to put reason in my head.

"Mir," Rosalie called softly to me, her voice mixed of knowing history and pity. "Would you like me to trim your hair up for you?"

Again I clutched the ragged brown ends in my hand.

"It's very rough and strange now, I understand," the beautiful vampire spoke further, patient and gentle in a way I'd never known from her. Ever so slowly, Rosalie stepped forward to the bed. Not in a rush, nor hesitating, nor abrupt and terrifying, but steady and easy. "You don't want Vanessa to know she's hit you so hard. With the investigation still open and the school installing cameras, Vanessa will feel threatened and step back in fear of being caught. If you let her know how much she's invaded your confidence, however… she'll only be emboldened to do more in spite of her shrinking territory."

Reasoning beyond my expectations surprised me. How true that Vanessa would feel empowered by my weakness and failure…

"Let me repair what I can," Rosalie continued kindly. "I've learned well how to care for hair like yours. We seem to have had very similar textures as humans, I think. You know the respect I would afford it. I'll run a bath for you first and you can wash your hair. It'll be relaxing after all this chaos."

Now standing directly beside the bed and my position on it, Rosalie very tenderly reached out and swept a small piece of hair out of my eyes.

I didn't even flinch.

With Rosalie's gentle smiles and careful fingers, I let her lead me down to the second floor and into the vivid red and terracotta room I had only admired from the doorway.

Struggling still to even care about my surroundings beyond the closest pair of hands, I didn't notice much more on this second trip to Emmett and Rosalie's room than I had the first. Even so lost, it was by no means difficult to miss the great gilt standing mirror in the far corner or the traditional carved hope chest at the foot of the glamorous red-clothed bed. Grander still, behind the bed stood a wall-size chinoiserie screen in deep red and bold terracotta with gold painted images of Chinese pagodas, plants, and animals.

Rosalie led me past all of this and into her bathroom, the expansive space white and red and glamorous as expected, with an extensive vanity counter in white marble atop black cabinetry and topped with gold framed mirrors the entire length of the wall. As enormous as everything else in the Cullen house, Emmett and Rosalie's vast glass shower and overlarge white soaking tub both boasted blindingly red and terracotta colored tiling on the back wall.

It was to the soaking tub Rosalie led me first, guiding me to sit on a gold and white stool nearby while she arranged the temperature and allowed warm water to begin filling the white porcelain. Bath bombs quickly started to permeate my nose with the fragrance of roses and honeysuckle. Before leaving the room, Rosalie reminded me to take care with my bandaged hands, and made certain I knew where she had placed the bath towels I was to use.

Haltingly I forced myself to undress and step into the perfectly attuned water. Slipping beneath the lightly whitened water amid rose and honeysuckle petals, I closed my eyes and tried not to think about my hair or unfriendly hands or silver blades. Until Rosalie came to help me wash my hair, I simply breathed in and out.

In the aftermath, I wondered how in the world I had made it through the trauma of having my hair cut again. Rosalie was gentle and careful as she combed through the damage and worked out the shortest sections of hair. At first, I tendered the same numb persona of before, but once she began the arduous task of reforming something of a shape, silent tears slipped out at every fallen piece. Despite the emotions running rampant through me, Rosalie didn't stop, instead ensuring the tears had as little time as possible to fester.

When it was all over and Rosalie comfortingly encouraged me to look in the mirror, I barely recognized my strange reflection.

No one in the house commented on my new look; they were probably afraid I would burst into tears at the slightest mention. Considering my reaction to the falling strands, I doubted the family was that far off.

Alice and Jasper returned shortly after Rosalie and Edward walked me back downstairs. Intangible differences seemed to have formed in their relationship since I last saw them at the dance, but I had no focus with which to determine the reasons.

It took every ounce of willpower I had left to attend school the very next morning. While everyone assured me I had a plethora of reasons to call in sick, as it were, I refused. As Rosalie had said, any seeming weakness and Vanessa would feel empowered by it.

Stares followed me everywhere I went at the high school, especially from my sophomore circle. Lee and Katie's startled expressions in the parking lot, Jessica's wide eyes papered with whatever rumors she had heard, Mike's shock and Lauren's self-satisfaction in gym, Ben and Tyler's wary curiosity in Spanish, and Angela's sorrowful suspicion every time I saw her. Even teachers watched me with eyes full of concern prompted by Charlie's disdain, the school board's worries, and the staff's own consciences.

Our Dance Committee meeting on Wednesday was another event entirely. I sat silent and dull from beginning to end, something I'd perfected in the three preceding days and a development in my persona I came to despise. Why I had even gone to the meeting escaped me completely, but it was the single most awkward event I'd experienced in months.

Whispers floated around me everywhere I went, rumors like dust motes fluttering to settle on the nearest available surface. Eyes constantly latched unceremoniously onto the one unexpected change in my appearance.

All my life, I had worn long curling tresses to the middle of my back – a look my mother had once adored for professional photos.

My hair now fell in stunted waves just beneath my chin. Not even enough length remained for a tiny ponytail. Rosalie had done all she could for the mess left behind, and the short bob did look nicely cut and styled, but it was simply not my hair.

Only Rosalie and Carlisle had dared to touch my hair since the incident.

'The incident'… I scoffed in my head at the foolish, cowardly term I had begun to use whenever I thought of that night in the school bathroom. Another development about myself I had grown to despise over the past few days.

Aside from Rosalie and Carlisle, only Edward had yet laid his hands near my shoulders without a panic attack. His gentle gesture had been one of comfort and caution, holding me by the shoulders to prevent injury after I woke up in a cold sweat. Yellow lights, orange claws, and cold metal chased me out of my dreams and into my nightmares every time I closed my eyes for more than a few hours.

Even sweet-hearted Esme couldn't lay her hands near my neck without a racing heartbeat and hitching breaths clouding all rational thought.

Poor Alice… As much as she had helped me with dressing, showering, makeup, and hairstyles since I'd come into the Cullens' lives, even she had swiftly adapted to keeping her arms very low when reaching out to me. For that matter, she hardly bothered to reach for me at all anymore. If my hands stayed well below my shoulders, occasionally Alice held my hand in consolation.

Endless consolation and sympathy. These were the Cullens' purview as I continued numbly and senselessly back into the routine of school. Self-defense no longer took up part of my day, as I had given no sign of attending any further. Edward tried to reason with me, tried to convince me I needed more practice and instruction… but what was the point? I hadn't learned anything so far. Why keep working at something I would never achieve?

Carlisle had already called Daniel that Monday after the Girls' Choice Dance, anyway.

So he told me, at least, for I hadn't bothered to pay attention to anything beyond my paper thin shell of existence. For all the involvement I had been so terrified of enacting, I now felt utterly invisible and I was beginning to feel safer that way.

There were only three things Carlisle offered of his discussion with my defense instructor. First, that he asked Daniel to postpone my defense lessons for a time and Daniel had agreed. Second, a wish from Daniel that I find better days ahead. And third, a hope that I take good care of myself until I returned to our lessons. One and a half weeks afterward, the Cullens finally believed me when I said I wasn't going back.

Eleven days since the 'incident' occurred, I still felt numb. Time had seemed to pass at the beat of a funeral dirge, so solidly routine were my days, but it was safe that way. No one I knew would get hurt that way. I wouldn't have to go beyond the protection of the Cullens' presence. I wouldn't have to fail again.

Everyone still stared and whispered; people still watched my every move. Even the Cullens had joined in the staring game, each of them wondering which moment would be the one where I cracked. The pressure started to get under my skin after so many days, particularly with the family I faced almost every hour. As I headed into gym class with Emmett, whose facial expressions had ceased to include a smile in recent days, I felt that pressure more clearly than ever.

Seeing Lauren Mallory's smug features in the locker room didn't help anything, the corn silk blonde swiping her long, perfectly in-tact hair far more than I had ever seen her do before. As our group headed out of the locker room, Lauren couldn't seem to keep her mouth from running.

"Thank God I've never cut my hair," Lauren remarked overly loudly to one of her friends, a light, fake laugh escaping her. "I'd hate to _chop_ it off. Some people actually think that's a style. Can you imagine? I think I'd rather chop off my _hand_."

The cutting remarks hit me right to the core, my formerly bandaged hands tingling with the shallow slices of Vanessa's knife, even though they had already healed. Recalling all too easily the emotional trauma I had suffered for the 'style' of hair Lauren sarcastically criticized, something inside me finally crumpled like a wad a paper.

Repressing a sob with lackluster efforts, I covered my mouth in mortification as every girl around me turned to stare with no shame whatsoever. Humiliated in the face of Lauren's disgusted expression, I forgot about everything and ran to the exit, trying to suppress obnoxious tears as I went.

Coach Clapp's concerned voice followed me out into the hallway as the man gave Emmett permission to run after me and make sure I was okay.

I was decidedly _not_ okay. I didn't know if I would ever be okay again. Doubts and fears boiled up inside, roaring at me to run from the memories haunting me and the weakness I would never be able to dispel.

" _What_ are you doing?" Emmett asked me incredulously when he finally caught up with me at a human pace, the big vampire working hard to keep his words from any ears that might be close by. "Are you trying to give Vanessa a free pass? Why would you run off like that?"

"I wouldn't have run off if everyone wasn't putting so much pressure on me!" I half-shouted at the burly vampire, eyes suddenly as wide as the scope of my agitation. "Everyone's always, _always_ watching me. All of _you_ are always watching me… It's like I'm some kind of bomb waiting to go off!"

"Of course we've been watching you!" Emmett replied furiously, that booming voice restrained only by sheer strength of will. "You've been dead inside ever since what happened! We're _worried_ about you! We _care_ about you! When are you going to get that through your head?"

His care and concern cut through the anger with smooth strides, bringing on another bout of tears I was now able to let fall. The numbness had abandoned me to angst and pain.

Emmett exhaled regretfully as the crying began in earnest, reaching out to grab my elbows and pull me into a hug.

"It's going to be okay," the tallest Cullen sighed. That big voice had turned so small and gentle it made me cry harder. "Not right now. I don't even know when, but it'll get there. Things don't stay bad forever."

As much as I wanted to believe Emmett, there was so little to convince me of what he claimed. Cynicism settled hard into my bones, a result of so much persecution and fear I could taste it on my tongue.

As if I hadn't faced enough rumors already, my actions in gym class spread like wildfire throughout my classmates, thanks to Lauren's gossip. In Spanish, Ben dared to ask if I was okay, but Jasper was kind enough to field the question for me.

My relationship with Jasper had undergone a distinct change the same as everything else in my shrinking world. We no longer played chess or discussed books and history. Jasper had ceased even talking beyond simple greetings or the most basic daily comments necessary to keep moving through class. After his difficulties during the dance and the subsequent chain of events, I thought I knew why, but it made it no easier to stomach another irreparable difference in our lives.

Angela's eyes followed me at lunch and in our last two classes, forever wondering about Vanessa and if she had a real part in what happened.

Relief, a foreign sensation in the chaos our world had become, bled into my veins as Edward walked me to the Acura after another lackluster prom committee meeting. At least we were away from the high school, although in exchange for being back at the house, I would be bombarded by worries from the vampires I lived with and expectations of a recovery I wasn't prepared for.

While I had broken the emotional dam, I was by no means fixed. I continued to wince every time someone hinted at reaching above my shoulders; Emmett had turned the exception with his hug and Esme had been able to brush my shoulder in comfort when I returned from school with Edward. Yet there were still so many other things wrong – none of which I had experience or inclination to attempt repairing.

Nothing truly interested me anymore. Even on the first of April, when Emmett and Alice looked completely devious and sinful at the lunch table, I found no intrigue stirring in my mind and no energy to find out whatever they had done wrong. Lauren's screeching drew my head up out of wariness and the sight of her corn silk hair turned green only made her look strange. I felt indifference rather than the amusement the biggest and smallest of the Cullens had clearly been aiming for.

With one day left before spring break, I half-heartedly prepared for the onslaught of care, concern, and attempts to pull me back into life that the Cullens would undoubtedly produce over the nine days off from school.

Surprise caught me truly off guard when Carlisle approached me that night at my desk, doing homework in a now-characteristic mindlessness.

"Mireille," the doctor spoke kindly, consistently subdued after how I had given up on most of the world. Cool fingers squeezed my shoulder with gentle solace. "Would you be opposed to Esme packing you a few bags while you're at school tomorrow?"

Freezing over the strange inquiry, I turned to look up at Carlisle with an uncomfortable fear niggling at the back of my mind. Truly Vanessa Travis had undone me if I could believe such a thing of Carlisle Cullen, but the fear would not leave me.

Blue and gold met and held for one long, horrible minute before realization sunk in for the blond-haired vampire.

"Oh, sweetheart, no," Carlisle whispered, eyes growing softer and sadder than ever. "We would never commit you to the care of a hospital or any other facility, not in any capacity. Not for any kind of state you might be in. We all love you too much to ever do something so heartless and cruel."

Choking on sudden tears, I gripped him around the middle with a surge of guilt. "I'm sorry. I didn't—"

But what I didn't, we never found out. Carlisle picked me up into a fierce hug the likes of which would have made me smile before everything changed. The doctor's gentle hand held my head against his shoulder, the gesture more sweetly fathering than I had ever expected to know in my life.

"We're spending spring break in Alaska with Tanya's coven," Carlisle explained, just as strongly choked up as I was. "Esme was going to pack for you so we could leave directly after school."

So relieving was Carlisle's answer, and so clearly and decisively true, that I cried a little harder against his shirt for having thought so ill of the situation when he first presented it.

"It's all right," Carlisle assured me in a quiet tone, rubbing my back warmly. "We know you better than that. And we'll help you through this. I promise."

* * *


	48. Chapter 46: Imprisoned

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
Alaskan weather is apparently just as confusing as the weather man, never quite sure what it wants. From what I've read, it can cover vastly different elements and temperature ranges all in the same day.

The story is going to get worse before it gets better, and Mireille isn't the only one with terrible issues to face up to, so buckle in for another rough chapter. We're getting there, friends, don't lose heart!

**Song Inspiration:**  
 _Heavy_ by Linkin Park ft. Kiiara (Perfect song for this chapter. _No_ joke.)

**Previously** – Rosalie found Mireille in the bathroom. Carlisle and Esme came to the school and Carlisle comforted Mireille. Charlie investigated and Esme offered to pay for security cameras at the school. At the house, Carlisle checked Mireille for injury and Esme helped her to bed. Edward played Wagenseil instead of Beethoven and Mireille slept badly all night. Mireille woke and panicked about her damaged hair. Edward eased Mireille. Esme tried to comfort her by touching her hair, and Mireille flinched away. Carlisle tried to revive Mireille and suggested a haircut to no effect. Rosalie convinced Mireille to get her hair cut. Rosalie cut Mireille's hair. Mireille couldn't bear to be touched above the shoulders anymore. Mireille returned to school, but not self-defense. Everyone stared and whispered about Mireille and she was numb until Lauren goaded her in gym. Mireille finally broke down and Emmett comforted her. Carlisle informed Mireille they would spend spring break in Denali.

> **Chapter 46: Imprisoned**

Gray roads, tall evergreen trees, and wet gray-colored snow along the highway flew away behind the Mercedes as Carlisle made the drive to the Denali coven's home up in the hills.

Carlisle, Esme, and I had met with Edward and Alice after a four hour flight from Seattle to Anchorage. The gifted brother and sister had taken the Mercedes, driving who-knew-how-fast to get the car up to Anchorage before our flight landed. Considering the typical speeds I had seen them both drive for casual trips, I felt no surprise whatsoever that they arrived early to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

Rosalie and Emmett drove the Volvo and the jeep, respectively, up to the airport as well. Once Rosalie handed the Volvo's keys over to Edward, the blonde joined Emmett in the jeep and they made their way straight on to Denali without waiting for our flight. I might have thought they intended to explain recent events before we arrived, but that seemed more something Carlisle and Esme would be doing.

Briefly I wondered why Edward hadn't just driven the Volvo himself, but the thought didn't last long. With Alice sitting so melancholic beside me in the back seat of the Mercedes, I had the feeling Edward's choice had been strictly for his sister's sake.

Barely had Carlisle and Edward settled our luggage in the Mercedes than did Jasper walk away from us. Giving Alice the barest of looks from beneath honey-blond fringe, Jasper rode off alone on his green Ducati. Alice must have known it was coming, but that didn't stop her from looking disappointed.

Depressed by yet another negative change, I sighed as the scenery continued flying past.

"It'll get better," Alice addressed me quietly. Her hand grasped mine before I even fully turned to face the tiny woman. Those dark eyes became two worlds full of hurt, but knowingness also lay beneath the pain.

"I hope so," I replied simply, speaking purely for her situation with Jasper. My own circumstances were never going to change until Vanessa was gone from Forks. So I hoped she would be, at least.

Alice said no more, holding my hand as much to support herself as to support me while Carlisle drove on.

Whatever I expected from the Denali coven's home, it was defeated by the unusual place laid before us in the middle of the mountains. With a curved off-center entry, unique angles, and rich, warm wood mixed with stone, the house stood out as its own personality. While not as enchantingly lovely as the Cullens' home in Forks, this structure depicted a warm welcome nonetheless.

"Carlisle, Esme, Mireille, Alice," Tanya greeted us all with the same warmth as debuted in the house behind her. "I'm so glad to see all of you."

Her smile was true and cheerful, genuinely happy to see us all. The blonde immediately embraced the three vampires in turn, leaving me the last in her range. My shoulders tensed against touch, but Tanya only grasped my forearms warmly.

"Ah, you're hair is so sweet and playful now," Tanya remarked in surprise as she looked more closely at the wavy cut Rosalie styled for me. In retrospect, the short style reminded me strongly of the finger-wave bobs of the 1930s, styles Rosalie clearly had never forgotten.

"Are the others already here?" Esme asked, saving me from saying thank you for a style I had neither planned nor wanted to have, no matter how nice it looked.

"Yes, they are all unpacking," Tanya replied pleasantly at first, then frowning slightly as a thought hit her. "Well, except for Jasper. His clothing is in the Mercedes, he said?"

"Both of our clothing is in the Mercedes," Alice explained tightly, eyes turning too melancholy to look at.

"I see," was Tanya's short comment. Keen and clever, the short blonde's eyes turned a sharp look towards the house.

"Leave it," Alice commanded formidably of the other woman, dark orbs suddenly sharp and vicious. Clearly Tanya had already chosen a 'side' in the situation between mates. "It's _not_ your affair."

Lips pursed in consideration, Tanya finally nodded and left the subject alone. To the side of our awkward trio, Carlisle and Esme waited with tension lining their bodies head to toe.

"Come on, Mir, I'll help you get settled," Alice offered without really asking, but I wasn't planning on denying her. If she needed something to do rather than settle in a room with Jasper while he behaved so oddly, I could give her that.

"Okay," I agreed and followed the black-haired vampire to the trunk, where we grabbed only specific, essential bags to take into the house.

Much of the Denalis' large home reminded me of a lodge; it looked warm and masculine with small touches of sleek yet strong feminine taste to offset the manliness. All deep, richly colored furniture and bold warmth in small batches, the home continued to welcome me in as Alice led me expertly upstairs without encountering anyone else.

Uncertain where my room would be or why it had been chosen as mine for our week-long stay, I wandered carefully behind the small vampire until we reached said room.

There was little difference between my room and the rest of the house, a consistently rich color scheme and heavy, warm covers everywhere, but the large windows opened freely unto the landscape. Edward joined us in the space after Alice helped me unpack, the bronze-haired vampire lugging a much smaller version of his stereo system and settling it lightly onto a side table across the room. A smile nearly crossed my features at the gesture, but it never quite made it.

Sorrow filled Edward's eyes as he took in my continuing lethargy and Alice's despondency.

"I wish I could take it all away from you both," Edward confessed, voice a mere murmur of breath.

Breathing in sharply, Alice fought internally for a long moment. Eventually, she gave up and gripped her brother in a tight hug. Long arms wrapped around the tiny woman, Edward holding her with all the love a brother could feel for his beloved sister.

"You know how to find me," Edward half-smiled, tapping his temple for emphasis as Alice pulled away.

Offering a sad little smile of her own, Alice kissed her brother's cheek and left us alone.

"Why does everything have to go so wrong?" I asked no one in particular, the most words I had spoken in days turning impossibly bitter.

"I wish I knew," Edward sighed, taking a seat on the bed in exhaustion unrelated to physical weariness.

Whatever happened to those days after reading the books, when all we worried about was how long we were going wait for Bella Swan to arrive in Forks?

Rude snorting interrupted my mental considerations quite abruptly, bringing my face around to Edward beside me.

Actually smiling, however sarcastically, Edward reminded me wryly, "You do recall the disagreements and fights and ridiculous fears we've all been dealing with since reading those books, don't you?"

Surprised that Edward found those problems amusing, especially after the insane guilt trip he had given himself in November, I blinked away disbelief and replied more contemptuously than I knew I was capable of, "Yes, I recall… I also remember it as distinctly less disturbing than lying in the woods preparing to die, or standing alone in a crowded hallway with my brain stuck on that near-death experience, or sitting on a bathroom floor with cuts on my hands and my hair in ruins."

Snapping back slightly in shock, Edward found no response.

Truthfully, I didn't have one either. The awful words, the sheer scorn in my voice, the plain references to the torment Vanessa had caused me… I didn't even know what came over me to expel such bald-faced acerbic rhetoric when Edward only hoped to make me feel better.

"I shouldn't have brought it up," the bronze-haired youth murmured, discomfited as he rose noiselessly from the bed. "I apologize, Mireille."

As horrid as I felt for killing the camaraderie Edward tried to rekindle, I let him go without a word or even a thought to clear to the air.

In spite of my ill humor, which everyone in the house had undoubtedly heard, the rest of Tanya's coven came up to greet me with good cheer they most certainly didn't feel anymore.

"Mireille, it's good to see you again," Irina greeted me first with a tense smile. Her move to grasp my hands, rather than hug me as she had done upon leaving Forks, made it obvious someone had brought her attention to my new aversion of shoulder contact. After Tanya's earlier response, I should have known.

"It seems such a long time since our visit," Kate added, the corners of her eyes tight with concern as she mimicked her sister's gesture.

"I hope the room suits you," Eleazar smiled both more genuinely and more carefully, if that was even possible. "Tanya and I thought you might enjoy the view."

"It's kind that you thought of me," I told him, not even bothering to lie about a view I hadn't bothered to peruse beyond a cursory understanding of the room.

"We want you to feel welcome here," Carmen added her thoughts sweetly, smiling the most genuinely of her family, although she joined them in reaching only for my hands.

"Thank you," I concluded for more than the room. They all seemed to understand and left me to further settle in.

When Esme started a late dinner for me that night, it swiftly became clear the Denalis had little use for their kitchen. Esme had brought her own pots, pans, dishes, and utensils, items which Carlisle and Esme teamed up to disperse into the kitchen cabinets. I heavily suspected the groceries in the refrigerator and cupboards had also been Carlisle and Esme's doing, arranged during phone calls planning our visit.

While I sat quietly at the dining table eating pasta that held no interest for me, everyone except Jasper and Alice settled in the large den to catch up and socialize.

Jasper had never shown his face in the den at all and Alice took up the seat beside me at the dining table with a faraway look in her eyes. She had claimed keeping me company as her task, but no one was foolish enough to believe it. Alice merely wanted to avoid questions, sympathy, or defensive anger.

Regardless, I left the woman to her empty staring the same as she left me to mine.

Up in my room a little while later, I prepared for bed with the hesitant promise of a tour stuck on my mind. Tanya and Edward planned to walk me around the house and the property at large, pointing out interesting things along the way. Suitably anxious over the prospect, although Edward's presence marginally eased my mind over the event, it took me a while to even lie down.

The seventeen-year-old appeared within seconds of my last frustrated thought, turning on the same harp music he had put on for the past two weeks.

"Good night," he offered as he left me in peace – or whatever I actually found when I finally fell asleep on our first day in Denali.

With the same unsettled sleep as had plagued me for two weeks in a row, my morning didn't start as well as I might have wished. A dull headache borne of the restless night tossing and turning kept my eyes closed another thirty minutes, but once I opened them it had never really left. Nevertheless, with a sigh of lackluster enthusiasm, I rose from bed and forced myself to get ready.

Dragging an armload of warm layers the Cullens made sure I had prepared for the strange, changeable weather of Alaska, I felt like my arm wanted to part with its socket as I headed down the stairs.

Chuckling sounded from nearby before Edward appeared, transferring my heavy clothing pile to his own arms. If I flinched slightly at his sudden appearance, neither of us commented on it.

"Good morning," the bronze-haired vampire greeted me mildly.

Grunting something along the lines of 'morning' or at least a reasonable facsimile of the term, I started back down the stairs with Edward in tow.

Everyone in the den engaged in some form of activity. Rosalie looked through magazines with Kate and Irina while Emmett, Eleazar, and Carlisle sat over an antiquated game I had never seen before. Far more subdued than usual when engaged in such an activity, the game failed to appear truly intriguing for its three players. In the far corner of the room, Alice, Esme, and Carmen shared a large window seat, all frowning gently as they talked in low murmurs. Esme rubbed Alice's hand in soothing support.

Once again, Jasper failed to make an appearance. I wondered how he spent his time if not with Alice, but quickly decided it was too depressing to think about.

A breath left Edward with difficulty as my mind processed the last thought, but he kept quiet and placed my warm layers on a nearby armchair. Meanwhile, I headed into the kitchen to 'make breakfast' as I told Esme the night before. When I headed up to bed, I had told Esme that I'd like to make it myself. She hadn't appeared disappointed or hurt, but I sensed the feelings anyway. It wasn't that I didn't trust her or want her around; I just didn't find anything appealing anymore. Surely avoiding it was better than making her stand there and wait for a decision that wasn't coming.

"Here," Edward remarked curtly, his mood plummeting along with my appetite as Esme's unseen hurt swept through both our minds on repeat. Turning to him in confusion, I looked down to find him holding a teal bag with brown handles and a white bear print.

Blinking twice, I looked back up at the lanky vampire in doubt of his sanity.

Unflinchingly, Edward explained, "It's fully packed with protein snacks and water, courtesy of Carlisle and Esme, and sweet snacks courtesy of Rosalie and Emmett."

Blinking still as he held out the bag with never-ending patience, I waited for a better, less ridiculous explanation.

"If the print isn't to your taste, you can switch it out," Edward pressed with the same near-monotone patience, whipping out with his free hand to grasp two more bags from the counter. Another cutesy printed bag – this time a spring-like green with white hedgehogs – and a more normal-looking blue and white striped bag dangled from the pianist's fingers.

Locking eyes once more with expressionless Edward as he held all three bags for my perusal, I eventually exhaled sharply, again expecting an explanation that didn't sound absurd.

"Emmett couldn't decide," Edward shrugged simply, entirely straight-faced.

"Emmett…" I repeated, low and disbelieving.

Said vampire's booming voice carried into the kitchen even all the way from the den, "You got a problem with that?"

Edward's lips twitched momentarily, then stilled.

Closing my eyes, I prayed for patience as I decided what to do with the impossible vampires – idiots – in my life.

"Fine," I snapped, wrenching the already-packed lunch bag from his long fingers and heading back out of the kitchen at an angry pace.

"Are you ready for our tour?" Tanya inquired with startling cheer, appearing out of nowhere and already dressed in her outdoor layers of fur, leather, and suede. While I didn't know the blonde all that well beyond our first weekend introduction, she looked to be quite genuine about her enthusiasm. Allowing for natural pride over her lovely home, I let Tanya's excitement go untested.

"Of course," I answered, reaching out to bury myself in the layers Tanya had described for me at dinner.

Eyes and silence followed my withering countenance all the way out the front door, until Edward finally shut it behind him.

Tanya explained various things about the lodge-inspired home as we walked around the front and sides of the structure, but it wasn't until we headed around back that I found a bit of life in my spirit.

At the cap of that low mountain we stood at the threshold of a gradual path of green and brown and yellow, tiered all the way down the descent to sloping lowlands and a vast sapphire lake. Surrounding the lowlands stood other, much larger mountains frosted with pure white snow at the very peak and iced with soft, translucent white clouds around the summit. The world itself converged in a harmonious clash; shadowed gray faces stippled with emerald and jade while steel skies melted rose pink, dusty blue, and gentle lavender.

Anyone who could stand at that unreal precipice of sky and stone and water without their breath catching in their throat… either they would have to be dead in the ground or entirely soulless.

"It's magnificent, isn't it?" Edward contemplated softly, a smile clear in his velvet voice.

"Absolutely," I agreed, mind clearer than it had been in days or indeed hours.

"Then your room was well-chosen," Tanya murmured in similar quietude, the simplicity of her sentiment overshadowed by the even more obvious smile in her words.

"Yes," I agreed, only half aware of my partial lie, for I had never seen the view from my window the previous night. Yet any view to the scenery around us would be pleasing to my ephemeral contentment.

We three stayed a long while at the top of the mountain behind the house, and despite my continuing disinterest in food, the soul-quieting view lessened enough of my scathing bitterness for Edward to persuade a few snacks into my gnawing stomach.

Tanya led us onward eventually, much to my discontent, but peace remained a sufficient length of time for our tour to be completed and our feet to carry us back inside without any snide behavior on my part. For the most part, that view stuck with me deep in the soul; the sheer freedom had felt exhilarating just looking at it.

No one much moved from their positions earlier that morning, or perhaps had returned after new activities elsewhere on the property. Alice had disappeared, however, and I had the awful feeling she and Jasper were in the depths of an argument somewhere away from the house.

Edward inhaled with discomfiture, proving my assumption sadly correct.

"That was a long tour, little brother," Emmett remarked with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. An expression reminiscent of the moments just before some kind of innuendo was about to be spewed, the look on the big vampire's face made me sigh awkwardly.

"Let it go, Emmett," Edward muttered just as uncomfortably, though his feelings no doubt related to my insipid view on the prospect of humor rather than Emmett's preposterous insinuations.

Emmett's pursed lips thinned out and his eyes no longer narrowed, but tightened dismally. This kind of emotion, so uncharacteristic of Emmett Cullen, had become one reason I hated to even sit in the same room as the Cullens these days. They had darkened intensely since the incident, leaving any room in a black cloud, even when we weren't doing anything at all.

"Tanya," I called to the blonde before she could move to join her sisters and Rosalie, a fresh idea giving me a method of escape, at least during our break in Denali.

"Yes, Mireille?" the Russian vampire prompted me patiently.

"I was wondering something," I began hesitantly, taking a breath before I continued, "It's not really up to me to decide, since this is your home…"

"Go on," Tanya pushed with a little smile as I fumbled for words.

"I know the view outside isn't your _home_ , in the strictest sense…" I amended realistically, finally making myself come to the point with a frustrated sigh, "What I'm trying to say is that I'd like to paint the view behind the house."

Carmen released a pleasantly surprised gasp and turned to invest in our conversation. Eleazar chuckled at his mate's enthusiasm for the topic at hand.

"Always the art with you," the Spanish vampire remarked affectionately, to which most everyone joined his chuckling with a little more energy than had lately been felt. Edward was the exception, his view into my head all too unhappy a sojourn to have undertaken.

Carmen shushed Eleazar with a wave of both hands when Tanya started to speak.

"I believe that is the very same beautiful idea Carmen and I were hoping for," the coven leader announced, smirking a bit.

"As it happens, Mireille," Carmen joined the conversation with equal mischief, rising to walk over and open a closet as she continued talking, "I have a selection of canvases, paints, and various other art supplies here. How serendipitous!"

Emmett exerted a tiny chuckle at the inadvertently amusing statement, but it was so half-hearted I almost wished I hadn't heard it.

"Oh well," I shrugged over their humor at my expense. "At least I'm allowed to paint."

And paint I did. Every moment I was able – within the limitations of sleep, sufficient light, and safe body temperature – I took canvas, brushes, paints, and other tools to the back of the house and set to work with the primary goal of avoiding every awkward interaction between the vampires around me.

Rosalie and Emmett spent most of their time working with Carlisle and Esme to be good guests for the Denalis, engaging them in conversation, games, and general activity where the rest of us failed.

Edward joined me on every venture out of the house, carrying with him a meal or snacks that I only reluctantly indulged when the lean vampire seemed worried enough to verbally insist upon it.

Three attempts at forging the base of the canvas began in failure while I tried to capture the right proportions in my brushing. Each time, I reached a point where my hand stopped painting with an instinctive understanding that it would never turn out right.

On the fourth try, my brush never stopped moving. Each slope and curve and angle flowed from the lead tip with aqueous form and shape until the base of my painting finally took flight.

The third day of our visit, Edward forced me to stop when temperatures dropped and snow seemed imminent in the completely unexpected manner Alaska was known for.

Piqued with the seventeen-year-old and the way he had forcibly packed up my supplies and carried both them and me up to my room in the house, I snatched the bag of supplies roughly from Edward's grip when he offered it.

Ignoring this ungrateful gesture, the musician disappeared and reappeared with my painting and the easel, placing them exactly as I had laid out in my head the first time I had paused in the art process. Irked still and wanting to annoy him more than anything, I intentionally moved the canvas and easel into very different places in the room, features imprisoned in a glare I was too stubborn to let go of.

Sighing despondently at my attitude, Edward dared to speak, "You know I'm just taking care of you. Someone has to make sure you don't get yourself killed out there."

"Why?" I retorted caustically, whirling around with a wide swing of the fur-collared green jacket I still wore. "Vanessa will just find a way around everything again. She always does!"

"Please don't think like that," Edward sighed shortly, tensing up at the mere suggestion of another attack.

"I _have_ to think like that!" I argued sharply, the rush of negative emotion hitting me harder than ever. "Vanessa has no real purpose beyond simply hurting me for having more than she does. That being the case, she could do anything, anywhere, at any time to accomplish her goals. And she'll always be jealous, so her goals will never end until she leaves Forks… God, how do I even know she'll really leave? Even if she does leave, that doesn't mean she'll never come back!"

"Do you hear yourself?" Edward cut in with wide, astonished eyes. "You make it seem as though you're her prisoner!"

"Aren't I?" I snapped back, striking him mute.

Those eyes, black as pitch, remained wide and perturbed.

"I once thought I didn't have to be trapped by her," I muttered more quietly as morbid melancholia settled over me. "Yet here we are. Vanessa has once again overtaken me and I did _nothing_ about it!"

"You?" Edward laughed cynically, startling me. "What are you even talking about? _I_ did nothing about it!"

Stepping back in confused shock, I begged the question in my mind, trying to work through his bedraggled convolutions.

"I made a decision!" Edward proceeded to expand on his apparent delusions, raging ire startling to an extreme degree in light of his recent store of calm. "After Vanessa confronted you in the hallway, that same night I watched your dreams turn to nightmares. When you finally became peaceful, when your face smoothed into gentle comfort… I knew I couldn't bear to see you so terrified again. So I swore an oath to myself. I promised both of us that I would never again let anyone or anything stop me from saving you! Now I've failed more utterly than I thought possible. I may as well have personally guided her hand to harm you!"

Drawn back with more stunned silence than if I had been born mute, I blinked uncomprehendingly as the stentorian declaration faded into the void. My lips mouthed nonsense in an attempt to process the madness of Edward's beliefs and the intensity of his desire to protect me.

"Edward…" I tried, but nothing more came from my suddenly dry throat. Swallowing hard, I moved to speak again with cheap, meaningless words, "Edward, you… can't believe that. You… you just _can't_!"

"Can't I?" he returned, almost mocking my early retort, though I knew better. Edward's anger clouded everything as mine had. "I should have found you the _moment_ Alice came to Jasper's side, but I didn't. And you paid the price for that negligence."

At a sudden end, the torrent of exacting fury left Edward to collapse in on himself with a return to deep grief.

"I'm so sorry."

Those simple, whispered words barely brushed my eardrums before Edward disappeared in a rush of air, the merest hint of lilac and honey drifting across my senses in the aftermath.

Overloaded and bewildered by what was happening to all of us, I dropped to the bed with a muffled thump and tried to think through some kind of response or action. Yet what could I do?

How could I help the Cullens when I couldn't even help myself?

On through the dark, snowy night and into the dreary gray morning, I asked myself the same question over and over again, only to come to the same loathsome conclusion… There was nothing I could do.

Everyone else clearly shared the same mind of their own usefulness, for no one spoke to Edward's guilt-ridden confessions or even bothered to move from their still places when I came back downstairs in the early afternoon. The Denalis all watched the Cullens with great concern, switching between all five faces in the den as though watching an intensive chess game.

Naturally Esme first broke form to enter the kitchen, where I mindlessly prepared the same snacks as Edward had been offering the previous three days.

"You're not going out alone, are you?" Esme worried for me with furrowed brows.

Frankly, the matriarch's eyebrows never quite returned to a relaxed state anymore. Not since our 'vacation' started.

"I have food and water," I promised weakly, sighing disconsolately as I added untruthfully, "I'll take breaks."

"You think I believe that?" Esme reproached me sternly, not falling for my half-baked promise.

"Please, Esme," I sighed even more exhaustedly, dreading the very idea of staying in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the Denali coven's home just then.

Esme opened her mouth to speak, but Alice interrupted quietly, "I'll go with you."

Worrying her bottom lip a moment, Esme tentatively asked, "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Alice replied vacantly. That lifeless expression made Esme and I wince imperceptibly.

Forcing a dead smile, I pushed forward quickly, "Let's get going before it snows again."

Alice didn't even bother with the winter clothing as she normally would have, walking outside dressed only in loose black pants, a baggy turtleneck sweater, and black flats. It's not that it was such an ugly outfit… it just wasn't _her_. Little fashionista Alice hated ill-fitting clothes on her razor-thin frame, and she despised plain casual clothes even more.

Dull would have been a fitting word to describe the small woman as she sat emptily a few feet away from me. Alice pulled her knees up to her chest, slender arms wrapped around them as protectively as mine had been the morning after the incident.

The staring could have disrupted my painting, so worried did I feel. It was a testament to how broken we all were that, in the face of the overwhelming odds that had built against us, I simply pushed it all away and continued with my work. Our return just before an unexpected snowstorm at dusk was only because Alice had helplessly been witness to a vision of me getting frostbite.

Carlisle and Esme stood deep in tense discussion at the far side of the kitchen when we walked inside, their eyes tight and Carlisle's arms crossed defensively over his chest. Alice didn't bother to find out what was the matter, moving back though to the den at a trudging human pace.

"We have to do _something_ ," Esme pleaded quietly with her partner. Their troublesome debate sounded as though it had been running on for a long time without compromise or resolution.

Heaving a breath that looked painful, Carlisle nodded in the end, at a seeming loss for any further argument as he turned and nigh shuffled to the door we had just walked through. Dredging steps told the tale of his reluctance to whatever goal Esme had asked of him.

Indeed, the doctor stopped entirely at the exterior door, fighting with himself once again.

"Esme," Carlisle sighed, troubled, finally turning back from the outer door with his eyes swirling into an abyss of misery and guilt as he said, "He doesn't need this right now."

I couldn't tell whether Carlisle spoke of Edward or Jasper. Both of them fit the doctor's succinct description and I hadn't seen either for hours on end – days rather, where it concerned Jasper.

"We need his help," Esme begged so quietly I barely heard her. Her cautious glance at Alice proved why, and also told me precisely who they were discussing. "I don't know what else to try."

"I cannot ask that of him!" Carlisle pleaded to the woman he loved. "I _cannot_ make his burden any heavier than it already is."

Such pure, true love shone in those golden eyes as Carlisle spoke of Jasper. Not merely Alice's tagalong mate, Jasper had become a beloved son to Carlisle Cullen just as much as Edward or Emmett. My stories of Jasper's struggle to belong took on new meaning as I watched Carlisle's fatherly devotion so clear and strong while his rigid son fought himself all alone.

Offering a heavy sigh of her own, Esme stepped even closer to her husband and reached up to tenderly kiss his mouth.

"You don't have to," she whispered lovingly to the compassionate man who claimed her heart, softly holding his pained face with gentle hands. "I can do this."

Steeling herself for the task ahead, Esme kissed Carlisle one more time and then walked outside with firm, steady strides, slipping on the fur-lined hood of a heavy coat that blended with the caramel color of her hair.

"Carlisle?" I inquired warily, eyes fixed with motionless apprehension on the door Esme had just exited.

Wiping a hand across his uneasy features, the doctor answered me almost beneath a whisper, "She's going to ask Jasper back into the house."

Stunned that Jasper had literally and physically not been in the house during our visit, I understood ten times as well why Alice was so lost and impassive. Little else needed to be said. As the rest of the household lumbered on futilely, we two waited for Esme's return.

Having doubted the outcome – not Esme's willpower, but Jasper's willingness – I couldn't have been more shocked when the motherly vampire walked into the house with a very cold-looking Texan following behind her. Logically, I knew Jasper could never get cold as I did, but the sight of him in a plain gray pullover and black pants while snow rained down simply didn't strike me right.

Maybe it was merely my sentimental side kicking in after such a long drought, but I sorely doubted it. Alice had inspired the same sensation in her simple, dull black outfit.

Jasper took a moment to swipe wetness onto the mat from his boots – the only winter attire he had on – and attempted to walk past when Carlisle's feelings clearly caught his attention.

Stopping abruptly, the former soldier turned his head and torso towards the Cullen patriarch and nodded once.

"It's fine."

That deep voice had been missing so long that I could well have forgotten what it sounded like in a few days. While it was very blatantly not fine, Jasper at least acted honestly accepting of the situation at hand. The leonine vampire walked away without another word to us. As I expected, although I hated to, Jasper walked through to the stairs with nary a word to his wife, nor she to him.

Carlisle and Esme sighed in unison at the deplorable relation, though plainly aware it was a possibility. Feeling twice as depressed, I carried all my supplies upstairs, changed out of my winter layers, and laid in bed until I fell asleep late that night.

Jasper's return was not the help Esme hoped for, although he did seem to try and ease our emotions to an extent. Regardless his attempts and his newfound attendance in the den, Jasper and Alice became much more tightly-hewn when their distance compiled with necessary attendance.

Sitting at the table with stone-like Alice at my side the next day, waiting out a patch of rain so we could go outside and I could continue painting – or avoiding, as might have been the more precise term – I noticed all too easily that Alice wore the same baggy black clothes from the previous day.

Apparently the tiny vampire had even stopped wearing makeup and heels. Knowing how sincerely and extensively she loved both, along with everything else fashion and style, I nearly felt like crying for her.

Unable to focus on anything but the sad little vampire who reminded me instantly of newborn Alice all alone in the world, I took notice of something very strange on her features. After several minutes of staring, I could help pointing it out.

"Alice, what's wrong with your lip?"

The subtle white line I could make out on Alice's makeup-free bottom lip wasn't precisely a wild addition to her features. Indeed, I thought perhaps I had simply never noticed it because Alice always wore cosmetics. Yet some sensory perception in my brain paid detailed attention to the tension and silence this brought out in the other vampires in the house.

"Is it that obvious?" Alice wondered emotionlessly as she rose to examine her appearance in the mirror further down the wall. "Huh… I'll have to put makeup over it for school. We don't need any odd questions."

Far back in the den, Jasper growled loudly and without any apparent cause. Frowning, I glanced through the translucent room divider to find the southern vampire scowling in the direction of his wife.

I had never been a proponent of domestic squabbles, by any means, but I couldn't help hoping there would be one now, if only so I could find out what the devil happened between Alice and Jasper.

"Leave it alone," Alice stated towards her husband, tone remarkably dark in spite of its deadness.

Jasper fought with himself vigorously, but seemed to wrestle his indignant response down.

"It's not a big deal."

That comment from Alice, however, sent her mate careening over the edge.

"I bit you!" Jasper snapped at last, eyes narrowed on his wife's careless posture. Startled by the strange, unforeseen source of the couple's horrible distance and coldness, I listened carefully as the debated progressed.

"You've bitten me before," Alice returned, vacancy fading enough to allow for slight vexation. The response left me with the uncomfortable feeling I was hearing more than I wanted to.

"In the middle of an intimate moment!" Jasper nearly barked at his tiny mate, evidently heedless of present company in terms of such a private comment. "This is _completely_ different."

"It's healed and I'm fine now," Alice began to speak through gritted teeth, her own dark eyes narrowing in precise imitation of Jasper's black orbs.

Finally, the real Alice had begun to show through again. I didn't care if she was angry, I just wanted her strong will back in the world with us. Alice without any feelings just wasn't Alice at all.

"Don't you understand that I _hurt_ you?" Jasper pressed, slow words lending an air of choleric to the vampire as he frantically attempted to convince his mate.

"You didn't mean to!" Alice now exclaimed, emotions rising with the heat of the quarrel. "You were overwhelmed!"

"I attacked you, damn it!" the former soldier snarled frustratedly – almost lividly – at his wife. With the rich baritone Jasper had been gifted with, the sound swept quite strikingly throughout the quiet house.

"I don't _give a damn_!" Alice's answering snarl echoed in the vast house, the wild sound absurdly more impressive than her mate's simmering anger. The loud, guttural noise of her vampire nature stood as the very antithesis to all the wind chimes and angelic tinkling bells her small, feminine voice had ever been described as.

Every single gesture, word, thought, and probably even feeling in the house just… stopped.

No one moved, no one breathed – not even me – as we all stared between the two eternally mystical soul mates who had never before snarled at each other with such wrathful fire.

Jasper stood in as much blind shock as anyone else, staring unblinkingly at his tiny wife with her small hands balled into fists at her sides. Had she been human, Alice would have already been drawing blood under her fingernails.

I still didn't understand how or why Jasper would have bitten or attacked his beloved Alice. Thinking back, I tried to recall the moment their disagreement had begun, in order to estimate what might have happened. But all I could remember was the strange atmosphere between husband and wife after they returned the morning after Girls' Choice Dance…

Freezing where I stood, I made the connections rapidly after that; every dot linked one after another to a very specific, appalling conclusion.

Alice had seen Jasper having a problem at the dance and upon my urging had immediately left the bathroom to prevent it. While that was before the incident, Alice's visions worked like that, didn't they? She saw it _before_ it happened.

By the time Alice had found Jasper, it was probably about the time that her vision was supposed to come true, and that time was _during_ Vanessa's attack.

What could have happened to Jasper during the bathroom incident, that he would become 'overwhelmed' and bite his mate in what he called an attack?

Rosalie and Edward had said very sincerely that Jasper worked through the scent of blood from the injured girl at the dance. The two pianists made it very clear their brother had walked out of that gym under his own steam. As Rosalie explained it, Jasper had been perfectly fine as he headed outside with Alice.

Suddenly, out of the clear blue sky, Jasper just up and lost it? No blood had taken him apart, yet somehow, some way, he had just started fighting his siblings? That made no sense whatsoever.

"You don't understand," Jasper spoke at last, shock absorbed enough to give his wife clearer answers than simple attack. "I didn't even know you were _there_. It was like standing in front of… Maria… so lost was my mind. Those feelings, that ungodly panic I felt…"

So it wasn't bloodlust, but Jasper's _ability_ that had caused his wild behavior.

And where else could he have felt the panic he described, except through me? All the broadcasted terror, desperation, panic, and paranoia from my useless presence in the girls' bathroom had affected him. How wild had I felt under Vanessa's threat?

Cringing even as I remembered the entire incident, start to finish, I accepted that my emotions had been so far out of control it was insane.

If Jasper was hit with that out of control wave of emotion – feelings I had little doubt could remind Jasper of fighting and training in the southern armies – it certainly stood to reason he had lost sight of where he was and what he was doing. Jasper could easily have become embroiled in picture perfect memories of how he obtained his battle scars in a bloodbath of panic and paranoia.

Guilt filled the cavernous emptiness of my chest in a flood of heartache.

"For God's _sake_ … I'm not blaming you, Mireille!" Jasper called out to me in no uncertain terms, half glaring in my direction as I snapped up to stare at his agitated form where he appeared in the doorway. "God knows it wasn't your fault!"

Half growling and half-sighing, Jasper left with a significant parting shot, "Alice, I can't be near you if all I do is fall back into old patterns that can cause you pain. I'm going to protect you, no matter what – even if it's from me."

In a blur of gray and black, Jasper disappeared upstairs – and stayed there for the rest of the trip.

The next day was positively grisly.

Alice had moved from deadened to hypersensitive in the span of an hour after her argument with Jasper. One moment she could be looking at a magazine with dull eyes and the next her face would scrunch up with tears her body no longer produced.

As for Jasper and Edward, I didn't know how they stood themselves, let alone everyone else. Dark thoughts and darker emotions didn't leave any of us to ourselves as we headed into the last days of our trip. What Carlisle and Esme had hoped to be a healing, unifying experience had swiftly turned into the exact opposite.

I felt even worse for the sisters, Eleazar, and Carmen. They had hoped to have a warm, familial visit next time around and get to know me better in the process. There we were on day five, and their home had become a battleground and a near psych ward all in one go.

Regretting the poor choice of words, even in my head, while I sat next to Alice at the dining table again, I tried to move into something less dreadful to imagine.

It didn't work. And it took Edward's morbid reappearance, a sigh in his throat and a lunch bag in his hand, to startled me out of my repulsive imagination.

Although he joined me without a word of contempt for the next two days, Edward seemed all the more irritable by having to come forward from his dark musings of guilt and misjudgment.

By the time we were set to leave Denali, I was never more cheerful to abandon a house. While the Denalis were lovely and understanding, I wasn't sure I could ever look at their home the same way. Despite that troublesome thought, Kate insisted I keep a map of the road to their house.

"Just in case," the tallest sister winked, all three blondes smiling as warmly as they could after such a draining, saddening experience.

"Thank you," I accepted the map respectfully. "I have something for all of you, as well."

Pleased in some distant part of my mind by their mild excitement, I turned to my luggage and pulled up the wrapped item I wanted.

Offering over the large object to Tanya's hands, I didn't have to wait long before the blonde carefully pulled away the wrappings and revealed a finished canvas of the stunning landscape behind their home.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Carmen breathed, gazing over the painting with richly fascinated eyes.

I had asked Carlisle to give his opinion of the piece before I gifted it, and the doctor found a reason to really, truly smile for the first time in a week as he looked over the painting that even _I_ could accept as good work.

"Thank you, Mireille," Irina spoke for all concerned, eyeing her little family's joy and amazement with a true smile and happiness of her own.

Hoping the Denalis' situation brightened along with Irina's smile once our dark shadows had left them alone, I found a brief prayer latched onto my soul that Laurent would never, ever darken Irina's doorstep.

Concerned my hopes might be fruitless in the end, I pushed the idea away and followed Carlisle and Esme out to the Mercedes.

* * *


	49. Chapter 47: Impressions

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
Again, still working through things with all of the Cullens and Mireille. Like I mentioned on the previous chapter, there are explanations yet to come in this chapter and the next one.

This chapter felt… weird. I don't know why, it just strikes me as such. But I still love it. :)

**Song Inspiration:**  
 _All The King's Horses_ by Karmina (Alice. I'll leave it at that.)

**Previously** – The Cullens arrived in Denali and Jasper was distant. Alice helped Mireille unpack and Mireille snapped at Edward. The Denalis were cautious with Mireille. Tanya  & Edward gave Mireille a tour and Mireille enjoyed the landscape. Mireille began painting to escape tension in the house. Edward made Mireille stop for safety and she was angry. Edward revealed his oath to protect Mireille and blamed himself for Vanessa's attack. Mireille wanted to paint still, but Esme tried to stop her. Alice joined Mireille so she could paint and Alice was emotionless. Carlisle & Esme debated intervention and Esme coaxed Jasper to the house. Mireille noticed Alice's scar, Jasper was angry, and Alice & Jasper argued. Mireille realized Jasper felt her emotions during Vanessa's attack, and that Jasper bit Alice in a panic. Jasper said he would protect Alice even from himself. Alice became emotional and Edward reluctantly joined Mireille so she could still paint. Irina gave Mireille a map to the house and Mireille gave the Denalis a painting of their landscape. Mireille prayed Laurent would never meet Irina.

> **Chapter 47: Impressions**

Rolling up the long hidden drive to the Cullen home should have felt like a relief or a burden lifted after all we had dealt with in Alaska. Yet as Carlisle pulled up the driveway and into the garage ahead of Edward, I began to understand how it might feel being released from a prison sentence on probation. I was free… but I wasn't.

My steps were soon to be tied to at least one Cullen everywhere I went outside the house. While I generally never went anywhere without them, it was the principal of it that scalded my pride and independence.

It took a moment for me to decide on following Carlisle and Esme into the house, but Alice waited for me and her polarized personality pushed me to move a little faster. If nothing else, I couldn't bear to look at her heartbroken eyes any longer.

My luggage already waited up in the third floor bedroom and I delegated myself the task of slowly, carefully restocking my closet with the clothes Esme had washed and dried the last two days in Denali. My fortune lasted long enough that dinner passed right on by without a fuss as I worked in the closet.

An alarm on my cell phone shocked the daylights out of me as it rang shrilly and obnoxiously. Checking the phone with a frown, I saw it was a reminder of the Easter Egg Hunt at Pastor Weber's church the next morning. The reminder was ages old, locked in at Angela's birthday over a month prior when I agreed so cheerfully to help her decorate the children's event.

Groaning mentally and vocally, I hated the guilt I felt at the very idea of disappointing kind-hearted Angela. There was nothing to be done, however. None of the Cullens were going to go decorate and maintain an Easter egg hunt with Angela and me. Carlisle had to work the next day and Esme had already closeted herself away with Alice in the workroom for the foreseeable future. I suspected Esme wanted to try and get Alice sketching fashion as a distraction, but I doubted it would actually work. Edward remained prickly and dark, his guilty conscience holding him captive the same as Jasper, and Emmett and Rosalie had disappeared from the house for whatever reason.

"Is something wrong?"

Jumping severely when the unexpected voice sounded in the quiet of the room, I clutched a hand to my chest in shock and my head snapped up to see Rosalie standing in my doorway.

"I'm sorry," the blonde smiled slightly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine," I accepted, breathing easier. "I thought you and Emmett were gone."

"Emmett left with Carlisle," Rosalie answered with an indifferent tilt of her golden head, voice turning quieter as she explained, "They're trying to reason with Jasper."

"Good luck with that," I commented morosely, a heavy sigh escaping.

"Yes, that was my sentiment as well," Rosalie agreed, smiling more sadly than sarcastically. "May I ask what was wrong a moment ago?"

"Oh, I just forgot about helping Angela with the egg hunt tomorrow," I sighed again, more heavily than before. "I promised on her birthday, but I don't see how I can go now."

"Why not?" Rosalie asked, frowning.

"Well, it's not safe to go alone. And none of you are going to come for a kids' egg hunt," I scoffed with a vein of sardonic amusement. "I'm sure Carlisle would, but he's working tomorrow, so…"

Thinking the subject at an end, I deleted the reminder and put my phone away.

"Do you _want_ to be there?" Rosalie asked, still standing motionless in the doorway.

"Well, it's not so much that," I admitted, refolding my favorite blue plush blanket. Esme had kindly packed it for Denali. "I just hate breaking my word to Angela."

Humming her understanding, Rosalie seemed to drop deep into thought.

Leaving the statuesque vampire to her ruminations such as they were, I doubled-checked that all my homework from the week before break was complete. Who knew what kind of work I had done while in that numb state before our Denali trip. Granted I wasn't much better, but at least I could feel _something_ , even if that something was dark and depressing.

"If it means that much, I would go with you."

Once again I was caught off guard by the blonde vampire, eyes widening at her offer.

"You'd do that for me?" I couldn't stop the surprised question from escaping.

A very soft yet genuine laugh left Rosalie's deep pink lips, one more surprise in a seemingly unending slew of them.

"I may not be as cantankerous as I used to be," she teased quietly, a tiny smile lingering at the corners of her mouth.

"That might depend on the situation," I remarked, surprising myself with the bit of humor.

"Within reason, of course," Rosalie exhaled once in amusement.

Considering those exquisite features for a long moment, I found my thoughts once again reasserting themselves in regard to the kind of person this particular vampire really was underneath it all. If the past few weeks had shown me anything, it was that buried under those layers of ice, the illustrious Rosalie Hale had genuine warmth. She had treated me as her child in need of mothering. Considering just how much that type of relationship meant to the frozen woman before me, I felt honored indeed.

"Well… then it's a date," I conceded gratefully, quickly realizing how that sounded. "I mean—"

"I know what you mean," Rosalie cut me off congenially, vestiges of a smile still clinging to the edge of her mouth.

Sleep was a restless beast that night. When I woke far too early in the morning and recalled Rosalie's support, the troublesome night seemed somehow lighter on my shoulders. With everything cascading on top of our eight-man band, the feeling was all too foreign to last, however, and hardly inspired me to dress in anything more creative than a plain blush sweater with blue jeans and dull tan flats. Grabbing whatever purse I had been using before our trip regardless of its capacity to match my clothes, I transferred everything from my travel bag into the purse and deemed myself ready.

Walking downstairs in unbearable quiet and stillness unnerved me. None of the Cullens even seemed to exist as I moved through each level of the house. I nearly broke into a nervous sweat by the time I stepped into the kitchen to find Esme preparing a simple breakfast.

"I know you're not one for food lately," the caramel-haired vampire sighed without turning around, shoulders hung low on her frame while she scrambled eggs in a small skillet. "I just can't stand the idea of you not eating."

Guilt and resignation filled me with equal poignancy. The lovely woman only wanted to take care of me, something that had proven incredibly difficult for her in past weeks. There were no words of apology I could offer, though – none sincere enough to be deserving of Esme, at least. My appetite remained as listless as Alice had been in Alaska.

Thinking of the tiny psychic forged an indelible hurt in my heart as I recalled the way Edward practically carried his sister to the Volvo when we left Denali.

"Mireille?"

Esme's worried voice drew my attention back to the present with a snap, bringing my face up from a fresh breakfast plate and straight into those troubled orbs of gold.

Carlisle and I had both expressed deep gratitude to Carmen and Eleazar when they insisted on hunting with the Cullens before we all left, but seeing Esme now, I wondered if it actually mattered in the grand scheme of things. Even with her eyes freshly golden, the warm-hearted vampire looked nothing less than haggard, if that were even possible for her flawless, unchanging features.

Shaking my head with a helpless lack of words for everything tumbling through my head, I felt tears welling up without any specific cause to blame. Esme's face crumpled as if she, too, were crying. It was a terrible shame vampires couldn't produce tears to make up for the increased tenacity of their emotional condition.

Matched for helplessness, Esme could only ease me into a hug, keeping it slow to allow for my ongoing difficulty with some touches. Letting the embrace cradle us both in our sorrow for unchecked minutes, we allowed the deafening silence to remain in tact until intentionally audible steps reached my ears. Esme pulled back with one soft touch to my short hair and encouraged me to eat.

"What time do we need to be there?" Rosalie inquired quietly, sensitive to the environment she had walked into.

"Seven o'clock," I answered, wiping away any lingering wetness from my eyes. Respect for Esme and her feelings led me to eat the breakfast before me. One more thing she didn't have to worry about, I supposed.

"Where do you need to be at seven?" Esme queried at the sink, offering a confused glance behind her. Clearly she had been too engrossed in Alice's state of mind to listen to our conversation the night before.

"Church," Rosalie explained matter-of-factly, if a bit uninformative as she came to sit on the adjacent stool.

"Church," the motherly vampire repeated starkly, staring unblinkingly over one shoulder at her blond-haired daughter. Adverse humor fought to the surface of my oceanic gloom at Esme's rising eyebrows. Something told me Rosalie had purposefully left out the details in order to get a rise from her mother.

"Egg hunt," I added helpfully, taking another bland bite of oatmeal.

Blinking still, Esme forcibly shook her head and went on unconvincingly, "Well… all right then."

Rosalie's smirk gave up the game before Esme had fully turned back to the sink and the matriarch whirled back around with narrowed eyes.

"You left that vague on purpose," Esme accused exasperatedly, giving the younger woman the stink eye.

Snorting delicately, Rosalie merely shrugged with great elegance and inadvertently drew my eyes to her bare shoulders.

"Bare!" I exclaimed with abrupt vehemence.

Snapping my face around to look the blonde vampire over, I saw with growing horror the full outfit Rosalie had chosen for our Saturday morning venture. For all her warmth and kindness to me of late, Rosalie had found one surefire way to irritate me beyond belief.

Hair wrapped into a braid around the crown of her head, the brazen vampire wore a tightly fitted, shoulder baring, embroidered white top that hefted her chest as surely as any bustier, and hip hugging jeans that left little to the imagination. As if that weren't enough, embroidered red flowers on the blouse added further emphasis to the visibility of Rosalie's cleavage.

Capping off the flabbergasting apparel was a pair of blinding candy apple red heels, uninhibited by Rosalie's ankle-length jeans. Admittedly, the sky high footwear barely fazed me by the time I reached that level of the outfit.

No wonder Esme had looked so dubious.

Over the five months I lived with the Cullens, I had mostly gotten used to seeing more of Rosalie's body than I expressly preferred. Restricted at school by her apparent underage status, at home the blonde consequently wore shoulder and cleavage baring tops matched to tight jeans and sexy heels. This outfit, at this particular event, took the cake for shamelessness.

"Are you serious?" I squealed, mind agog.

Rosalie's brow rose dramatically, a single line of disbelief on an otherwise blank face.

"You are not wearing that!" I informed the blonde vampire stringently, more in line with Esme's mothering than the tentative amiability I had forged with the blonde beside me.

"What's wrong with it?" Rosalie wondered, annoyed as she leaned back slightly in further surprise.

"What's wrong…" I repeated, dumbfounded by her apparent obliviousness. "That outfit… in a church. For an Easter egg hunt. With a swath of impressionable little kids running around…"

"What impressions could it possibly leave?" Rosalie snipped, growing truly agitated with me for the first time in eons.

"Stilettos and cleavage?" I snapped incredulously in return, now scowling. "On Emmett, I'm sure it would leave a _marvelous_ impression – the likes of which would turn my face redder than the eyes of a newborn vampire!"

From the corner of my eye, I briefly noticed Esme covering her mouth with a firm hand. For a second I worried she was upset with me, but then I caught the rise of her cheeks and knew she was trying not to laugh.

"If you wear that," I added at the last to Rosalie, standing from my seat, "then I'm not going."

So saying, I walked into the dining room in a continuing state of outraged skepticism. I had just passed the end of the dining table when Esme's amusement broke free in one loud, alleviated belly laugh.

Her warmth and relief suffused my mind and soul with so much unexpected happiness that I nearly forgot what made her laugh in the first place.

A huffed sigh in the quiet of the kitchen barely penetrated my sense of hearing, reminding me exactly what was so funny to the Cullen matriarch, when suddenly the world blurred terrifically, moving through a splash of golds, then reds, and then ending in bright white.

Standing in the corner door of what appeared to be a huge closet, the space in which I stood hardly seemed real, boasting crisp ivory cabinetry and shelving designed with gorgeous antique architectural details and elegant gold knobs and handles.

The majority of the room opened beyond the wall beside the door, split into two 'hallways' such as they were, a central red velvet seat built into the dividing column component. Turning in a slow arc, I didn't bother to close my gaping mouth, bottom lip hanging open in awe over the mirrors across every cabinet door and each section latticed in ivory curves and whorls.

I felt as though I had walked into a fairytale boudoir high up in a palace. As gigantic and impossibly full as Alice's closet room was, it had none of the glamorous allure and elegance of this fantastical space where Rosalie stored her accouterments.

At the end of my gobsmacked twirling, I came to face the wall near the door where I had begun and found a splendorous vanity area across the entirety of the wall. Flanked by outrageous glass shelving displays holding uncounted black velvet jewelry mannequins, one central mirror reached the ceiling from a broad vanity counter. The gleaming surface had been filled with gilt glass perfume trays, antique gold hair tools and mirrors, ornate silver makeup brushes, and miscellaneous gold and silver trinkets. Perfume bottles of intense intricacy and charm were scattered across the vanity, all aglow in frosted red, translucent pink, and gilded crystal. One central perfume bottle caught my eye, the glorious piece made of crystal and covered in gold detailed with labyrinthine roses and vines; the equally elaborate golden stopper had been fashioned into one large rose climbing up from the leafy stem.

Blinking with speechless stupefaction, I turned back to find Rosalie waiting in the doorway. Smirking with self-satisfaction while I shook off the shock, the golden-haired vampire pointed me into the enormous closet space beyond and commanded me imperiously, "Choose."

Finally coming down from my astounded high, I followed Rosalie's directive with the realization that time was marching on quite swiftly.

Searching through the magnificent array of fabrics, colors, and styles to find where each type of clothing was, I nearly became sucked into the dazzling grandeur again, but Rosalie settled her hands calmly and firmly on my shoulders and pushed me along until we reached the tops and blouses.

Digging for color first and foremost – mainly anything approaching pastel in the chaos of vivid shades – I pulled out a shirt on instinct and judged the pink, lightly-printed blouse far more suitable. Handing that off under Rosalie's resigned glance towards the ceiling, I swirled around the massive closet to find pants. Jeans were a bit harder to sort through, but I found a light blue pair that had a tiny amount of give and a high waist. With the clothing sorted out, Rosalie shook her head and began to change out of her immodest clothes while I started on shoes.

Rosalie's wardrobe consisted of high heels almost exclusively, save several pairs of squeaky clean boots she probably used for hunting. Even Alice didn't have such a high ratio of heels to flats, which said even more about Rosalie's taste in clothing and personal expression.

Not that I was surprised, but I did wonder how many times Rosalie's exclusively heeled feet caused suspicion with the humans around her. No human woman wore heels every hour of every day unless she wanted heel spurs, corns, and blisters. As much as my mother had despised not matching up with the Joneses, so to speak, even she had avoided heels enough to let her feet recover a little.

"None of these shoes will do," I sighed frustratedly after a few minutes of staring.

"Pick something that matches and have done with it," Rosalie sighed, though she didn't seem exceptionally nettled anymore. "We only have ten minutes before we have to leave."

In a moment of rare inspiration while under the dark clouds of bitterness and doubt, I recalled that day when Edward took me around the house to find my personal possessions. In finding a few pairs of my shoes in Rosalie's room, Edward had remarked that I wore the same shoe size as his blonde sister.

"Oh, that's it!" I declared out loud, not bothering to explain to my confused companion what I even meant. Instead, I clutched Rosalie's icy hand and fairly well yanked her out into the bedroom proper and on through the hallway. Heaving a sigh, the tall blonde merely let me guide her hurriedly up to my closet on the third floor.

Rosalie waited with crossed arms in the door of my comparatively small closet while I ran my eyes quickly along every row of shoes I now owned.

"We wear the same size shoe," I finally clarified, clearing the bewildered expression from Rosalie's face in a heartbeat as I displayed my shoe choice like Cinderella's glass slippers.

Pursed lips were the only response I received at first, but then the glamorous vampire rolled her eyes and plucked the low pink pumps out of my hands to switch with her shiny red stilettos.

Dressed in her much more respectable outfit for a church gathering of any kind, Rosalie led the way downstairs again, pausing only to switch out her red purse for a white one; the exchange of items took less than thirty seconds to enact.

In the two minutes walking down the staircase, I quietly exalted over the vague respite found in clothes hunting, but upon remembering all the moments Alice and I had done exactly the same thing, depression beat back against the doors of relief with heavy fists.

At the main floor, we caught up to Esme fussing and dusting all over the place – all at a very slow human speed. Her behavior reminded me of hers and Carlisle's wedding anniversary when she had believed Carlisle wasn't coming home until late. Also reminded of the terrible events that occurred later that very same day, I flinched sharply.

"Esme, why don't you come with us?" I suggested immediately. If Esme had taken to dusting so needlessly, then the fretting mother probably needed a distraction from the family's troubles, even if only for a short time. Even her relieved humor from earlier had disappeared completely.

"Oh, I'm not dressed for it. And you have to leave very quickly," Esme absently replied, pausing for an extraordinarily finicky moment with the detail on a crystal vase.

"Are you a vampire or not?" Rosalie sniffed.

I would have glared at the blonde for her insensitive sarcasm, but the words so rapidly brought Esme from her abstracted behavior that I found myself abruptly grateful.

A slow smile tipped the edges of Esme's lips upward. "I suppose you have a point."

"Of course I do," Rosalie remarked pragmatically.

Shaking her head wryly, Esme set the duster on a side table and disappeared from the room. We waited all of four minutes before the caramel-haired vampire reappeared in a white blouse, light blue cuffed pants, and low white shoes. I knew I didn't have to worry about Esme's sense of tact and class when it came to that.

"Thank you for inviting me along, Mir," Esme thanked me with a small smile on the way out to the garage.

"Happy to have you along, Esme," I offered a tiny smile as well.

Worry struck me out of the blue when I thought of Alice all alone. "Oh, Esme, is… is she…"

Esme knew without asking whom I meant. Eyes full of sadness, the matriarch answered, "Edward is sitting with her."

"I'm glad," I exhaled in enormous relief, nerves lessened as I slipped into the back of the Mazda with Rosalie.

At the church we followed the same path as we had for the hospital Christmas party, leading us into the fellowship hall. Angela and Julie were the only people in the hall, both of them pulling decorations and supplies out of a plastic box worn by years of use.

Angela looked up after a minute and smiled at us exceptionally cautiously, light brown eyes filling with memories of my numb behavior and questions in wont of answering. In a breath of time, I became anxious. So far during my friendship with Angela Weber, she had startled me at every turn with her much more vocal persona than what I had read in _Twilight_. My intuition tingled with foreboding and anticipation in strength I hadn't felt since the dance.

"Oh, hi there," Julie finally noticed us also, tapping her distracted daughter's arm, reproving her gently for staring. "I'm glad you were able to come, Ray. I didn't know you were coming along, Esme. And you, too, Rosalie."

Something in Mrs. Weber's expression carried reproach mixed with sympathy and I awkwardly considered she might have engaged in tense words with Carlisle and Esme before that particular moment. Why their words would have been tense, I had no idea, but it seemed entirely plausible as I continued to gauge Julie's expression. It appeared I had missed out on vital events during my listless stage.

Guilty feelings marred my curiosity; if I had been more attentive, I might have helped the Cullens with this kind of problem sooner. Once again, I failed to be useful when it truly meant something.

"We thought a change of pace might lighten things up," Esme responded simply, but knowing her as well as I did, I couldn't miss the reprimand for Julie's words – nor the uneasy look Esme turned my way as some kind of sign for Julie to interpret. "I hope that's not a problem?"

"No, of course not," Julie allowed, easing up a little as she noted the perturbed expression on Esme's face and its relation to my presence. "Would you mind helping me fill the eggs?"

"Not at all," Esme smiled more naturally. "Girls, why don't you help Angela?"

Nodding along, Rosalie and I joined Angela in pulling out the rest of the decorations in the box.

"Hi, Mireille," Angela spoke at last, surprising me with the use of my full name. "Hi, Rosalie."

"Angela," Rosalie nodded, but said nothing more, letting me lead the uncomfortable moment.

"Hey, Angela," I nodded at the girl hesitantly, following the tall girl's footsteps of formality. Whatever had happened with Esme and Julie, clearly it deeply affected Angela. Enough to ruin our friendship? As strongly as I wanted to protect Angela from Vanessa, I hoped not to lose her as a friend in the process. "So, what are we doing?"

"Um, maybe you can figure something out with this stuff?" Angela spoke of the decorations from the box, her enthusiasm missing. "The old cardboard cutouts got wet in storage, so we had to throw them away. Without those, I don't know what to do."

"I'll look through it and try to figure something out," I agreed, pulling out an ink pen. "Uh, I just need some paper."

"Sure," Angela quietly acknowledged, rising to go find paper for me.

Once the soft-natured girl was out of earshot, I turned towards Rosalie to murmur, "Do you know what happened here?"

With an imperceptible shake of her head, Rosalie explained, "Charlie talked with Angela again when her parents came up after the dance. Julie—"

"Again?" I cut her off, surprised by the wording.

"Angela was outside the bathroom when Carlisle and Esme arrived," Rosalie went on almost under her breath, "Charlie questioned her, Emmett, and Edward, with Esme as witness. Then he asked to talk to Angela again once her parents arrived. Charlie talked with Esme next morning, verifying some of the questioning she witnessed. A couple hours later, Julie called and asked to talk with Esme in person, so Esme and Carlisle met the Webers in Dale's office at the church. I don't know what happened there, but it resulted in this… suspicion and distance. Alice was already arguing with Jasper and didn't even see the talk, so we had no idea what happened. And when Carlisle and Esme came home, they didn't want to talk about it."

When Rosalie's voice ceased, my brain stumbled over every part of her explanation with confusion that reverberated through my mind until Angela returned with a legal notepad.

For a while, the three of us worked in silence as I jotted down ideas with Rosalie's occasional brainchild thrown into the mix; her help kept me from giving up in a wave of lackluster participation from Angela and my own continuing regret, balancing the dips in conversation and teamwork whenever they occurred. Our combined efforts ended with a motley collection of chairs, tables, boxes, small storage containers, and even dishes and pans from the church kitchen. Everything was decked out to look like different parts of a garden or a field. Rosalie's steady hands became invaluable when I decided on making three-dimensional cardstock animals for those floor areas covered in Easter grass to mimic a meadow.

When all was said and done, the three of us sat in tense silence while Esme and Julie placed all the eggs in hiding spots and made note of them, quiet chatter passing between the two women even beneath a slight undercurrent of lingering tension.

I thought for a moment that Angela wouldn't say another word that day, but while Esme and Rosalie moved to the kitchen and waited for parents and children to arrive, Angela found words enough to last well past the event.

In a burst of unanticipated blatancy as the first parents walked into the fellowship hall, Angela turned to me and quietly yet forlornly asked, "Did you lie about me being there that night?"

Caught completely off guard by the sudden question, and the deep-seated hurt in Angela's eyes that went along with it, I was left staring and speechless when Julie called to her daughter.

"Ang, can you help?"

Prevented from having her answer, Angela sighed softly and walked away to help Mrs. Weber with handing out flyers. There were no opportunities to speak after that, and by the time the squealing and giggling boys and girls had found all the eggs, Esme gestured for us to leave.

The ride home was so quiet and stressed I was surprised Esme didn't have something to say, but she never spoke and we pulled up the long, familiar drive without a word.

Rosalie disappeared and reappeared in the same red-themed outfit from that morning, only now I had no issue with it. It seemed her choice of attire, while pertinent to the innocent young minds at the egg hunt, certainly wouldn't have made much difference in the minds of the Webers. We'd apparently already made a terrible impression on them.

"I'm going to find Emmett," Rosalie explained, and then she was gone.

Upon hearing my rebellious stomach grumbling for food I didn't want, Esme led me over to the kitchen.

"Is this situation why you didn't want to go at first?" I had to ask Esme once we were seated side-by-side at the island; the Cullen matriarch needed no clarification what 'situation' I meant.

"No," Esme answered sincerely and simply. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and sighed deep in her chest, finally clearing up what happened with Julie and Angela. "That moment when I stepped out of the bathroom for a few minutes, Charlie asked me to bear witness to his questioning of Edward, Emmett, and Angela. I did it gladly, but… the next morning, Charlie wanted to verify something about that night."

"You see," Esme went on, "at some point, Angela apparently told Charlie that she checked the girls' bathroom earlier in the night and no one answered her. Charlie thought he had written it down, but he couldn't find it, so he called and asked if I remembered. I said no, and I didn't realize what was wrong until Julie said so the next morning at their house… It was sincerely a misunderstanding on my part because I didn't think it actually happened. Given the situation – your decision not to implicate Vanessa… I felt sure you would have used Angela's story to support your case against Vanessa, but since you didn't do that, I thought Angela must never have been there in the first place. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," I answered, turning away disappointed with myself for the umpteenth time.

"Honey, why didn't you tell Charlie about Vanessa?" Esme inquired concernedly. "You're an independent adult and we respected your decision, but… It's not like you to simply not try."

"I didn't know what to do," I murmured, grief-stricken that Angela now believed we had lied about her and essentially called her a liar in return. "Even though a little of my blood was on the knife, even though she put it in her bag… I knew, intuitively, that we had no case to stand on. It wasn't clear then, but I see now that my… gift, so-called… gave me a warning. Pressing charges against Vanessa would have proved fruitless; I just didn't know the precise reasons why."

"Neither do the rest of us," Esme sighed heavily, wiping a hand across her rigid brows. "After the talk with Julie, Alice called us. I'd decided to call Charlie and retract my statement, but Alice told me in no uncertain terms that I couldn't. She never said why."

"I wonder what she saw," I spoke quietly, abstracted as I considered the possibilities.

"Nothing good."

Pivoting towards the stairs, Esme and I stared as Alice walked down the last few steps and across to the other white sofa. The small woman hadn't changed from her hopeless persona; drab clothes once more graced her tiny frame, along with a cosmetic-free face and plain flats.

"Was there _ever_ a chance of Vanessa being outed as the attacker?" I asked soberly.

"No," Alice shook her head, shoulders slumped. "Not by the time we knew what had happened, at least. If we'd known sooner and been able to call Charlie right away, it might have been possible."

"How long did I sit there before Rosalie found me?"

"A good thirty minutes," Alice sighed darkly. "Angela had been worried because you never came back to the gym like I did. It took her a couple of tries to find the right girls bathroom, but the fourth time, she finally did. You know what happened there… When Rosalie and Emmett returned to the dance, Angela approached them and told them she couldn't find you."

"You can't imagine the panic they felt…" Edward's voice, dark and festering, joined the discussion. The vampire in question sat the foot of the stairs, posture thoroughly dejected. "Angela thought they had no reaction, but I know better."

Every word topped off the last with further unsteadiness as each vampire told me their side of events that night.

"What did you see about Vanessa?" I wondered of Alice numbly.

The tiny woman merely replied, "It's not difficult to find abandoned trash can fires around this area."

"She burned the bag," I concluded blankly and Alice nodded morosely.

"She wiped the knife clean on the inside of her bag and then tossed it all into the fire," Alice detailed helplessly.

My depression raged anew and Alice matched my grief-stricken face point for point. While I had known instinctively that there was some reason Vanessa couldn't be implicated at the time, it was painful to realize just how tied our hands really were.

I had been right. Even if I had pointed fingers at Vanessa, she would have gone free. The realization made me even angrier with myself for allowing the senior to overcome me a second time – and for being so stupidly numb and scared that I had let precious time pass by, time that might have allowed us to end Vanessa's desperate desire to be at the top of the heap.

My anger for the vast ineptitude in my behavior continued to plague me all that night and into Easter morning. If I slept, it was in fits of no more than twenty minutes at a time. Awake at another ungodly hour of the morning, I settled for the tiny naps wedged into the restless pattern of the night and dressed for the day.

When I returned from the bathroom, the bed beheld the new addition of a small Easter basket. Snorting with weighted amusement, I dug through the pastel woven basket with a fond sigh. Atop a bed of standard green Easter grass, shiny gold plastic eggs full of candy made no nonsense of being seen. Based on the definite red theme of the hair accessories tucked amongst those golden eggs, I suspected Rosalie of making the basket. The pale pink stuffed penguin tucked in the grass – undoubtedly Emmett's work – only confirmed my suspicions.

Helplessly cheered, however slightly, by the small reminder of care and concern, I actually ate without complaint when Esme offered it.

Later sitting on the piano bench with the reticent hope of music making me feel even marginally better, instead my gaze trailed towards the back of the house behind my seat, the view unimpeded through that vast glass wall. Peace was the only word I could think of to describe the dewy green and gold coloring left behind from the sunlight where it sprinkled plants and trees with its gentle light.

Ambiguously inspired by the soft scene, my mind wandered over the beautiful, mysterious nature of the Olympic peninsula and the many different venues I had so far been privy to. One of the loveliest places had undoubtedly been the clearing Edward carried me to on my second day in order to avoid fuming Rosalie. Marveling over how far we had come since the blonde's great anger towards my intrusive presence, I wished for that seemingly simpler time in our lives.

Sighing, I returned my focus to the back yard. The pale, still morning called to me again, reminiscent of the magnificent landscape of the mountains in Alaska, though nowhere near as glorious.

Out of the blue, I felt a great desire to paint as I had in Denali. Frowning thoughtfully over the alluring idea, I stood pensively and made my way upstairs to Esme's workroom.

The lovely vampire looked up with a wan smile upon my entry, outlook now unendingly defined by the ebb and flow of everyone's numbness versus sensitivity. Alice took the top spot for Esme's concern.

"Esme… I think I'd like to paint again."

"That sounds like a marvelous idea, sweetheart," Esme smiled a tiny bit warmer, setting aside her greenhouse plans for a moment. The pages of her designs didn't seem to have gone anywhere since she started that morning. "Take whatever supplies you need."

While I searched, Esme began again on her planning, but mostly ended up staring at the same spot on her papers.

Yes, painting would be an excellent distraction. Now it was left only for me to choose my subject.

While I admired the lovely look of the back yard under intermittent rays of early morning sunlight, it wasn't what I needed. I wanted something more complicated that a few green trees. Water sounded an excellent challenge and the clearing I had recalled moments ago seemed perfect. But that would mean leaving the house and who would go with me? Esme seemed to want to stay near Alice, or at least in the house if the small vampire needed anything. Not only was Edward occupied sitting with his sister, but my interactions with the bronze-haired vampire had been tepid at best since his outburst in Denali. Carlisle was at work, of course, and Rosalie and Emmett appeared to truly have left this time.

Feeling disheartened at my short-lived venture, I settled half-heartedly for painting the back yard after all when Alice appeared at the foot of the stairs, drab and dull in her clothing choices as usual.

"Alice, you don't have to go with me," I sighed resignedly.

"No, I don't," Alice agreed.

"What about Edward?"

"He can kept Esme company for a change," Alice shrugged. With a weary sigh, the little vampire added, "I just know he and you won't mesh today, nor would you enjoy painting the trees in the back."

Unable to argue with her statement, I exhaled with deeper resignation and let her carry me and my supplies to the place I had wanted to go.

The clearing looked strikingly different in early spring compared to the middle of fall. In fact, I wagered it shone even more beautifully with the rich mixture of greens unaffected by autumn's changing ways. Translucent and arresting, the deep river curved southwest in a swelling arc and disappeared around a sharp westward turn, rushing off behind the trees.

"Thank you, Alice," I murmured, relishing the beautiful, freeing world we had entered.

"You're welcome," she answered softly and settled on a fallen log nearby, thin arms wrapped around her knees.

The vision of landscape just beyond Alice's position bestowed the exact challenge I expected. Brush strokes and breathing were all that could be heard for ages, it seemed. My hands moved sure and swift, covering a lot of the canvas before I even realized it. When uninhibited by the strange and changeable weather of Denali, I was able to complete far more in a single day.

While painting had been a huge relief in Denali, it had also left me to think a great deal, usually about things I couldn't change. Following my own apparent pattern in behavior, I began to think – about my personal failings, of course, but also the situation with Angela, Edward's darkness, and Jasper's insistence that Alice live without him beside her.

The latter drew my mind back to the greatest shock – and equally the greatest confusion – that occurred because of the incident.

Jasper accidentally biting Alice in a mindless moment of panic I could understand, but the awkward placement of that scar left me at a loss. How in the world did Jasper bite around Alice's bottom lip in such an unusual position? If Jasper's behavior was as feral and unreasoning as everyone said, I couldn't imagine him letting anyone get so close. The southern vampire had learned that lesson in Maria's army time and time again; it was the very reason he had become such a magnificent fighter.

Chancing a look over at the darkened pixie Jasper loved, I contemplated how insensitive it would be to ask. Curiosity could be as dangerous as a mad dog.

Brief, distraught laughter shook me from my considerations to face Alice's empty sadness.

"It won't hurt more than anything else, Mireille," Alice told me, tone thoroughly discouraged.

"It's not my business," I rescinded the curiosity in my mind in quiet shame.

"It's as much yours as it is Esme's or Edward's," the small woman assured me dismally.

Sighing sullenly, my shoulders dropped low, I resigned myself to Alice forever knowing even those plans I discarded.

"I just don't understand how he could have bitten you in such an unusual place. I'm sorry."

Similarly saturnine, Alice breathed deeply and exhaled more slowly than that. "It was my own stupid fault."

"Alice," I rebuked her self-condemnation.

"It's true," she contested sharply, lips thinning as her liquid gold eyes penetrated the deepness of the forest ahead of her. "I knew he wasn't himself, but I just couldn't wait him out. Always impatient, always arrogant, always jumping ahead of the present to reach what I _want_ to see happen. He growled and snarled at us all, and I thought I could sweeten him into reality with a reminder of me. Edward tried to warn me off, but I didn't want to hear him."

"What did you do?" I asked uneasily.

"At first I thought my scent would help him," Alice went on even more bitterly, "so I blew my breath towards him. For a moment it seemed to work – he froze. In the still posture, the wildness seemed gone and I was so sure of myself that I kissed him. This mark wasn't the result of untenable hysteria, but of my unmitigated idiocy."

Speech stopped precipitously and Alice returned to blankness in the span of a blinking eyelid, leaving me to a thorny silence and battered knowledge as I returned crestfallen to my brush and paint.

Despite my intense fury of painting in response to the new blotch of heartache, as I eventually converged on the left half of the canvas, even this grand view seemed inadequate in some way. Frowning, I studied the piece in consternation, unable to decide what was missing. Turning, I almost suggested as much to Alice, but I was faintly stunned to see the slender vampire shaking.

"Alice?" I questioned, voice soft as a downy chick.

"I'm sorry," Alice's voice escaped muffled through her hands, succumbing to the vampire equivalent of crying. For the second time that weekend, I felt terrible that vampires could never shed actual tears; their expressions of 'crying' limited to the audible noises of gripping emotion and the movement of their bodies with every gasp or sob of air.

"What for?" I spread my hands powerlessly. I wished, as Edward had more than a week ago, that I could take it all away.

"I thought I could just stay frozen," Alice cried out quietly, face crumpling all over again. "I _wanted_ to. I wanted to not think on what's missing; to not think how great a strain it is to want him here with me. It's so much less painful to not feel _anything at_ _all_ …"

"It's less painful," I repeated, my own eyes burning with unshed tears as Alice's agony made itself so prominently known, "but it's so unimaginably exhausting, isn't it? You beat back those overwhelming, negative feelings one day at a time. You think today it won't hurt as much as yesterday. Just one more day, and then you'll feel again, you'll be normal again… But every day drains a little more of your hope, stealing it away from you."

"Yes!" Alice exclaimed with dark relief, turning to me with pleading eyes that asked me for nothing. "From the moment I opened my eyes, he was all I could see. It's like I'm still sitting in that diner, just waiting, day after day after _day_. And I'm praying… let today be the day he's be ready. Let today be the day he's free. But he's still not free. I keep waiting and hoping. Only this time I don't know what I'm waiting for! When I see our future… he's not there with me. He's so far away from my heart. And I'm alone again. I don't want to wait another thirty years to feel again!" Alice began to cry in earnest.

Angelic, elfin features twisted and turned, forming a bereaved, suffering façade Alice didn't deserve to experience. After all the hell she had lived through in her human life – her father's heinous actions, the unholy shock treatments, who-knew-what vile acts perpetrated by unworthy attendants in the asylum… For the first time since I had ever read or known of Alice Cullen, I was irrevocably pleased this tiny clairvoyant could never recall her human memories.

For if Alice had even vaguely remembered that time in her life, I dared not imagine what sick horrors she would still be living with. Would she ever have become the enlivened and beloved fashion maven of today? The strong, cheerful woman I knew might have developed into another Alistair – constantly paranoid of what other pain and tragedy would rain down on her. Those visions that so dominated her life could have revolved around preventing further horrors and hiding from unknown terrors, rather than forging straight paths through the muck and grime of the world to make a beautiful future.

"You have us," I whispered piteously as my thoughts trailed into gray nothing. I knew it would accomplish little, and mean even less, but the words escaped so instinctively that I had to say them.

"I love every single one of you…" Alice confessed, voice hushed as she offered an expression of assurance that I doubtlessly held a place in her sentiment. "Yet as much as I'm grateful for having all of you in my life… Without his quiet intensity, I feel nothing more than predisposed shadows of accountability for your welfare. Without his steady presence, I want nothing beyond these few rational moments seeing all of you gain some miniscule measure of peace. Without Jasper, I'm not anything."

Fathomless, heart-rending sorrow overcame Alice in a broken slump over her delicate knees, clothes a stingy black nothingness to match her vitiated perspective upon the new, excruciating world in which she existed. Unable to withstand the pitiful sight of Alice's dread anguish, I moved without thought for anything but my heartbroken friend and wrapped her up in my arms. Slim hands clutched at my shoulders for support, but the sensation left no more fear in my soul.

Alice might have been hard as stone and nearly unbreakable, but her frame felt devastatingly small and thin under my hands as I tried to withhold my growing tears. Facing renewed thoughts of the tragic circumstances that created Alice Cullen finally forced my tears over the edge. A harrowing human life had ended tragically alone, only for a new life to arrive and immediately enforce nearly thirty more years in darkness and isolation.

Now… after so much joy, adventure, and love filling her astonishing journey, our fragile oracle was compelled with unwilling dispassion to endure the broken dissolution of a once perfect devotion.

* * *


	50. Chapter 48: Igneous

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
'Igneous' in this chapter means 'fiery'. It's a much rarer use of the term, but Merriam-Webster says it's still valid.

Two major things in this chapter are both so perfectly attuned for what Jasper & Alice are experiencing right now, but they really caught me off guard! Well, actually a lot of this chapter caught me off guard, lol. I have no idea where this chapter even came from. And let me tell you, Charlie Swan will kick your shins if you don't let him steal the scene from everybody. Looking at you, Billy Burke! …This is his fault, of course. He was great as Charlie. :)

**Song Inspiration:**  
 _Inner Demons_ by Julia Brennan

**Previously** – The Cullen returned to Forks after their trip to Denali. Mireille remembered a promise to Angela and realized she had no one to go with her for safety. Rosalie offered to go so Mireille could keep her word to Angela. Mireille insisted Rosalie change into a more respectable outfit and picked it out for her. Esme joined Mireille and Rosalie to help with the Easter Egg Hunt. Julie and Angela acted oddly and it was revealed they thought Esme and Mireille lied about them. Esme explained her confusion about the situation and Mireille realized her silence about Vanessa created the problem in the first place. Alice revealed Vanessa threw the purse and knife in a fire. Emmett and Rosalie gave Mir a small Easter gift to cheer her up. Mireille decided to paint and Alice joined her in the clearing Edward once took them to. Mireille and Alice discussed the circumstances of Jasper's accidental bite. Jasper had been lost in Mireille's panic and Alice overestimated his recovery. Mireille couldn't seem to finish her painting and Alice became emotional. Alice described her pain waiting for Jasper to be ready for her. Alice admitted she felt like nothing without Jasper. Mireille hugged Alice, her discomfort with touch disappearing in the face of Alice's pain.

> **Chapter 48: Igneous**

Monday morning dawned still and gray against the exiguous backdrop of sprinkling rain. In line with all of our bleak moods and expectations, the day regrettably began its ascent with some kind of dispirited debate on the second floor. I was forced to pick out each person's identity by the general tone of their voices, for the words were totally indistinguishable at such a distance. From what I could tell, Rosalie and Jasper were the two vampires currently at odds.

The sharp yet dreary conversation would never have disturbed me if I'd been able to sleep more than a few hours through the night. As it was, I had already been sitting up in a mess of blankets when the disagreement started wafting up the stairs and in through the doorway early that morning.

Sighing at the muffled, upset voices that sounded so uncongenial towards each other, I finally ignored the unhappy noises and started getting ready for the day.

After my morning routine ended, I was left with a lot of spare time before we drove to the high school. Breakfast continued in an unappealing vein, so I forwent heading downstairs yet. It was in this pointless state of being that Edward found me when he came into the room with an uncomfortable look that almost eclipsed the pending dark cloud in his spirit.

Judging my plain white sweater and navy pants with a saddened critical expression, Edward nonetheless refrained from speaking his mind on my ongoing lack of interest with fashion and style. I felt it useful to avoid the meaning behind that look and waited for him to speak.

Heaving a tired sigh, Edward spoke with colorless gloom, "Would you mind helping Alice for a moment?"

Frowning deeply at the unusual inquiry, I asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"

Another sigh, this time infinitely more weary than the first, slipped away from Edward as he answered, "Alice had a vision. Her darkness of style combined with yours, and the rumored trouble with the Webers, would lead to pertinent and unavoidable questions from some of the teachers about our home life. Your circumstances on their own are given a certain amount of leeway because it's such a difficult situation for any parent to handle, but with another of Carlisle and Esme's children becoming depressed, it would create mistrust of their parenting. Alice needs to looks a little more like herself to pass under the radar. It's just that she… well…."

I didn't need to hear anything more than that; I had no difficulty comprehending the trouble. Alice wanted no more from fashion than she wanted from any of us right then. She just wanted Jasper back.

Imagining the damaged couple forced to sit side by side throughout three of their classes, with such a chasm of emotion and loss caught up between them, I cringed and tried not to envision any more.

I did find it quite grimly hilarious that the teachers could be so attentive to changes in our family, but not in someone like Whitney Duran with her terribly pitiful appearance – and quite probably her school performance – weighted down by Vanessa's clutching control. Then again, perhaps they had indeed noticed, but her parents did nothing about it. How would I know one way or the other? I didn't even know the girl on a personal level; all I knew was pity for her circumstances.

"You want _me_ pick an outfit for Alice?" I questioned instead, brow rising in disbelief as I found the courage to glance down at my own – currently deadened – style as an example.

"Am I wrong if I say… you would do it well enough for Alice's sake?" Edward offered quietly, although his discomfort increased over my blatant reference to the condition of my outlook on the world, and certainly in regards to my unasked mental images of his sister's troubled marriage.

Of course he was right. I couldn't let fixable problems overtake our image in Forks and force us all to leave before Bella arrived. It seemed everything lately depended upon our ability to stay in Forks until that time.

"I'll try," I sighed and followed him back to Alice's separate boudoir.

The tiny woman sat on her pink bench in an austere all-black outfit, Spartan flats, untamed spiky hair, and no makeup. Compared to what everyone knew of her, it was a state that left no doubt in my mind why the teachers would get nervous about Carlisle and Esme's parenting skills. After our ragged emotional connection the previous evening, I felt terrible for helping bring Alice around to this even more lifeless condition.

"Alice?" Edward tried to reach his sister, but even he seemed incapable of bringing a reaction now.

While I slept, the small psychic must have become a mannequin of her own making, attempting to go back to her emotionless state out of self preservation. It appeared to be working beyond her wildest dreams.

"Alice," I called to her sadly, worriedly.

She moved – barely – and I exhaled with distant relief. At least she responded to _someone_.

"I'll leave you," Edward murmured and disappeared.

Not bothering to try and ask Alice any kind of direction, I immediately started rifling through her immense closet. There were so many colors and patterns, all so vividly Alice, and I felt my eyes water at the vast difference between the chatty, pixielike woman I'd met in Seattle to the one sitting spiritless and silent behind me.

Clearing my throat roughly, I forced back the tears and more rapidly dug through the mass of fabric. In a closet full of color, I finally pulled a short-sleeved gray blouse with a simple sheer layer crossing over the front, matched by black jeans and low gray pumps. I didn't have the heart to make Alice wear anything cheerful, nor did I really have the mental and emotional resources to even pick out something in that vein, so instead I focused on making Alice's outfit merely look adequately stylish.

"Alice," I sighed towards the tiny woman with deep reluctance. "I know – I _know_ – this fashion, these clothes mean nothing to you right now, but we need you to try. Please?"

Alice made no reply, leaving me that much more concerned – not only for Alice, but for the Cullens' and Edward's entire future.

When I considered speaking words to that effect, however, anticipation thrilled in my veins and a deep inner expectation overtook me. I now felt, oddly enough, as though Bella Swan's arrival was not a valid enough reason for Alice to work towards in that moment.

Acknowledging that my special ability had much further reach and far stronger ramifications than I ever anticipated, I changed tack and explained instead, "If we don't keep up some kind of façade in spite of what we're going through, Carlisle and Esme's good names and the reputation they've been building as loving parents will be maligned by what people _think_ they're seeing in this family."

The implication of Carlisle and Esme's warmth and trust blasted by preventable rumors encouraged movement, however slow and small, and Alice finally got into the task of changing her deadened clothes to something a little less so. Not much, considering my own bleakness, but it would stand the test of the teachers' observations.

Thankfully, Alice didn't so much as blink when I combed her short hair into something approaching her standard style.

One more thing that stood out with surprising prominence was the confounded scar on Alice's lower lip. Wincing at the very idea of drawing attention to that problematic patch of discoloration, I nevertheless drew a deep breath and dug through Alice's vanity for makeup. A dark sigh let me know precisely how Alice felt about this specific part of the morning, but once more she let me do what I felt needed to be done to avoid public scrutiny.

Seeing as I was the only one who appeared capable of convincing Alice to move, the tiny vampire joined me in the Acura that morning. The others all took the Volvo, the strange switch between Edward and Alice all too noticeable to Rosalie and Emmett's awkward eyes. I was actually surprised Jasper didn't try to use another vehicle entirely, but he had apparently settled for distance from Alice alone.

As much as I liked Angela Weber and admired her innate kindness, the tall girl became something of a nuisance at lunch. Angela had instantly joined Rosalie and me in the lunch line and kept us from joining the others while she asked uncomfortable questions, all harkening back to her sudden doubts about my family's trustworthiness. Not to mentions Angela's probable doubts regarding my statement months ago – when I had said I would come to Forks again despite all of my problems so far.

I put her off with brief, common assurances of very few words and finally pulled myself away to walk with Rosalie to our lunch table, but Angela clearly didn't believe a word I said. Her worried, mistrustful eyes followed me.

Troublesome as that circumstance was, I quickly gained a new frustration that took my attention.

My maddening gift of intuition had started to plague me with anticipation again. For what I didn't know, but the feelings were quite unwelcome. More intense than my feelings about Angela's questioning at the Easter Egg Hunt, this sense of expectation felt as though it might eventually explode if given enough time without action taken.

All throughout English and history, I found a new reason to despise my growing list of weaknesses. Had I stopped feeling so insecure about being too 'special' and merely accepted that I had an ability – one I should learn to use and not take for granted – then Vanessa wouldn't have gotten the better of me. No one would have gone through what they did.

The thoughts plagued me, dark and infuriated, even until we returned home, so it was no surprise Edward remained in the Volvo and Alice with me in the Acura for our drive home.

The next morning, Edward called upon me once again to choose clothes and apply makeup for Alice. After picking out a dismal taupe top and vaguely matching neutral flats, I simply appointed myself Alice's personal stylist for the foreseeable future and decided I would plan her outfits in advance so were weren't constantly sitting in that room with all of our pains and fears swelling between us in the grim silence. Whatever vision overtook Alice upon my solidified decision, it forced a tiny, almost invisible smirk on her elfin features that gave me a smidgen of hope for her.

That little bit of hope faced an enormous gamut of doubt once Angela overtook me at lunch again. This time, she had Katie on her side. There seemed little use for the other girl, who asked the stupidest questions, I couldn't help thinking.

_Are Carlisle and Esme having problems?_

_Are there family troubles bothering you?_

_Does anyone in the family resent you being here?_

_Is Esme hurting you?_

At the last one, my head whipped around so fast and my eyes turned so positively igneous that both girls jumped back in fright.

"Esme has never – _never_ – mistreated me in any way, shape, or form," I nearly growled, glare growing keener with every word I uttered. " _None_ of the Cullens have ever hurt me. At. All. If you ever insinuate such a despicable thing ever again, I am _done_ with you."

Finished with their attempts at melodramatic 'intervention', I snapped up a soda and followed Rosalie to the lunch table.

That night I headed up to Alice's closet, rifling through clothing to choose her outfits head of time. Navy on Wednesday, black and pine on Thursday, blue and gray on Friday. The following week looked much the same. Gray and black, black and taupe, black and navy, black and brown, and back to gray and black once again. Alice's outfits remained as dark and unhappy as my depressing moods allowed within reasonable style guidelines and I started to wonder if I was even helping with the teachers' impressions.

Anger persisted throughout the day and indeed the week, leaving me in a consistently foul mood that led Edward to take a definite distance from the house most days.

On Wednesday, I skipped out on the prom committee meeting so I wouldn't have to deal with any more possible interventions. Jessica had been eyeing me oddly

By the time Esme's birthday rolled around on Saturday, I just barely found time to make a gift for her through my ongoing upset. Certainly no one was in a celebratory mood, least of all Esme, but I couldn't make myself forget her special day and spent all my energy and free time on a new painting.

I had left the painting of the clearing as yet unfinished, unable to pinpoint what seemed to be missing from its' contents. Given the deep emotional baggage now tied to that spot, I didn't have too high of hopes to ever finish it.

Esme's face lit up with gentle joy that night when I handed over a modest canvas of the copse of trees behind the house, brushed in peaceful golds, greens, and neutrals.

"Happy Birthday, Esme," I said in all sincerity.

"Oh, Mir, this is wonderful!" Esme gushed happily.

"It's very pleasant to look at," Carlisle remarked of the painting, a smile on his face.

While it wasn't my most challenging subject, it was a lovely portrait of the landscape that intended to foster the greatest change in the Cullens' lives since Alice and Jasper's arrival in 1950. Wincing internally over the unintentionally morbid connection, I accepted Esme's hug with a stiffer smile than I wanted to exhibit.

"Thank you, honey," the caramel-haired vampire offered, an honest smile in her voice that helplessly made me feel a bit better.

Another Monday morning dawned gray and rainy, hardly lifting the mood of the house. At school, thankfully the weather held no bearing on the installation of security cameras in the school. The workers were everywhere, carefully installing the machinery where Charlie and the school board had agreed upon. It looked like slow work, unfortunately, but at least it was getting done.

Despite my anger the previous Wednesday, Angela had begun to ask questions again. This time, the awkward inquiries hinted strongly towards Vanessa's involvement with the incident. Cringing inside, I shook my head and offered the same assurances – only they felt far feebler than before.

I spent all weekend wondering when – or if – Angela would ever give up.

Given this strain of thought, it shocked me entirely on the following Monday when Angela no more asked me questions than she approached me or even looked in my direction. The complete one-eighty stunned even Alice, stone cold as she was; the tiny vampire couldn't seem to help turning to stare over her shoulder as Angela totally avoided us on her way to the usual lunch table with Katie, Jessica, and the boys. No one at their table seemed concerned, in fact Austin and Conner offered me a congenial wave of greeting. Even Katie, as much as Angela had utilized her help the previous two weeks, didn't look at all bothered.

This was… strange, I couldn't help thinking as I sat between Edward and Jasper with my lunch tray.

"Agreed," Edward murmured low, a frown heavy on his lean face.

"Nothing to hear?" I muttered equally as low, focusing entirely on my lunch.

"She's thinking of her brothers and schoolwork," Edward answered more quietly, yet his voice retained stress and concern. "It's just… rigid… extremely tense compared to what her mind usually works like."

I didn't like the sound of that, but I had no idea what could be done. Angela didn't trust me right now – or at least she didn't trust my paltry assurances; I guessed those were technically two different conditions.

Edward said nothing more on the subject of Angela and we returned to the state of avoidance we were now so skilled at.

Regardless our excellence in evading each other, after our classes ended, I needed to know something important and Edward was the only one who would be able and willing to answer me. Hence my decision to hold back in the English classroom until Edward took the hint – I wasn't leaving unless he talked to me. And of course, Edward wouldn't dare let me walk alone.

With a slow, deep breath to calm his frustration, Edward turned back to me before he walked out. Accepting that as the best he would offer, I swept up my books and followed him out the door. We stopped at the Acura and I noticed poor Alice waiting just far enough away from the Volvo to avoid Jasper. Both of them looked entirely miserable.

"What is it?" Edward prompted impatiently. He hated to be near my thoughts since the incident, so I wasn't shocked, but I was a little disappointed every time he acted that way.

"Is she stopping herself?" I asked rather cryptically, but Edward understood from the image in my mind who I meant.

Hesitating over what to say of his psychic sister, the bronze-haired vampire settled for simplicity, "Most of the time she blocks it… Why?"

"Something must have happened to Angela," I stated under my breath. "Something Alice inadvertently kept herself from seeing. I don't know what, but it has Angela avoiding all of us like the plague. It's almost like she's afraid we'll hurt her."

"Maybe her parents are afraid she'll be tainted if she talks to our dysfunctional family," Edward remarked darkly.

"What's sad is that I can't even argue with you properly," I admitted just as darkly, though I scowled over our dank humor all the same. Edward smirked mockingly and made his way to the Volvo without another word.

"Alice, are you coming with?" I turned to the small vampire, but she had already started walking in my direction.

Another week, another lifeless slew of experiences. Jasper remained separate from his other half in all but their marriage certificate and shared classes. Alice was still dead to the world, blocking most of her visions, and leaving her appearance in my increasingly capable hands. Angela avoided our entire family like the plague and Edward still couldn't get anything from the tall girl's thoughts that would give us a clue. Whatever happened, Angela buried it so deeply she wasn't even thinking about it.

By the end of the week, everyone had grown even tenser that I thought possible. Perhaps there was no real limit on how much tension a family could produce and still survive mentally and emotionally, but it certainly felt like there should be one for the Cullens. Nothing proved that more solidly than the depressing occurrence in Alice and Jasper's last class on Friday.

Mrs. McCall let us out of English a few minutes early that afternoon, so Edward and I made our way to the biology classroom to wait for Alice and Jasper. Mr. Banner wrapped up the class with a call to turn in the day's assignments. Sluggish as usual, Alice and Jasper slowly wrapped up at the back of the class. While Jasper completed the last details on their assignment sheet, Alice rose to take their Petri dish back up front.

The first pair of lab partners nearly walked out the door when Mr. Banner called them back rapidly, "Wait Adam, Tiffany… Names and today's date at the top of your sheet, please."

The two teens in question looked irritated, but took their paper back to do as asked.

"This isn't your first day, kids," Mr. Banner spoke to the whole class then. "Put your names and the date on your papers before you hand them in. Remember today is April 30."

Alice had made it halfway to the teacher's desk when Mr. Banner announced the date so calmly. Suddenly Edward gripped my arm with unintentional fierceness. A slight hiss of pain left me as his firm fingertips dug into my elbow deep enough to leave bruises later, but before I could say anything to stop him, I realized precisely why he became so upset.

Today was the thirtieth of April.

Alice and Jasper's wedding anniversary.

Oh God.

Frozen in the middle of the room, Alice stared with vacancy that rapidly gave way to turmoil in her half-darkened eyes. In the mindless upheaval of students scribbling names or dates on their class work, Jasper's face rose slowly, unwilling onyx eyes drawn up to heaven-knew-what kinds of emotions in his paralyzed mate as the Petri dish slipped from her loosening grip and shattered on the hard tiles at Alice's feet.

Everyone stopped scribbling and chattering to stare at the smallest person in the room, loose and dull brown dress leaving Alice a spectre of her stylish self.

"I-I'm sorry," Alice stuttered abruptly, kneeling down to clean up the mess of glass and liquid without really seeing it. Edward stepped into the classroom, heedless of onlookers, and moved to help Alice with her task.

Seeing the situation apparently ended, the rest of the class filed out in a hurry to get away from school for the weekend. When the last student passed me, I found Alice barely moving her hands in any satisfactory cleaning gestures.

Mr. Banner headed over with an air of concern unrelated to the broken dish and its contents. Surprisingly keen eyes darted between skittish Alice and stiff Jasper, who had never risen to help his… well, whatever the school thought they were at present. While we had often tried various means of switching up partners at the dances and during class, it was difficult not to see them as a couple when they held hands and linked arms most of the time.

Until recently.

"That's all right, Alice, Edward," Mr. Banner assured them with a smile less calm than its intention. Edward's hands stuttered almost imperceptibly at whatever thoughts accompanied the teacher's spoken words. "Accidents happen. Besides, it's the end of the day. I'll take care of this. You kids go ahead and go home."

"Thank you, Mr. Banner," Edward spoke for them both, nudging Alice as if it were unintentional in a play to gain her distraught attention. "Sorry… Come on, short stuff."

The use of Emmett's pet name surprised Alice just enough to rise with her brother and let him walk her out of the room. Jasper had the decency to at least pack up Alice's materials and carry them out under my hawkeyed gaze.

I understood he was in agony, too. Hurting Alice somehow, especially because he had lost control of himself, would have driven Jasper out of his mind with self-hatred and a lack of self-worth. Jasper would undoubtedly have felt like a failure and a monster for having brought such a violent scar on his beloved wife with his own teeth – teeth that had a heavy, painful history of ripping vampires' throats apart before he killed them for Maria's uses.

Bearing all of that awful, weighted memory in mind… Jasper's act of cold distance had nevertheless run its race with me. Most days, Alice acted more like a true asylum patient than the self-assured vampire who always stayed ahead of the game. The tiny woman had been so anguished that she blocked her visions – and even a vision like the one today had escaped her notice.

Now I felt certain Mr. Banner would have something to say about the day's experience. Whether it was to Carlisle and Esme, Mr. Green, or Charlie, I would have to wait and see.

The idea of waiting agitated me. Already my gift had been overwhelming me with anticipation and expectation of something yet to come. With so many things in the works, I couldn't possibly determine which my gift referenced, if there was even a single option to be had. Perhaps my gift pushed them all at me like a chips rake on a poker table, waiting to see what bets I made with the cards I had been dealt.

As it turned out, I didn't have long to wait after all.

Charlie Swan paid us a visit late that evening; everyone was home by that point, even Carlisle. Without Alice allowing herself to see, there was no forewarning of the impending visit and it was left to Edward to tell us the moment Charlie's slightly occluded mind entered his range of ability.

A rush of movement around me left the room in a different state than it had been. Things appeared as if they had been used all day, arranged less cleanly and more lived-in. Everyone convened in the living area, even Jasper, and Emmett turned on golf for background noise. Edward drew Alice into the living area with kind hands, but when I took a good look at her elfin features, I almost wished they had stayed upstairs. Edward shared a commiserating expression with me, plainly as depressed by Alice's new level of absenteeism as I was.

Charlie walked through the door Carlisle held open, face all measures of grim.

"Charlie," Carlisle greeted the chief of police solemnly. "I expect this is not a social call."

"No, Carlisle, I'm afraid it isn't," Charlie agreed, straight to the point. When Charlie didn't hem and haw, I knew things were serious. "I'm sorry to be here right now, but I have to do my job and check everything."

"Check what, exactly?" Esme more demanded than requested, causing Carlisle to grip her shoulder with comfort and a plea to calm down.

Sighing in understanding, Charlie replied, "I've had two difficult phone calls today. One from the Webers and one from Mr. Banner up at the school."

Each and every one of us knew what happened with Mr. Banner, but the Webers' inclusion left a dangerously uncomfortable feeling in my chest.

"Go on," Carlisle prompted Charlie as calmly as only he could.

"Dale and Julie were pretty shaken up," Charlie went on in more detail. "Apparently, Angela's been sitting on a threatening letter she received at school."

A shocked gasp escaped mine and Esme's lips at the same moment. It didn't take much to determine who must have sent that letter, although I doubted there was any sign of Vanessa's blackened touch.

"I can guess what you're thinking," Charlie nodded. "Whoever attacked Mireille did this. My instincts are all leaning in that direction. Problem is, the Webers are a little too scared right now to think that rationally."

"What does that mean?" Esme inquired, frowning.

Heaving a much larger and more troubled sigh, Charlie expanded, "Julie, especially, seemed concerned that it was someone a lot closer to home, so to speak. Someone who didn't want Angela talking about what she saw at the dance."

"They're accusing us," Rosalie concluded in apparent shock; her understanding bloomed in one sharp burst of surprise.

"No, certainly not!" Esme exclaimed in disbelief, turning to share Carlisle's gaze with growing concern.

"They're not accusing you," Charlie clarified rather weakly.

"No, they just _highly_ suspect us," I shot back angrily.

"Now don't get up in arms, young lady," Charlie pointed at me firmly. "I'm talking to your parents."

"Her parents allow her to speak when needs present themselves," Carlisle corrected Charlie with calm strength. The doctor wasn't angry yet, but patience ran slim in his eyes.

Throwing his hands out helplessly, Charlie spoke with remarkably patient concordance, "All right. Your kid, not mine. I'm sorry. But the fact of the matter is Julie's connecting some pretty irrational dots based on that disagreement over where Angela was during Mireille's attack. The Webers don't understand why Esme and Mireille are essentially calling them liars."

"We never said they lied!" Esme interrupted heatedly, eyes narrowing despite Carlisle's cautionary hand at her back. "I told you I didn't remember Angela saying she was there in the bathroom. That's the simple truth. I never said a _word_ about Angela's credibility."

"Okay, I know that," Charlie conceded, "but you haven't made any move to change your statements. To them, it seems like you're denying that what they've said is true."

Esme grit her teeth and accepted that much from the chief, leaving Carlisle to ask, "What did Mr. Banner call for?"

"I'm going to assume you know what happened with Alice in biology?"

"You assume correctly," Carlisle replied with a single nod.

"Carlisle, Esme…" Charlie began again, even more uncomfortably. "Well, blunt to the point, I've never judged the way Rosalie and Emmett or Alice and Jasper seem to have a… thing… going on."

This description obviously caused Charlie quite a headache to phrase just so, but he had put it out there and now he had to follow up.

"I know they're not related in any way to their partners, so I don't stick my nose in how you handle that. But… when a teacher calls me with concerns of an abusive relationship, I have to start putting my neck out there."

"Abusive relationship?" Esme repeated with a coolly raised brow, Carlisle not far behind. The two stood united before the chief of police, beautiful in their confidence and the protection of their children, adults or no.

"I don't know exactly how things are between Alice and Jasper," Charlie mentioned the least helpful discussion topic in the world right then, "but Mr. Banner was concerned that the changes in Alice lately seem related to the changes in Jasper."

The rest of the Cullen 'kids' all shifted awkwardly, Jasper most of all. As much as we all needed to hear what was going on, it felt more prudent for us to have listened at the keyhole, as it were.

"What changes are those?" Carlisle queried, impossibly patient, yet I noticed a small tick in his pointer finger where it rested against Esme's arm. I just hoped Charlie didn't notice it along with me.

"Apparently, the teachers have noticed Jasper seems pretty distant towards Alice and Mireille lately," the chief explained resignedly. "Edward and Mireille have seemed colder towards each other too. And well… all of it seems related to Mireille's attack at the dance – in a way I really don't like to imply. Especially since Mireille wasn't willing to name her attacker."

"Wait," I cut in sharply, unable to stop myself as a disturbing realization struck me like lightning. Charlie turned to me with an exasperated, but accepting expression as I spoke, "Stop me if I'm wrong, but let me lay out this scenario for everyone… You think Edward and me had a 'thing' like Alice and Jasper, but Jasper and I started to have feelings for each other and got close, so Alice and Edward jealously conspired to hurt me as repayment… How am I doing so far, Charlie?"

Fairly glowing with discomfort, the chief didn't respond.

"Mireille," Carlisle started reproachfully, but Charlie held up a hand to forestall him and let me forge recklessly ahead.

"You think _Alice_ attacked me in the bathroom," I went on unimpeded, "which could explain why I didn't tell you who it was when you asked. Rosalie is Jasper's sister, so of course she comforted me – the new love interest – rather than supporting attacker Alice. Jasper is cold towards Alice because she interrupted our sordid affair with all this pain and suffering. But he's distant to me, the new lover, because he's trying to keep Alice from hurting me again. Alice and Edward are dark, distant, and depressed because of the raging condemnation they feel for losing their partners and because of the deep, underlying guilt they feel for hurting their dad's beloved niece…"

The Cullens had frozen in true stressed vampire fashion, all eyes darting between Charlie and me in hopeful sense of doubt that my sarcastic commentary was indeed Charlie's working theory.

"What do you think of that fairy tale, Chief Swan?" I asked with false cheer, almost hysterically amused until I felt anger blooming and spoke words to that effect, "You should know every word of that is _completely_ insane, of course."

Charlie didn't get a chance to respond before positively obnoxious laughter burst forth from Edward in one explosive boom. The bronze-haired vampire shook with the force of his humor, bent over his knees in silent, almost agonizing glee.

Exhaling a plume of embarrassed breath, Charlie finally shrugged haphazardly.

"It was Mark's theory, not mine. Had to see how you reacted to it."

Aside from now-chuckling Edward and myself, the rest of the family released breaths of utmost relief.

"Oh, honestly, Charlie!" Esme cried to the room at large, the sound startling in its suddenness. Carlisle sighed with difficulty and moved his hand from Esme's back, only to wrap both arms around her shoulders. "Does anyone truly believe that theory?"

"Mark isn't dead set, but he's not ruling it out," Charlie confessed with a tilt of his head. "As much as Dale and Julie don't want to believe it of your family, they're not comfortable right now, either."

"But it's utterly ridiculous!" Esme pressed, face twisted with worry.

"Look, I agree with you, Esme," Charlie tried again, and it seemed he did truly agree, "but look at it from their point of view… Alice and Mireille go into the girls' bathroom at the dance. Alice allegedly leaves the bathroom, but no one can confirm that fact. Angela happens to be at the bathroom at the approximate time of the attack, but for some reason, Mireille doesn't call out for help. Now, after Angela asked a lot of awkward questions and Mireille snapped at her, suddenly Angela gets a note threatening her to stay away from Mireille or else her brothers will get hurt."

"I understand they're afraid for their daughter," Carlisle allowed, offering a loving glance to all three of the 'daughters' under his care, "but this is an enormous accusation to make, particularly after the upheaval our family has been through since moving to Forks."

"It is a big leap," Charlie concurred, returning to himself as a police officer much as he was a friend. "They're not making an actual statement to that effect. In fact, they're the ones who wanted me to talk with you. I think they want to be convinced they're wrong."

"Then maybe I should talk to them," I asserted more darkly than I expected from myself.

"You will do no such thing," Carlisle scolded me firmly, eyeing my recalcitrant attitude with definite reprimand.

"They don't need that right now," Esme sighed, although the sparkle in her eyes let me know she found my arguments quite amusing.

"I'll second that," Charlie put me down authoritatively. "You've got a skyrocket for a temper, Missy."

Exhaling on a scoff, I slumped into the sofa beside Alice, who looked even worse for wear than before Charlie came to the house.

"I'm afraid that leaves another concern to be squashed," Charlie revealed, another uncomfortable gaze flitting over Alice and Jasper.

"What now?" Carlisle sighed wearily.

"Mr. Banner didn't think anything in relation to the dance," the chief answered. "He just said Alice looked pretty spooked when she dropped the Petri dish, but Jasper just sat there, not doing a thing to help her. After the way the usually behave in class, Bob worried that Jasper might have been… well… a little rough with Alice."

Alice stirred but barely, and even in the darkness of Jasper's distance, the small woman narrowed accusing eyes at Charlie for implying anything abusive about her mate. It surely wouldn't improve Jasper's view of himself or of his relationship with Alice.

"I'm sorry, little lady," Charlie chuckled solemnly at the petulant look. "This isn't a concern I'm willing to let pass."

"Charlie… I'd like to discuss something with you," Esme recommended to the chief, a glimmer of strategy in her usually soft eyes. "Jasper is my nephew, after all, and I feel there are some things you need to understand."

"You don't have to hide it from me," Jasper spoke, that baritone so long unheard in my presence a strange and welcome sound. "I can take it."

"If you're sure, honey," Esme allowed, a gentle expression communicating her understanding if Jasper felt uncomfortable.

"I'm sure, Esme," Jasper nodded once, although he turned his eyes away.

"You have to understand…" Esme spoke into the quiet, voice quickly growing wobbly as her emotions took over and she turned back to the chief, "when we took our children in, each and every one of them carried so much baggage. They still carry it, every day."

Charlie genuinely appeared to comprehend that much, a fact I felt great relief over.

"Jasper and Rosalie faced… difficult experiences before they came to live with us," Esme explained vaguely. I had a feeling I already knew where she was taking this conversation. "There's no nice way to say this, but… their mother… was no mother at all. Maria was incredibly abusive – verbally, mentally, and physically. Jasper bore the brunt of it to protect his sister."

Dragging in a deep breath to still her emotions, more than likely helped by her soft-eyed empathic son, Esme went on, "During that time, Jasper learned to fight for himself at all costs; many times he had to be ruthless just to make it through the day. Yet with all of that, Jasper still formed such a deep, abiding aversion to abuse and violence that he often feels condemned for even simple physical accidents."

Esme went straight for the uttermost mode of attack, hitting on Charlie's insinuations, Jasper and Alice's situation, and Jasper's past with Maria all in one fell swoop. Admiration filled my heart for the mother coming out in full to protect her children's reputations and save their souls in the same breath.

Alice, however, released a loud sob at the intimation of what really happened with Jasper. Rising shakily from her seat, the tiny vampire didn't seem to know where to go or what to do to escape the discussion. Carlisle stepped forward before anyone could and wrapped his daughter in a tight hug, laying his chin atop her spiky hair. The room quieted in the midst of their embrace, not one face unaffected by the emotional moment.

Eventually, Carlisle led Alice to the stairs, walking her up each step with mostly his own power. Alice leaned so heavily on his supportive arms that she nearly seemed limp.

Once father and daughter headed upstairs, Esme continued to weave her tale with far greater sadness, "Jasper has always been so afraid, Charlie. He's terrified that if he isn't vigilant of himself, Maria's abuse will somehow manifest in him. Dating our sweet, bright girl only made him more frightened – frightened that he didn't deserve her or anyone else. You can imagine how condemned he would feel if he hurt Alice somehow, even accidentally."

"Yes, I can imagine that," Charlie mumbled, drawn into this web of half-lies based on terrible truths.

"That's what happened at the dance, I'm afraid. Jasper and Emmett were roughhousing each other outside," Esme sighed, offering her elder sons an effective admonishing look before going on, "Alice wanted them to stop before one of them really hurt themselves, but Jasper swung at Emmett and he missed. The blow hit Alice directly in the mouth. Her lip is still scarred from it. After realizing what happened… well, I think you understand what happened to Jasper in the aftermath."

Breathing in and out twice, sounding as though he'd just ended a mile run, Charlie swept a hand across his curly hair and found the voice to say, "I'm sorry for having to bring these problems to light like this. Sounds like you know a damn sight better how to handle your kids than anyone around here does."

Esme smiled mournfully for Charlie's conclusion.

"Well, I'd better move on," the chief extolled one last sigh. "Will you offer Carlisle my apologies, too?"

"Of course, Charlie," Esme nodded simply.

Charlie nearly walked to the door, but in an apparent change of mind, swung around to look directly at Jasper.

"Jasper… I don't know what you _think_ you did to Alice, but now I know what you've been doing since," Charlie began tentatively, yet he gained strength when he realized Jasper was truly listening, "Now I don't know how deep you two care about each other at such a young age, but I can see it's gotten pretty heavy on the heart. Leaving her alone won't make up for any injury you hate yourself for, and it won't make anybody feel better. Whatever physical pain you might have caused that girl by accident, it's nothing compared to the emotional pain she's feeling because of what you're choosing on purpose."

Charlie pressed on in spite of the heavy emotion so plain in his voice, "I only have one experience with love… And let me tell you, kid, there's never been any kind of pain or injury that's ever felt as terrible as when she walked out. Not just because she took our little girl away… but because I loved her."

That gruff voice cracked with near imperceptible pain on the word 'loved' and tears welled up in my eyes for his heartbreak. He hadn't had a choice but to take care of his ailing parents, and then his erratic wife left him, taking their beloved daughter along with her. A whole new world of realization and understanding flooded me about Charlie Swan. Rough around the edges, difficult to open up emotionally, a little bumbling when he was nervous… but past the awkward shell, this man carried a full heart – with a whole lot of hurt still left inside it.

"Watching her leave me," Charlie added at the last, brow furrowed, "was more painful than anything I've ever felt in my whole life."

With words spoken that he could no longer take back, Forks' Chief of Police walked out the front door without another sound and closed the heavy wooden barrier quietly behind him.

* * *


	51. Chapter 49: Indulgence

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
Wow, I didn't realize how angry people would be about Charlie's visit. I thought it was clear in the chapter, but I want to emphasize that Charlie didn't believe the suggestions from Mark, the Webers, and Mr. Banner. He had to do his job, though. I'm proud that Charlie looked beyond his friendship with the Cullens and followed through as a police officer, no matter what his personal loyalties were. That's the kind of objective job he should be doing. Charlie can't just throw everything to the wind because he believes in the Cullens; he has to examine the situation fairly and from all angles. We all know the truth about Vanessa and the Cullens, but to everyone in Forks, it's a mystery and they're scared of the way their sleepy little town has seemingly been turned on its ear and their families increasingly seem to be under threat from an unknown attacker.

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed!

**Song Inspiration:**  
 _You Don't Know_ by Katelyn Tarver

**Previously** – Edward had Mireille pick clothes for Alice so the teachers weren't worried. Angela began questioning Mir and Mir gave weak assurances. Mir's gift began to plague her and she believed she could have avoided the attack. Mir kept picking Alice's outfits. Katie asked insulting questions and Mir snapped. Mir became angry. Mir gave Esme a painting for her birthday. The school began installing cameras and Angela started asking Mir of Vanessa. Angela suddenly stopped asking. Mir  & Edward worried, but Edward couldn't hear any bad thoughts. Edward confirmed Alice is blocking her visions. Alice & Jasper's situation continued and Angela appeared to bury issues in her mind. Alice was reminded of her wedding anniversary and dropped something in biology. Charlie visited the Cullens with worries from the Webers and Mr. Banner. Alice was emotional and Carlisle comforted her. Esme gave Charlie a half-truth about Jasper's history and outlined the problem with Jasper's guilt. Charlie gave advice about love and paralleled Alice's pain to his own when Renée left.

> **Chapter 49: Indulgence**

In the wake of Charlie's departure, Esme exhaled a breath weighted in a multitude of pains she could hardly express in words. After a minute, the others disappeared from the main floor and Esme made her trudging way up to Alice and Carlisle.

With the room to myself, I slumped further into my seat. The weight and repercussions of all the rumors floating around us began to put out the fire in me. Instead, a deep sense of guilt and regret punched holes through all of my righteous anger and left me wondering once more why I was here and what earthly good I was doing the Cullens by staying in their lives.

Staring at the ceiling with those tempestuous thought running through my mind, I began to well up with tears. No matter what I did, my place in Forks created some idiotic drama that left the Cullens with a distant potential of leaving before something darkened their doorway beyond repair. I thought of all the things that my mere presence had instigated since joining the Cullens as a 'niece' and they kept building up one by one, a mountain of stupid decisions that each, individually, should have told me it was time to stop playing house and move on so they could live their future without fear of being forced to leave.

Before I knew it, the tears gushed up and started to rain down my cheeks. Withholding noise by the barest of strength, I willed away the salty moisture, but failed and ended up continually swiping at my face.

"Mireille?" Edward's startled voice intruded for the briefest moment – until he sorted through my sadness for the source of the dread thoughts.

"No!" Edward half snarled as he realized what I was thinking with more clarity, the vampire spinning on a dime to glare fiercely at my darkening expression. "Not again! You are not going to go through this _garbage_ again!"

"Edward!" Esme scolded her eldest in shock, standing at the base of the stairs once more. Everyone else, save Carlisle and Alice, also reappeared at the abrupt anger that rushed into the household.

"I'm not going to listen to her torturing herself because of what's happening!" Edward argued loudly with his mother, eyes as angry as I had ever seen them. "Every time something terrible happens, she goes off and pits all the blame on her own head! I won't let her keep doing this to herself!"

"You can't choose it for her," Esme responded with adverse calm and gentility, stepping over to squeeze Edward's shoulders fondly. "I know you hate it. We all do. But it appears to me you're being exceptionally hypocritical right now."

Edward scoffed sharply, but didn't pull away from Esme's comforting grip. I suspected her thoughts, rather than her spoken words, kept the lean vampire in place.

"Sweetheart, you're amazingly protective of our family," Esme complimented the seventeen-year-old. "It's a wonderful part of your character and I love you for it. Right now, however, you're accusing Mireille of the very same thing you feel about her circumstances. You're blaming yourself just the same as she's blaming herself."

To that, Edward had no response, but turned away disgruntled. Esme sighed wearily, but lifted her shoulders as if to let the subject go.

For Edward, at least.

For me, unfortunately, Esme turned with a pained glaze in her eyes and I knew without guessing that she couldn't understand why I kept coming back to this point over and over again. I couldn't even understand it myself sometimes. It was just always there, lurking at the back of my mind like a bad dream.

"Oh, honey," Esme murmured with rich sadness, lips tight with repressed emotion as she settled beside me and wrapped me up in her arms.

Every time one of the Cullens hugged me during an emotional episode, the tears fell twice and hard and my aggrieved feelings raced far ahead of them. This time was no different. The moment Esme locked hands over my arm, a sob left my throat.

"I'm sorry," I cried helplessly, gripping fiercely at the blue blouse Esme wore. "I'm so sorry I keep bringing all of these problems into your life. I wanted to believe you were right about just living and now… Every time I try, something else kicks us down. It would never have been this way if I'd just left. None of you would be going through this if I wasn't here. Alice and Jasper would be okay and Angela wouldn't scared for her little brothers and…"

I could say no more through the heavy tears falling, face buried against Esme's shoulder.

Another cold hand descended on my back, the touch so soft it felt like a flutter of petals on the black fabric of my shirt.

"Damn it, Mir," Jasper's saddened voice slipped over us in quiet agony, this first time verbally using my nickname almost a regret for all the pain that came along with it. "Guilt is some kind of… secret indulgence for us. It's as if we can't even help it. Or maybe we don't want to."

His hand rubbed my back slightly, comforting and consoling in a way I hadn't felt from him since he protected me from the boys in the hallway.

"We're experts at it, you and me," Jasper murmured through tight lips, emotion so ragged in his rich voice that I pitied him. "The best of the best at killing ourselves for all the things we never wanted to happen."

Able to look up with bloodshot blue eyes into his pitch black orbs, I wordlessly expressed my gratitude for his help quelling the immense flood of feelings. As his eyes closed in pained acceptance, I wavered a mere moment before tossing myself at him in what would have been a bone-breaking hug for a human.

Jasper caught me as he had caught Alice at Christmas, never moving as he captured every pound of my small weighted form and let me slump onto his lap, arms wrapped tightly around his stone neck.

Only once in my former life had I ever imagined having a big brother; someone to comfort and protect me while still offering me the chance to defend myself where I could. Jasper had become that brother in all those ways and a thousand more I never realized a brother could offer his little sister.

"You can't keep doing this to her," I breathed against his shirt sleeve, tears building again as I recalled all the pain Alice had been living with the past month or more.

Shaking his head above mine, chin rustling the short strands of my hair, Jasper struggled a moment with words before he replied grievously, "She was right, Mir… I'm not ready."

Stunned that he had overheard us in the clearing, and equally mournful over the way Jasper's voice broke on the word 'ready' so similar to Charlie before he had left us, I recognized swiftly that Jasper had been watching over his wife even from afar. He could never let her come to harm, even in the midst of trying to protect her from himself.

Grief overcame me all over again; the love story that was so impossibly perfect in _Twilight_ now facing such turmoil. Jasper said nothing, offered nothing, but merely held me up in the face of it until I fell asleep against his icy shoulder.

When I woke next, it was to the covers of my own bed and the same black and gray clothes. The display on the clock – a mere two hours past what it had been when Charlie left – forced a sigh out of my chest. Even when exhausted by such draining sensations, I couldn't sleep more an hour or so at any given time.

"I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to wake you," Esme's regretful voice washed over me.

Turning to the motherly vampire who sat beside me, I smiled half-heartedly to assure her it wasn't her fault.

"I don't usually sleep much more than this at one time," I informed her quietly.

Eyeing the soft-hearted woman's slightly drawn features more closely, I recognized a glimmer of hopelessness I wasn't expecting.

"What is it?" I asked and sat up, far more awake now that I knew something else was going on.

Startled only slightly by my ever-observant nature, Esme sighed tiredly and answered, "Jasper apologized to Alice."

"Why do you make that sound like a bad thing?" I cautiously wondered.

Another heavy sigh left Esme when she illuminated, "Jasper apologized, but told Alice he wasn't ready. Then he left as he's been doing. Alice… I can still hear her crying right now. Carlisle is with her, but I'm not sure any level of comfort will even help now."

My hope dropped through the floor at this pronouncement.

"I'm sorry this is what you had to wake up to," Esme commiserated glumly.

"Why can't he just let go of that bite?" I muttered, unsettled by this new development.

The question sunk between us, a great complication no one in the family understood how to work through with Jasper. Contemplation dredged up inside me, a swamp full unknowns waiting for the first unsuspecting step into its murky waters.

"What do you need, Mir?" Esme inquired of my frowning face, subdued but supportive.

"To think," I offered plainly, "but I don't think well unless I'm painting these days."

"Do you really want to go out painting at this hour of the night?"

"I need to or I'll probably lose my mind," I grumbled more to myself than to Esme, but the lovely vampire heard nonetheless.

A little humdrum laugh escaped Esme and she tilted her head acceptingly. "All right. Would you like me to put some supplies together?"

"That would be a lot quicker," I admitted and she just smiled wanly again.

The world was an infinitely stranger place in the dark of night. No less beautiful than the daylight, but mysterious and untended as a wild moor. Here and there, trees gave way to tiny specs of clouded moonlight far above the ground upon which I walked.

"I must say, painting brings out the poetry in your thoughts far more often," Edward remarked peaceably at my side, a surprising companion after the situation in Denali and the ensuing weeks' events. I suspected Esme had a hand in the seventeen-year-old's decision, however inadvertently.

"Painting does seem to emphasize that, I suppose," I replied with a light shrug, stepping over a fallen branch.

A much larger branch impeded the path farther ahead, leading Edward to reach out and grasp my elbow in assistance. The moment his fingers gently wrapped around my arm, I hissed in pain and pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Edward wondered with a frown.

"I don't know," I frowned as well, carefully pulling up my sleeve to see what the matter was.

My elbow was blue and purple all around, darkened into very familiar oval shapes.

"Those are my fingerprints!" Edward exclaimed in shock, staring wide-eyed as he compared his fingertips to the markings on my peach-toned skin.

"Oh, it's from yesterday," I rationalized, now calm as I realized what had happened. "When Mr. Banner mentioned the date, you had moment of panic."

"How are you calm about this?" Edward demanded sharply, gesturing at my bruised arm heatedly.

"It was an accident. Just let it go," I replied, only partially taken aback. Whatever self-recrimination Edward had lacked upon my arrival, it had since reached the level of the books, in my estimation. I knew Edward well enough now to expect a bit of a blame game.

"I _am_ to blame!" Edward retorted angrily to my thoughts. "You can see the marks on your skin as well as I can. If I spend my time in recrimination, it's because I deserve it, not because of a complex! I can't believe you're going to let this pass!"

After so many days and weeks watching Alice curl away from everything, and seeing Jasper give up on his marriage, all because of an accident, I had little patience left for Edward's masochism.

Whirling on the grass to offer a fiery glare at the scowling vampire, I shouted full voice, "STOP IT!"

The words nearly echoed around us in the still, quiet night. Edward's scowl slid off as rapidly as a brisk rain, eyes full of frozen surprise as he halted on a moment's notice not six inches away, nearly backing away once he realized how close he had come to bumping into me.

"I'm _sick_ of listening to your self-doubt!" I went on shouting, voice rough and furious as I raged. "How dare you be angry with me for the same things you do! Always hating yourself for stupid, idiotic things you can't change! Esme was right, you're a hypocrite! I'm tired of it! I'm tired of _you_!"

My throat closed in without warning and tears scrambled my vision with blurred evidence of the lie in my words.

I wasn't tired of Edward.

I was tired of me.

I was tired of being afraid and feeling alone in spite of the seven people always surrounding me with care and love. I was tired of wanting to hide away rather than face up to what scared me. I was tired of feeling like everything depended on me to make the world right.

"I'm sorry…" I apologized for what felt like the hundredth time, voice now relegated to an appalled whisper as I turned away from his stunned eyes. My own eyes closed in realization of the awful things I had said. "I don't know what happened… I…"

Words choked off entirely as I realized how far I had gone and how much I had lashed out at Edward for everything that had been happening to me and to the entire family since March, let alone since my arrival in October.

Crying had become a terrible standby in my new world, always close at hand whenever words or feelings were simply too much to express in any reasonable format. Now, it once again overwhelmed with the released of pent up feelings I didn't remember burying in the first place.

Two tender hands brushed my upper arms, a brief and unexpected reassurance before those same hands turned and pulled me against Edward's chest. He let me cry in silence for such a long time and those nigh unbreakable arms held me tightly, a shield against the world around us.

"I'm sorry, too," Edward murmured against my cropped hair, offering an apologetic squeeze as affirmation. "I am a hypocrite… But I never meant it as judgment on you, or on your life choices. It's just that hearing your thoughts brings me so much closer to every doubt and fear you have. I unwillingly watch every moment you doubt your worth or your purpose in the world. It's unimaginably terrible, knowing how much you have to offer in life, and then listening while you systematically tear it all apart. I… I only want you to be happy."

I pulled back to look straight into his dark eyes, blue and black melding with one common goal for each other.

"That's all want for you, too," I murmured more strongly than I had thought my voice capable of in that moment. "Every doubt you have about yourself… it'll only leave you in pain as you try to build your future. You'll keep creating barriers for yourself. I don't want that for you. I read it once already. And I don't want to see it happen in this life."

A beatific smile marred by melancholy crossed Edward's handsome face, bringing a similarly half-hearted lift to my own lips.

Together we walked on, footsteps leading us to the clearing view I couldn't seem to finish.

With Edward's knowing help and gentle light from the opening far above our heads, my canvas soon sat ready to expunge empty white with shades and shadows of the moonlit river, glistening silver as it spun and danced along the rocks.

Edward took a position downriver from me, far enough to mostly give me mental privacy yet remaining in view for my safety.

While he settled and worked to avoid my thoughts, I became lost in whirling strokes of gray, indigo, and mauve. Separated from my earlier sensations only by the power of my own mind, I returned intensive focus to the very reason I had decided to paint in the first place.

When I thought of my realization that Jasper had been watching over Alice at a distance, at least since Easter, I felt even more troubled and confused by his insistence on staying away now. If he could feel every single dark, painful, loathsome emotion Alice had been living through the past three weeks, how could he possibly think she was better off without him?

Jasper wasn't sadistic or abusive, I knew that like that back of my hand. He was, underneath his struggling vampire nature, an honorable man who respected and protected women. His wife would take front and center stage of those characteristics.

But then why knowingly allow her to continue hurting so badly? There had to be a reason and it couldn't be that he still felt Alice was safer on her own. Otherwise, Jasper would never have apologized. Had Jasper still believed he was protecting Alice somehow, he would have forgone apology and still believed himself in the right. An apology showed that Jasper knew whatever he had chosen to do was unhealthy, but he couldn't stop for some reason.

The only reason I could imagine being deeper than Jasper's need to love and protect Alice… was his sense of self-doubt.

How ironic that Edward and I had so soon broached the very same subject between us. Yet Edward's doubts I understood to an extent – he had killed humans, however vile they had been inside, with purposeful intent. It was only natural to feel regret for those choices, and that regret would undoubtedly lead someone like Edward to despise himself in some ways.

Unable to connect Jasper's self-doubt and his choice to remain apart from his mate, I frowned and thumped back against the tree behind me, recalling some of the brief words Jasper offered me at the house earlier in the night.

" _We're experts at it, you and me. The best of the best at killing ourselves for all the things we never wanted to happen."_

In not so many words, Jasper admitted he was not actually at fault for biting Alice; it was merely an accident. He knew that, so clearly guilt over the unintended action was not the driving force behind his current decision.

" _Guilt is some kind of… secret indulgence for us. It's as if we can't even help it. Or maybe we don't want to."_

Maybe we don't want to…

On some level, then, Jasper didn't want to absolve himself of his guilt. Nodding once at this simple and irrefutable conclusion, I leaned forward to continue working on a cluster of large stones towards the edge of the canvas.

In the meantime, my thoughts meandered to Jasper's description of the guilt he and I entertained so readily. Pausing with the brush hovering deep violet over a small rocky crag, I considered that specific choice of words with heavy concentration.

A 'secret indulgence' Jasper had called it. That was an odd choice of phrasing, certainly. Why indulgence, in particular? Guilt hardly implied a willing desire to gorge oneself on its hurtful, overpowering control. Jasper was masochistic enough to do exactly that, of course, but seeing as he had already been gorging on his own guilt since the night of the dance, it scarcely seemed as if it would make any prolific change in Jasper's view of the situation weeks later.

Granted, Jasper had described us as experts at 'killing ourselves' for things we couldn't help, hadn't he?

Well, I supposed I didn't actually know if that's what he meant. It felt silly to question such a seemingly obvious statement, but sensory inclination prickled in my thoughts.

Was this simply my natural human instincts? Or was it as Rosalie once debated – my special ability niggling at the back of my mind and making me hyperaware of every little thing? Incapable of telling the difference between my innate instincts and my intuitive gift at the moment, I replayed the memory in my head again just to be sure I wasn't missing anything.

" _We're experts at it, you and me. The best of the best at killing ourselves for all the things we never wanted to happen."_

'All the things we never wanted to happen' he had said – another odd turn of phrase that left me deep in thought.

Whether through gift or nature, I had nonetheless found something to consider. There truly was room for interpretation in Jasper's chosen words. On the one hand, Jasper might have meant that he never wanted Alice to be bitten. Yet that incident only encompassed one 'thing' and not the plural 'things' Jasper referenced.

What if he hadn't meant the bite?

What if he had meant all the 'things' that comprised Alice's heartbreak?

The possibility opened up an entirely new realm of contemplation, my hickory-dipped brush growing reckless and bold along the edges of the river's muddy shore.

In order for Jasper to feel so deeply guilty that he 'killed' himself over Alice's heartbreak, he had to know what that heartbreak felt like. If that was true, then Jasper hadn't merely watched over his wife in the physical sense, but an emotional one.

The phrase 'secret indulgence' took on an entirely new meaning for me. Horrified, I realized exactly what Jasper had indulged in. Not guilt, although certainly he had done that in spades… No, what Jasper 'indulged' in were Alice's emotions.

Upon understanding how profoundly he had hurt his wife by staying away, Jasper felt unworthy of Alice and refused to let himself return to her love. In the depths of self-loathing, Jasper forced himself to drown in Alice's broken heart and every dark, twisted sensation that went along with it. It was his penance.

If before he had only wondered at his own lack of worth, Jasper surely felt an unswerving certainty now. The abused soldier who lingered in suffering under Maria's control wasn't 'ready' because after the damage his choice had done to Alice, Jasper felt he would never deserve her.

Splotches of mahogany spattered the fringing leaves of a verdant fern at my feet, the brush falling from limp fingers to the rich soil below.

' _Edward!_ '

My mental voice must have cried out more violently than I realized, for Edward appeared in less than a heartbeat of time, eyes wide and petrified. It took but a moment for Edward to encompass the convolutions in my mind and come away horrified.

"I had no idea," he muttered disbelievingly, looking ill. "He never thought of it. Not once."

"Alice needs to know," I decided without hesitation.

Edward wasted no time bagging up the supplies and rushing us back to the house, ending our trip by dropping me on my feet outside Alice's closet space.

' _Is he near?_ ' I asked in my head.

Taking a moment to canvas his range of ability, Edward came back to me with a shake of his head. "Nowhere in range."

"Let me know if that changes," I murmured worriedly, entering Alice's domain with nerves abounding.

"I will," Edward's voice followed me, but not his presence.

A small chaise lounge had been moved into Alice's room, the pale yellow piece one I remembered seeing up in the attic months and months ago. Upon that simple furniture, Carlisle sat with Alice in his arms and Esme leaning against the pair in sadness, hand threading mindlessly through Alice's short locks. While Alice had ceased crying, her eyes remained crunched with agony.

"Alice," I called to her, my own face scrunching to match hers.

No response failed to encourage me, but I couldn't leave Alice ignorant of Jasper's reasons for not coming back to her. She deserved to know.

"Alice, you're hurting in ways I can't fully understand at this point in my life," I started, trying to offer a reason for causing her more hurt as I was about to do. It had to be done, but that didn't mean I liked it. "But please know that when I tell you this, I'm only trying to give you another resource, another tool, to help Jasper and to help yourself."

Carlisle and Esme shared a wary sideways glance over Alice's spiky head of hair, but I ignored their reaction for a moment.

"When Esme told me Jasper wasn't ready to come back to you, I didn't understand at first," I started again. "But Jasper said something earlier that stuck with me. When I thought about it, I realized the reason he's afraid to come back to you."

Alice only curled more tightly into Carlisle's protective grasp as she processed my words.

"Mireille, surely this isn't the best time," Esme hesitantly wondered, not reprimanding me so much as worrying over Alice's delicate mental and emotional condition.

Biting my lip, I shook my head slowly. There was something in Jasper's words that held me captive.

As much as Jasper hated himself, he loved Alice more.

My intuition came into play again, not simple human senses, but truly my ability nudging me with conclusive finesse as if to say 'you know it's true.'

And I did. I knew innately that Jasper was trying to communicate with Alice in spite of his self-doubt – like he wanted to be helped, but didn't know how to ask for it. Or perhaps didn't know if he really deserved it anymore.

"Alice, Jasper isn't staying away because he feels guilty for biting you," I pushed forward resiliently. This was no time to mince words or tell long, winding tales.

Upon hearing this statement, Alice didn't uncurl from her father's arms, but her head turned so minutely towards me that I might have imagined it.

"At Easter, when we went to the clearing," I moved on again, feeling encouraged, "Jasper was there near us. He was watching over you, protecting you if need be… but he must not have expected you to open up to me. That day, he felt the full range of your pain, your heartbreak. You know Jasper… He felt such intense guilt and it ate away at him. He felt truly unworthy of you because of how his choice had hurt you."

Alice's head truly turned towards me this time, brows and lips dropping with more life than I had seen from her outside of a crying fit.

"Jasper's been serving his penance, so he thinks," I finished, sadness filling every part of me, "by drowning himself in your emotions."

Swift and unexpected, Alice's eyes broadened in startling clarity to reveal eyes as black as her husband's and just a grief-stricken.

"Mir," Alice's chiming voice gutted me the same as it relieved me. Too much anguish still carried Alice's weight. "You really believe that?"

"I feel it in my bones," I remarked, startled by the sensation of absolute unity I felt with my gift. No irritation with its presence or doubt as to what it meant. In that moment, I was in complete and total harmony with my intrinsic intuition.

While I grappled with the reality that I truly did have a power in the same sense as Alice, Jasper, and Edward did… Alice sat up.

Carlisle and Esme shared another expression, this one full of booming hope they tried hard to rein in.

"But I don't how to help him," Alice whispered with abrupt realization, halting before she ever stood.

Carlisle and Esme's arms crossed over Alice's tiny back in concern. Turning suddenly to face me, Alice repeated more loudly, "I don't know how to help him!"

Seeing the buildup of panic, I reached out instantly and gripped small, bony shoulders with encouraging pressure.

"He's in range," Edward uttered quickly from the doorway, the warning giving me only a moment's pause.

Facing Alice again, I merely offered, "Let me talk to him when the time is best."

I had no idea when that time would be, nor what I was going to say. The request was merely my way of calming Alice and ensuring she didn't rush after Jasper in a wild attempt to pull him back from the brink.

Oh, I would talk to Jasper. There was no doubt about that. I just didn't have a clue how that 'talk' would even happen. For now, however, it was enough to control Alice's instinct to protect her other half. Whatever fears Jasper had, no matter how deeply he thought Alice might need protecting from him, the only person who truly needed protection from Jasper… was Jasper himself.

Between her parents, Alice settled back down, and while she clearly wasn't actually better, there was a frictional expectation in her eyes now that I couldn't disappoint.

A heaving sigh from Edward drew everyone's eyes to his exasperated form in the doorway. Looking a little helpless, Edward explained, "He left again. I'm not sure why."

In a flash, Alice cried out, "I feel crippled by this! How can someone make you so upset, but you still want to wrap them up in your arms and take away all their pain?"

Laughter burst from Esme in pleasant warmth that buoyed my spirit. Alice started and stared at her mother in dampened surprise.

"Oh, Alice," the motherly vampire shook her head fondly. "That just proves you love him. You get angry with the people you love. You argue and make up. That's how it is."

"You and Carlisle never argued like that!" Alice said desperately.

"Well…" Esme hesitated, offering her husband a rueful expression that made him chuckle richly. Edward snorted at whatever he was seeing in their heads – or perhaps remembering in his own, I realized – and finally stepped into the room with us.

"I must admit," Carlisle took over for his wife just as sheepishly, "Esme and I have only been truly angry with each other on three occasions. Only one of them occurred during our marriage, if that tells you anything."

"The first two of those occasions were related to the same incident, even," Esme laughed embarrassedly. "But sweetheart, Carlisle and I worked through our troubles before we began a genuine romantic relationship. We healed our hurts before we came together."

"So did we!" Alice argued frustratedly, sinking back against Carlisle's chest in angry weariness.

"Forgive me, darling, but I don't think you did," Esme countered apologetically. Before Alice could respond, Esme went on with further apology in her eyes, "I think you and Jasper talked about your histories, but before you could work through all the problems those histories brought in your lives, you jumped into a relationship."

"Even for vampires, Alice, that is not healthy," Carlisle quietly informed his smallest daughter, hugging her in consolation. "As you can see now, being mostly unchanging does not stop our feelings from turning us against our own well-being."

"I'm not saying you didn't care about each other's pains," Esme offered kindly, taking Alice's hand in hers. "But after the trauma Jasper lived through, and all those years you waited alone for him, I think you were both desperate to find peace in each other…"

Seeing she had Alice's melancholy, undivided attention, Esme took a deep breath and took a new direction in her talk, "When I first lived with Carlisle and Edward, I wasn't emotionally healthy. Not merely from losing my baby… but Charles' abuse… it stayed with me."

Carlisle and Edward turned rigid and dark at the name of Esme's first husband. I swallowed hard at the reminder of her horrid first marriage, but in the same breath, I remembered Esme's strong words in New York.

" _We should never be afraid to talk about Charles Evenson."_

Bolstered by Esme's inner strength, I listened more easily along with Alice as Esme spoke further, "In the early months, I still felt and acted like an abused woman. No matter how many months I spent away from Charles during my pregnancy, the years the came before had left an irreversible impact and it carried into my vampire life at first. I was afraid of touch. I was afraid of intimacy. I was afraid of being hurt again."

Drawing another deep breath to steel herself, Esme looked up at Carlisle with tender eyes, reaching out to lay her palm against his face, thumb brushing the cheek bone lovingly. "Carlisle never had to be in love with me to prove how different he was from Charles. He proved it simply by being himself around me, until one day I realized it was truer than the sunrise. I knew from every action, every word, that Carlisle Cullen would never hurt me."

"Esme was the light in my darkness," Carlisle murmured, not an abrupt new statement, but a fluid continuation of the other half of his soul. "I spent so long in isolation, wondering if I was truly the monster my father would have named me. His hatred and vengeance had left an abyss of frightful aloneness and unease I knew not how to escape. Finding Edward eased my loneliness, but seeing him struggle forged the same fear in my chest. The same doubts plagued me."

Edward and Carlisle shared a look of mutual understanding, neither father nor son offended by each other's difficulties in those early years.

"Then I found her again," Carlisle continued, turning uncomprehending eyes back to the love of his life. "That girl who so caught me with her adventuresome spirit and her will of iron. How she changed my view of the world in such a short night of camaraderie… With her soft heart, and that same iron will, Esme showed me I did not have to be alone."

Carlisle's eyes grew so sweet upon his beautiful wife that I nearly turned away. In return for her husband's sweetness, Esme smiled with unadulterated beatitude.

"Once we had that freedom from our pasts," Esme breathed at the last, "there was nothing to hold us back from everything we wanted and needed in each other."

Alice came away from her parents' love story with sadder, but wiser eyes, accepting of the distance she and Jasper had yet to cover. I wondered if they would ever fully move past his extensive history with Maria's abusive and manipulative nature, but I hoped they would some day.

Edward gently led me away from Alice, Carlisle, and Esme, and as the door closed behind us, I caught a glimpse of two soul mates, two perfect halves of one whole, reaching to hold up a child of their heart when she was in her darkest hour.

"All that poetry," Edward murmured with an oddly sad but genuine little smile.

Recalling a few times the mind-reading vampire had spoken in similar terms, I allowed a sincere smile to slowly expand across my face, helplessly shaping the dimples I had never grown out of.

"Always waxing," I concluded for us both, new life in my veins made of more than mere blood.

Edward barked a laugh and somehow, things felt normal again.

They were far from it, of course, and perhaps would never be precisely how they had once been. Yet a part of me that had been missing for a seeming eternity finally fell into place. And it was enough.

"I think I'll get some sleep," I informed Edward, feeling relieved by the idea for the first time in weeks. "Looks like I have an important appointment tomorrow."

"Beethoven?" Edward asked as we headed back to upstairs.

"Of course," I agreed, a more impish smile crossing my face. "Anything to get away from that harp concerto. It reminds me of bathrooms now."

Half-laughing at the wry turn of my thoughts, Edward shook his head at me, but quieted enough to reply honestly, "That was why I changed the tune for your rest. I'd hoped not to let Vanessa Travis ruin Beethoven for you along with everything else."

"She hasn't ruined anything," I stated unthinkingly, only belatedly realizing how close a call it had been.

Not close on my life expectancy per se, but how close I had come to letting this hateful girl – no, young woman – ruin my life.

Coming to a sad understanding of how deeply I had let this pain take root in who I was, as a person, I commented quietly, "I let her change me after all."

It took Edward a moment to sort out what I referred to, but when he did, his mouth thinned into a grim line. I could recall that moment with excellent clarity despite how long it had been.

_"I told you, I won't change because of them or anyone else like them. The only change will be that I take less for granted of my surroundings."_

Well, I had failed in every goal I set for myself, I realized. I had changed because of Vanessa, I had taken my surroundings for granted twice after that, and I had certainly failed to defend myself as I was taught. While I couldn't change it, it still hit me hard to have failed so utterly.

"Oh, stop it!" Edward reproached me disgustedly.

"It's true," I shrugged, unaffected by his returned fury.

Expelling a frustrated sigh, Edward said, "Mireille, I saw your memories of that night. In Denali, that day Alice and Jasper argued, you went through the entire attack from start to finish. Please, don't try and tell me hitting Vanessa in the face with a door wasn't a form of self-defense, because I won't listen. You also subconsciously decided which way the door moved before you utilized it. That's the kind of instinct you kept claiming you didn't have."

I opened my mouth to argue, but Edward pressed, "I counted four separate moments where you successfully dodge the swipes of Vanessa's knife. Twice you held onto her wrist so she couldn't reach your face. That doesn't include your attempts at making a decision for Alice to see. Then there's the simple fact that you unfroze in order to protect yourself. Would you like to tell me what about that is failure?"

"I didn't use any of the moves Dan taught me," I argued, frowning.

"So what?" Edward threw out his hands exasperatedly. "Self defense isn't about learning ten particular moves to use every single time something happens. Defending yourself is about using your environment, your instincts, and your wits to escape a bad situation."

"Then how did I end up like this?" I asked him almost mockingly, gesturing at my short hair.

"She overwhelmed you," Edward shrugged. "She's been bullying people longer than you've been learning self-defense. It would make sense that she came out of that fight with an advantage. But compare that attack to November, Mireille. If you had thrown doors in their faces and dodged the blows as you did in the bathroom, do you really think they would have hurt you as badly as they did? You were paralyzed the entire time they beat you. In the bathroom, you moved and fought back before she ever touched you."

"But I still lost!" I exclaimed in frustration.

"Think of Jasper…" Edward brought up suddenly, catching me off guard. "Do you consider him a failed fighter because he lost so many times before? That's what those bites mean, Mireille – they mean Jasper lost a fight. Many of them. Do those losses diminish his prowess now? Is he less of a warrior because he didn't win every single battle from the start?"

This unforeseen vein of logic held me by the throat as I tried to think around it, but there was no way to deny the rational sense in Edward's analogy.

"No, of course not," Edward concluded with a small smile. "The reason Jasper has become so skilled is _because_ he lost – and learned from that loss. He's been forged in fire. He may not be healed from those flames yet, but he's learned how to avoid being burned again."

"I'm don't think I'll ever be like Jasper," I uttered, reluctant to even consider the comparison.

"You don't have to be," Edward soothed, tugging at my hands with confidence.

"I'm not so sure about being my own greatest supporter just yet," I confessed with soul-deep hesitation.

"You don't have to be that either, just yet," Edward assured again, his smile lifting into that oh-so-familiar crooked grin. "You'll always have my vote of confidence, remember?"

Smiling at the reminder of his words after I had joined Prom committee and loaded myself up with work to do, I continued on my way to bed and thoughtfully considered what Edward said with as much objective clarity as I could muster.

It had been over a month since my last defense lesson. According to Carlisle, Daniel had never ceased to call each week and make sure we were all doing okay. My instructor had also never failed to say his door remained open to further instruction when – not if – I recovered enough to come back.

There could be no doubt that I needed to be able to do more than just dodge a knife and slam a door in someone's face, but did I have the temperament to really, truly, learn from Daniel? From Jasper? From myself?

In the end, with the refreshing strains of Moonlight Sonata washing over my soul in waves of familiarity and warmth, I established that I had no choice but to try. With a deep breath as I laid quietly in the darkness, I decided on my path and waited to feel… something, anything, that would confirm or deny my decision.

Would it be just the same as that first declaration? Promising that I was ready to defend myself, only to realize fear clouded my soul too deeply to succeed?

No…

It wouldn't.

I could feel it then – the way steady intuition morphed and grew into that sense of knowing anticipation and expectation. Everything bellowed that things would be different. Everything screamed that _I_ would be different.

It fluttered in my heart, raced through my bloodstream, saturated my mind – an unwavering assurance of events yet to come.

What a funny little gift I had.

* * *


	52. Chapter 50: Ironclad

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
At a certain point in this chapter, Edward plays the piano for Mireille. At that point in the story, you will want to pause in your reading and go read the companion story: _The End Of All Things_. It's the exploration of Alice and Jasper's 'discussion' of their situation. They are the only characters, it's a one-shot, and once you've finished it, you'll want to return to the piano scene in this chapter and finish up here.

To quote _shurfine_ : "buckle up" ladies and gents! I recommend tissues for this chapter and its companion piece.

**Song Inspiration:** _  
I'm So Sorry_ by Imagine Dragons

**Previously** – After Charlie's exit, Mireille felt responsible for everything happening and Edward didn't want her to. Esme told Edward he was being hypocritical and he stopped arguing. Mireille apologized for what she thought she caused while Esme hugged her. Jasper commiserated with Mireille and partly admitted he heard her talk with Alice on Easter morning. Esme revealed that Jasper apologized to Alice but still chose distance. Mireille wanted to understand Jasper's reasons and decided to paint. Edward joined Mireille and realized he left accidental bruises on her arm. Edward was upset with himself and Mireille lashed out. Edward comforted her. Mireille and Edward confessed they just want each other to be happy. Mireille painted and ruminated on Jasper. Mireille realized Jasper's reason for staying away and told Alice. Alice believed but felt helpless. Esme and Carlisle discussed their own relationship and gave advice to Alice. Mireille felt more normal and wanted to rest. Edward admitted he changed from Beethoven to Wagenseil at night so Mireille's favorite song wouldn't be marred by bad memories. Edward convinced Mireille she didn't fail against Vanessa, using Jasper as an analogy. Mireille actively used her ability to decide whether or not she would return to self-defense. 

> **Chapter 50: Ironclad**

Shrill noise burst into the depths of dark, peaceful sleep as soundly as a fire alarm.

Thankfully Edward's chilled hands stopped me from shooting up from the haze of sleep; else I would have had a pounding headache before I even left my bed.

"Give it a moment," Edward murmured, making sure my brain wasn't scrambled with sleep when he finally handing over my annoyingly loud cell phone. "It's Jessica."

Wide awake in all of ten seconds, I snatched the phone from Edward's hand with shock. Indeed, Jessica Stanley's name flashed on the screen along with her phone number. Deeply concerned why Jessica would be calling me at five o'clock in the morning, I shared a worried look with Edward and picked up the call.

"Jessica?"

"Ray, do you have a minute?" the girl's hushed, anxious voice threw me for a loop.

"Of course," I responded, startled. "What's going on?"

"I had to call you while my mom's in the shower," the teen explained, still nervous as a cat. "We're going to Seattle for the day and I don't have a lot of time… So my mom thinks your attack is an inside deal and you're family's threatening Angela."

"How dare you—" I started angrily.

"I know that's not true!" Jessica swept in before I could vocalize my disgust with the theory. "Angela knows it too. Her parents didn't know what else to think. They couldn't have known because Ang didn't tell them everything."

"What?" I questioned in shock. "She lied?"

"Kind of," Jessica sighed, frustrated. "I think she was afraid of her brothers getting hurt, so she held back something. But I know what she didn't tell— Oh wait! I think my mom…"

An awkward pause ensued before Jessica came back to our conversation with a relieved sigh. "I thought my mom left the bathroom, but it's okay."

"What didn't Ang tell?" I prompted quickly.

"She was asking questions around the school," Jessica answered even more rapidly. "Asking about Lauren's new friend. You know that snob senior who sided with Lauren at the dance?"

"Vanessa Travis," I replied almost emptily. Edward growled low in his chest at the name.

"Yeah! That's her!" Jessica exclaimed quietly. "Angela was talking to some of the seniors, asking questions about her. Weird questions. Like where she was during the dance and if she drove home and that kind of thing."

My heart dropped into my stomach. So Angela had been asking leading questions about Vanessa? In public? No wonder she had gotten that letter.

By this point, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett stood silently in the room with Edward and me, waiting out the big secret Angela had withheld from her parents.

"How do you know all this?" I asked, almost desperate to hear that Jessica just heard rumors or gossip from around school.

"I saw it," Jessica answered, no hesitation and no question in her voice. "Remember that day you got mad at Katie for thinking Esme hurt you?"

"Yeah," I accepted, forcing myself to avoid Esme's mixed offense and gratitude.

"Well, the next day," Jessica went on, "after we left prom committee, I saw Ang talking with this brown-haired girl. Angela called her Allison. I think she's Vanessa's friend or something."

"Why wouldn't I have seen…" I began to question, but remembered swiftly that I had skipped that particular meeting out of vexation for Katie's rude questions the previous day. I had thought Jessica would continue the line of questions at the meeting, so avoided it and went straight home with Alice.

"You left before the meeting," Jess told me impatiently, metaphorically waving off the matter as if unimportant and going on hurriedly, "I didn't get it, but I thought it was really weird, so I watched Ang for a while. She kept asking around about Vanessa all the week. Then that Friday after school, I talked to Angela for a second in the parking lot. She acted super strange. Like… she looked scared. Not just scared like she's going to fail a test, but like majorly afraid something bad would happen."

"Then she stopped asking me questions," I said with dawning realization. "She got that letter and then the next week she stopped talking to me."

"Yeah," Jess agreed empathically. "She stopped talking about you, she stopped asking about Vanessa… She even started asking Katie to walk out to the parking lot with her."

"Oh my God," I murmured, horrified by what Angela had been living with in silence.

"That's my mom!" Jessica said suddenly. "I have to go."

The call ended before I could speak again, leaving me with six curious vampires and a burgeoning headache I was apparently meant to have that morning.

"Well, that was strange," Emmett rumbled, frowning.

"How can we trust her?" Rosalie asked doubtfully, eye narrowed in thought.

Considering Jessica Stanley for a long moment, I asked myself if she was truly worth trusting about something so serious. While my mind tried to rationalize reasons based on the way Jessica had acted over the phone, my deeper instincts said she was telling the truth.

My gift seemed to be sticking its nose in everything now, whether I asked it to or not.

"I guess you've opened the flood gates," Edward teased, eyes glittering.

Exhaling a sharp breath, I muttered under my breath, "I wonder if this is what Alice feels like sometimes."

"There are definite similarities," Edward continued poking fun at me, bringing a glare on my features that merely made him emit a bark of laughter.

"What are you talking about?" Emmett grumbled irritably at his brother. The bulky vampire crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the bronze-haired vampire for being cryptic.

"I think it's something about Mireille's ability," Rosalie concluded with furrowed brows.

"Her ability?" Esme wondered curiously, turning to look at me with wide, surprised eyes.

"Have you been learning more about it?" Carlisle deduced, bright curiosity burning in his gaze.

"A little," I half shrugged awkwardly. Attention in such deep concentration still didn't settle well with me. "I've been trying to sense whether things are true or not. Just a basic 'yes' or 'no' kind of thing."

"But that's wonderful!" Carlisle exclaimed pleasantly. "I'm glad you're taking the time to analyze it more carefully."

"It's nothing firmly established yet," I demurred, putting my hands up with caution. "If there's enough going on, I have the feeling my ability might confuse me with a bunch of different… variables, I guess is the best word."

"Similar to how I hear different minds at the same time?" Edward considered pensively.

"Kind of," I shrugged again. "I was actually thinking it might be like Jasper feeling a variety of emotions all at once. If he feels enough of them, he might not be able to pinpoint all of the different feelings he's sensing."

"So if there are enough outcomes to be… discerned," Carlisle pondered, "you might not know which instinct matches which outcome."

"That's it," I nodded eagerly. "After the biology scene, I was frustrated because there were so many things going on and I didn't know which situation was causing my gift to go off on me. For all I knew, it could be all of them or only one of them. There doesn't seem to be any way to tell."

"Unless you focus on a particular instance," Edward suggested contemplatively.

"Like earlier this morning, you mean," I assumed and Edward nodded his agreement.

"How does it feel to actually make use of your ability?" Esme inquired interestedly.

"Like studying a calculus problem when I've never even taken algebra."

Everyone laughed at my analogy and I lifted my arms helplessly.

"Well, we now have a new problem to discuss, it seems," Carlisle sighed once their laughter faded.

"Angela," I stated simply. Just her name struck a chord of utter fury when I thought of the new low Vanessa had reached.

I didn't know why it hit so much harder now than it had when I first suspected it after Charlie's visit.

Perhaps because it was now practically confirmed. Or maybe because I realized now just how much Angela cared about me. She had begun to suspect Vanessa all the way back in January, but I had kept avoiding her questioning eyes and she was left in perpetual question. Angela had wondered for months what role Vanessa played in my life, and after the dance she must have suspected the blonde. But my silence and Esme's seeming lies had worried her. It must have been difficult to understand why a mother figure would lie about something that might help convict her family's attacker.

Angela hadn't known what to do, really. It spoke of her deep fear that she had waited a full week before telling her parents about the threatening letter she received. That nice girl I befriended had been so scared that she had avoided telling her parents for a week, and then still withheld something very important from them. I knew Angela trusted her parents beyond measure, so the letter must have been horrible. Who knew what details Vanessa had observed of Josh and Isaac, of their schedules, their whereabouts?

Maybe Angela didn't actually believe it was us. That was plausible. For all we knew, Angela never said anything about our family. It could have been solely her parents who made the insinuations. Jessica certainly seemed to think so.

After all, when I thought back, I never remembered Angela specifically asking any questions that hinted at my 'family' hurting me in any way. No, those questions had all been on Katie's mind. All Angela had ever questioned was why I didn't back her up or why Esme had denied her statement. And later, she had started asking about Vanessa. Because she was worried about me.

Heartened by that thought, I suddenly felt conversely angry. Not with Angela, but with myself for not telling Charlie of Vanessa when I had the chance. Angela would never have gone through this…

Of course, Alice had said even at that time, the evidence was long destroyed. Sighing at the impossible situation, I slumped back against the headboard.

"You probably should get ready," Edward recommended with a sigh of his own. "You have an appointment, remember?"

"Oh, I do!" I exclaimed, albeit slightly distracted by the ongoing worry for Angela.

"Appointment?" Carlisle now wondered, confused.

"I didn't really make an appointment. I…" I tried to explain, but felt embarrassed of how long my fears had debilitated me from making this choice.

"Mireille would like to return to self-defense," Edward clarified for me.

"How wonderful!" Esme beamed in surprise, Emmett right behind her.

"It's about time," Rosalie decided and I ducked my head at her expectant, knowing gaze.

"You're finally back," Carlisle murmured, drawing my gaze back up. The soft gleam in his golden eyes made me feel sheepishly happy. "Aren't you?"

"I'm trying to be," I agreed quietly.

The broad smile on Carlisle and Esme's faces was worth any moment of discomfort I might have felt over my fears.

By the time I finally got ready, Rosalie and Emmett had left to hunt, Esme returned to sitting with Alice, and Carlisle called Daniel with the news of my decision, both men audibly joyous as I entered the living area.

Shortly after Carlisle left for work, however, the complete opposite of joy overtook Edward. Closing his eyes, the lean vampire appeared crushed by something only he could hear.

"Edward?" I asked worriedly of him, concern written all of my face.

"It's Alice," Edward murmured painfully. "I… Mireille, I…"

"Don't worry about it," I eased his mind. "I can wait to go until later. Just be there for your sister."

"Thank you," Edward nodded warmly despite his anguish and disappeared.

The change of plans left me a bit disappointed, but I truly wanted Edward to comfort Alice if he could.

"What's the matter?"

Jasper's voice made me jump a foot high. Whirling, I came face to face with the Texan vampire, who appeared far too normal for the emotions that no doubt ran through his wife – currently still being comforted by Edward and Esme.

"There was a… setback," I decided to say, unable to put it any more bluntly. Jasper might be the reason behind Alice's pain, but he was also in a world of pain; one he didn't know how to escape. "I was going to go to Olympia, but Edward and Esme can't go and the others are gone."

"Olympia?" Jasper questioned, brow rising curiously. "Does that mean you're going back to your lessons?"

"Yes, I am," I nodded, the decision ironclad in its conclusiveness.

Jasper struggled with himself for a long moment, over what I could only make partially educated guesses, but after several minutes, the vampire returned his gaze to me with startling seriousness. "I could take you, if you want."

"To self-defense?" I assumed, surprised. "Really?"

"It's important to you," Jasper nodded once, leaving his words simple and plain.

The idea of Jasper, the expert vampire fighter, watching my beginner self-defense practice after a month absent from it, filled me with nervous energy.

Allowing a chuckle, however dark and subdued it might have been, Jasper shook his head lightly. "Don't worry so much what I think, Mir. I was once a novice myself. I know what it's like – that struggle to unite your instincts, your mentality, and your physical self in one functioning whole."

Relief – and thankfully it was all my own – left a tiny smile of gratitude at the edge of my mouth. "Thanks, Jasper."

The drive to Olympia was quiet yet not entirely uncomfortable. Jasper could sense my ongoing nerves mixed with cautious excitement. And I, in my own strange little way, could sense he was nervous too. Why my gift would tell me so, in no uncertain terms, still confused me, but I heeded it and filed the thought away.

"Do you want me to wait out here or come inside?" Jasper asked once we parked in front of Body Balance Gym.

"I wouldn't mind if you came inside," I tentatively admitted, adding as an afterthought, "Besides, I have no idea how long we'll be."

"True," was all Jasper said, nodding his agreement.

Jasper held open the door of the gym for me, bringing a wry smile to my face at his gentlemanly manners. The only one of the Cullen men who failed to engender those genteel gestures was Emmett, which didn't perturb me at all. Emmett was Emmett and that's all there was to that.

Daniel stood at the far end of the gym, holding a punching bag for someone who didn't appear to have much skill with their fists yet. Judging by Daniel's indulgent grin, that was probably why they were there. As I watched, the salt-and-pepper instructor gestured and talked to his pupil, pointing out improvements in the student's stance and style.

After a few minutes, Dan and the new trainee stepped back and the student headed off to the locker rooms.

Half-turned to head back to his office, Daniel caught sight of Jasper and me standing at the front of the gym and waved with a pleased expression before walking over.

"Nice to see you back, Mireille," Daniel greeted pleasantly.

"It's nice to be back," I agreed before turning to the man at my side. "Dan, this is Jasper. My…"

I wasn't quite sure what Jasper wanted me to call him, so I focused on my curiosity and hesitance for Jasper to feel.

Catching the feelings with ease, Jasper shrugged gracefully and elaborated, "Mireille's practically my sister, though not by blood."

"You've got a big family, don't you?" Daniel chuckled and offered congenially, "Nice to meet you, Jasper."

"Likewise," Jasper nodded, a small, wry smile lifting the corner of his mouth.

"New haircut?" Daniel asked of me interestedly. Immediately, I wondered what precisely Carlisle had told him about my 'incident' and the reason I hadn't wanted to come back to training.

"Carlisle didn't tell you about that?" I hesitated.

"Should he have?" Daniel wondered, matching me for tentativeness.

"Well, I guess he didn't have to go into detail," I allowed. Carlisle had probably been protecting my privacy, something I mentally thanked him for. "This was necessary… What did he tell you over the phone last month?"

"All he said was that you had an altercation at a school dance," Daniel explained, hands spread a little helplessly.

"Someone attacked me in the girls' bathroom," I elaborated bluntly. "I tried to get away, but… Well, my hands were slightly injured and my hair became collateral damage."

"They were able to catch the attacker, though," the instructor assumed, brow furrowed.

Awkwardly I recalled Alice's assertion that Vanessa would never have been proven as the attacker. Well, not unless I had 'woken up' from shock immediately after Vanessa left the bathroom, but then I hadn't been able to overcome my stunned faithlessness in time. Viewing the general situation more objectively than I had previously been capable of, I guessed that was normal for anyone in such a traumatic scenario.

"There was no evidence," I said rather than lying outright.

"Do you know if it's the same person or…" Daniel asked, deeply concerned. "I thought the attacker from November was arrested?"

"We don't know what's happening," Jasper evaded skillfully. I wondered if he used his ability to allay Daniel's concerns, because the salt-and-pepper haired man stopped questioning.

"I'm glad you're getting back up, then," Daniel smiled, grimly satisfied. That was definitely an emotion from Jasper's current repertoire. "Your uncle sounded pretty concerned after a while."

"I can imagine he was," I sighed. "I just… I wasn't in the right frame of mind to come back. After learning all the things you taught me those two months, to have let myself get overtaken that way…"

"Everybody has setbacks," Daniel assured me, a little sadly if I judged his face right. "My sister and I had them, too. Don't let them keep you from trying."

"I'll do my best," I agreed succinctly.

Accepting my pointed reply, Daniel turned to my blond-haired companion, "Are you training or observing, Jasper?"

"Just observing today," the honey-blond vampire tilted his head. Dressed in a button down and jeans, Jasper's decision made sense.

"All right. Let's get back at this, then," Daniel clapped his hands solidly. "I'll start out with a lot of refresher material, so we can see where you're at."

Barely two minutes into our refresher course, I snapped back from the hand near my shoulder with such shock that Daniel and I both stared at each other for a minute.

"That's new," he eventually commented, head tilting in curiosity over my gesture.

"I almost forgot about that," Jasper murmured from a chair on the sidelines of the mat.

"Forgot about…?" Daniel echoed, eyeing me a bit worriedly.

"It's because of the bathroom incident," I answered nervously, hands wringing slightly. "I had a hard time letting people near my hair. Except for my family, I still can't seem to let people near my shoulders on up. I didn't think I'd still be afraid of touch like this."

"I don't know if it's fear, necessarily," Daniel recovered admirably. Indeed, he looked remarkably pleased. "I know it's not exactly what you wanted to happen, but it might help you develop your instincts. We can work on it, tone it down and focus it more accurately. That's what we're trying to do here, right?"

Hardly able to disagree with that statement, I allowed myself to fall back into our lesson with more caution.

It was an odd feeling, practicing the material I had once been afraid I would never succeed at. While I still wasn't entirely certain of how my new attempt at self-defense would pan out, my intuition told me to keep it up.

Daniel went all the way back to basics and built up the repertoire slowly with me, testing my knowledge as far as I could carry it before moving on to another section. To my surprise, everything felt old hat. Two months didn't just disappear from my brain in a poof of dust. Reaching such an understanding helped me to open up to the possibility that Edward was truly correct.

I didn't fail with Vanessa in the bathroom.

Granted, I didn't perform as well as I had dreamed of when practicing dodges and blocks to statistical perfection in a safe environment. But I had progressed from knowing nothing to knowing something worth building upon.

I partially agreed with Rosalie's depiction of my instincts versus the conditioning of my gift. That day with the boys in the hallway, my gift had filled me with such anticipation that my nerve endings had trilled with hesitancy at every close encounter, leaving me focused enough to avoid any slight touch. With Daniel and Edward in the safety of training, my gift had failed to 'anticipate' anything, thus I lacked that overwhelming perception of expectation and failed to anticipate Daniel, Edward, or Rosalie when they 'attacked' in our lessons.

With this in mind, I also agreed with Daniel's suggestion that a genuine unsafe environment affected my innate skill usage – to a point. Reacting to any generic situation – as with most people, I suspected – I lacked the inborn instincts to avoid that situation in any preventive way. Given a dangerous situation, or perhaps merely an intense one, my gift took over. In such an instance, where my natural born instincts failed to materialize, the anticipation of my gift connected the dots, so to speak.

Working with Daniel now would have to become a session in honing and sharpening natural instincts without the use of my innate ability. The real test, of course, would be out there in the real world in a real situation where I didn't have the safety net of an instructor or one of the Cullens.

"You've done really well," Daniel informed me sincerely as we took a water break. "You remembered everything we practiced and I think you might even have done a little better this time around. Like I said, I think your awareness is seeing improvement. It wasn't right that you had to find that improvement through another attack, but it happened and you just have to move forward. We have to keep pushing through these kinds of situations. Otherwise, we're letting the attacker win."

Knowing he was right, I didn't even attempt to question. Jasper's presence reminded me all too well that if I let my experiences override my ability to live, I would end up hurting myself and the people who cared about me.

Holding a brand new, far more intensive training schedule, I left Olympia with Jasper that afternoon, my muscles sore yet my outlook full of hope.

I found it quite ironic that Jasper and I had this time on our own, far from the rest of the family. My promise to Alice ingrained itself in my head and I knew this was the perfect time to try.

"Jasper," I turned to the vampire, firm strength binding my senses. "We have to talk."

Exhaling a long, slow breath, Jasper slumped but barely from his naturally regal posture, informing me without words that he knew very well what I planned to discuss.

"Mir, I told you I'm not ready," the blond-haired vampire sighed tiredly.

"You'll never be _ready_ , Jasper," I told him, banking on my personal experiences with absolute certainty. "Was I _ready_ to start self-defense again? Of course not. Was I _ready_ to start living beyond my fear of Vanessa? No. If we keep waiting for that perfect time when we're suddenly just 'ready' to embrace a new way of thinking, we'll never change."

"I don't deserve to embrace change," Jasper spat quietly at himself, soft growling marring his baritone.

"You're love for Alice means more to you than your self-hatred. I know it does!" I said forcefully. My voice echoed the absolute surety I felt in my veins. "Even if you don't think you owe to yourself… don't you owe it to her?"

Jasper struggled with himself more vividly than I had ever seen since joining this unique family, but finally he braked harder than expected and pulled us onto the shoulder of the highway, throwing the car in park.

"How can I go back?" Jasper finally burst, sharp and angry in his tone. The former soldier threw himself against the seat back with a great _THUD_.

"How I can I go back to her and let her love me and worry about me?" Jasper demanded, face twisted with an abyss of despair. "After how harshly I've left her to this pain, I couldn't look her in the eyes without seeing that agony reflected back at me. I thought she would keep fighting, like she always has. I kept expecting her to stomp after me. I waited for my beautiful imp to rage until the trees trembled under the strength of her delicate voice… I never thought, even in my wildest dreams or my worst nightmares, that she'd just _give up_!"

This, of all the crimes Jasper relegated to himself, seemed to cause him the greatest agony of all. Twittering, bright, happy, unendingly optimistic little Alice reduced to a mere shell of her gleaming character. The woman who always encouraged Jasper, almost to the point of being a nuisance, had disappeared into a web of dark desolation.

"I've done ignorant things with Alice before…" Jasper went on, collapsing into himself with the nearest thing to exhaustion a vampire could feel. "Insisting on distances and 'codes' that made her scream at me in speechless fury. She never stopped arguing with me. She always brought me back to myself somehow. I never understood her endurance, her eternal persistence. I'm not worth all the energy she gives me."

Jasper could easily feel how much I pitied his enduring pain and doubt, but bending to my own feelings would serve no one. This dilemma required forceful pushes. Alice would never be right if Jasper remained apart from her.

"That's not your choice to make," I countered without mercy.

Jasper snarled quietly, more exasperated than actually angry with me as he turned to stare at the opposite side of the highway.

Sighing, I tried to imagine what to say, what to do, that might break through the thick wall of Jasper's self-loathing and lack of self worth.

Clear as my mind had been in training, it now became muddled and fizzled into nothing but a mess of sensations spurred on by Jasper and Alice in their deep misery. I needed to focus. Lately, painting had served as that focus, but I didn't know how well Jasper would take to that idea.

"Jasper... will you still hear me out?" I wondered self-consciously. I had promised Alice so much, and my gift had offered a glimpse of assertion that my evaluation of Jasper was correct, but that didn't mean he would accept change or even listen to words of reason.

"I won't stop you from debating the point," the former major sighed more forlornly than before.

While it was far from what I had hoped to hear, I had to take what I could get, when I could get it.

"Then will you join me while I paint?"

Jasper didn't refuse me an escort through the woods when I asked him for it, but neither did he appear particularly invested when we stopped by the house to get my supplies and finally started the journey to where I wanted to go.

I wasn't even sure how I remembered the way, but I could hardly mistake the turn of the river, the dark mud at the base of the rocks, the large stone where I had held Alice through her breakdown, and even the small paintbrush Edward and I had never retrieved from our recent sojourn. The fern still boasted brown splatters and specks from my mindless hovering.

"You're didn't come here to paint!" Jasper spat more accusatorily than I had expected, although his narrowed eyes didn't feel as dangerously venomous as I had worried they might be.

"Actually, I did," I disagreed sadly. "That day with Alice… I couldn't finish this painting."

So saying, I pulled the wrapping off of a half-finished painting displaying the very clearing in which we stood.

"Something about this clearing bothered me," I explained even more softly. "I couldn't understand what. And after Alice broke down, I couldn't bear the thought of painting any more."

Only half paying attention in his simmering anger, Jasper paced the dirt and sparse grass between a thick tree and my spot just beyond the large stone.

"Now I know what was missing," I admitted, worried that my choice of location could very well send Jasper running from the entire situation again. As I settled in to my canvas and brush, however, the rigid vampire merely continued to pace.

When I began to speak, Jasper offered me only the slightest hint of acknowledgement.

"Something Edward said yesterday," I began hesitantly, brush strokes starting out very light and tentative, "… it hit me hard. He was trying to convince me I made progress when Vanessa attacked in the bathroom. I couldn't see anything but failure. I know now I've been judging my success by… perfection."

Breathing deep, I pressed on in spite of Jasper's continuing steps back and forth, "In trying to convince me perfection is an unattainable goal, Edward brought to mind someone very important to me. Someone I've admired since the first time I read about their struggle to fit in and find their place."

Jasper's footwork slowed only minutely, but it was enough to know I really had his attention now.

"It was you," I confessed plainly, finally bringing Jasper's black eyes around to catch my gaze. "Edward reminded me that each of your scars was a battle lost. The reason you're here today… is because you learned from those losses. You were forged in fire. And that fire burned you. It burned your faith in yourself."

In the depths of onyx, Jasper proved his anger a mere transient spectre of guilt.

"I may not have lived through the kind of hell you did, Jasper," I approached the topic with little grace. "But I've been beaten down more than once now. I was burned, too. I know how deep the doubt and fear and self-disgust can run when it seems like you've failed in every conceivable way."

Frozen now, Jasper held my gaze as I presented what little comprehension I had obtained from Vanessa's persecution of me and its connotations upon Jasper's experience with Maria.

"If I had let Vanessa's hate keep on controlling my outlook," I added, voice a deep murmur of remembered pain, "it would have destroyed me. I would have allowed her victory over me. I would have let her ruin me. Don't let Maria's evil ruin you – or Alice."

"Mireille, I appreciate you…" Jasper responded bleakly, shoulders hanging despairingly low. "I appreciate that you truly understand what it's like to feel as if you'll only ever lose. To feel like you'll never succeed, never be free… But no matter how deeply that has affected me over the years, it doesn't excuse what I've done to hurt Alice. It doesn't change how I've abandoned her to loneliness and pain. It doesn't change the fact that I will never deserve the brilliant little woman I love."

Unable to look at that proud man and all his honorable glory, grieving the wife he hated himself too much to heal, I allowed my eyes to refocus on what was left to paint on my canvas and concentrated exclusively on it so as to avoid crying again as I renewed my debate. "So what… You keep avoiding her? You keep leaving her in that darkness?"

"I have no choice," Jasper muttered, agonized by his own decision. "She's better off not having to wait for me any longer."

Nearly dropping my brush over this wretched proclamation, I grew both colder and more emotional at the same time. I couldn't understand that difference as I more smoothly went on, "Let's say you stay away from Alice… for the rest of time. However long you both exist, you stay away from her forever. What then?"

"We go on as we have been, of course," Jasper answered dismally, trying so hard to be unfeeling at his icy declaration of intent. "I keep protecting the family, help protect our charade. I can at least continue doing that much. She would want that."

I forced myself to remain cold and clinical, but beneath the cool mask, I felt like screaming with rage and despair. Was this the future Alice saw? Jasper, always nearby, but never truly _there_? Forever living with the shadow of true love hovering at the door and beneath the window, darkening every entrance with its endless midnight… No wonder Alice behaved as a corpselike wraith waiting for true death to eliminate its eternal torment.

"You make it sound as though she's dead," I announced, terrified by the prospect of Jasper's insane choice.

Jasper growled vividly to my chilling statement, reaching out with startling fury to wrench a tree limb from the trunk it had been rooted in. The large piece flew across the river and smashed like shards of glass against a scatter of heavy rocks.

"Consider this future, for a moment…" I kept on, demanding absolute ice in my heart. To ensure my soul's compliance, I averted my eyes with strict regimen to the canvas under my brush, paint flashing by in bold, dark strokes akin to my musings. "You spend all those decades letting her know you live, that you're near her somehow, that you continue breathing, walking, talking, hurting, feeling, _existing_ … but you won't do those things with _her_. So Alice remains in this untenable state of perpetual agony, slowly losing her spirit, her heart, her sense of self… her sanity… You push Alice into the same dead, painful, anguished, lifeless existence she lived in the asylum as a human."

More vividly and audibly than the first reaction, Jasper now snarled vehemently against the future I outlined, smashing a great, gaping chasm in the middle of the stone whereupon Alice had sat so afflicted.

"That's clearly not an option you want to see happen…" I decided as if unconcerned. My heart cried out for me to stop hurting this tortured man, but I knew he wasn't convinced yet. "So you can't keep on taunting her with your presence marred by such distance, but if you truly leave her side, you can't ensure her physical safety."

Jasper stalked across the ground beyond my canvas, harsh steps echoing the beat of my heart as I continued the sick game.

"Instead, you end your life to spare her that dreaded insanity and emptiness," I concluded, frozen in all but the movements of the brush and my lips. "Alice no longer has to feel or see you near, she never has to cry over your choice to stay apart or shout at the unfairness of loving someone who makes her feel both frustration and affection… Now she feels none of the fear, none of the pity, none of the worry, none of the heartbreak… none of the laughter, none of the shared secrets, none of the joy, none of the love… Now Alice gets her wish. Now she truly feels _nothing at all_."

Those familiar words Jasper had heard in the clearing were despicably intentional, meant to burn hotter than any fire. I hated the need to use them, the need to beat on a heart already seared with grief and self-loathing. Yet I had no choice. Jasper refused to let himself be forgiven, but Alice couldn't go on unless he did.

"Don't you _understand_ yet?" I begged turbulently of Jasper. "You haven't just made her feel sad or angry or confused or hurt. You've nearly destroyed her hope in what's to come. Of all the people in the universe… how sad that _Alice Cullen_ has become afraid of the future."

Finally, with the impossible painting completed to my anguished satisfaction, I spoke with heavily restrained emotion, voice nonetheless evoking the firm desperation I felt, "No matter if you choose this distance or if you choose to end your existence, _this_ is what will become of your beloved Alice."

Words dripping poisonously from my tongue, I grasped the dry corners of my painting and turned it for Jasper's harrowed eyes to observe in unstained clarity.

Amidst those golden and green trees, the gently dipping branches full of spring buds and forming leaves, and the translucent riverbed rushing far out of sight to the west, one lone figure sat atop a now-cracked stone with skinny arms wrapped around its knees and spiky-haired head bowed over top of them. Dressed head to toe in dread black, Alice's little body curled with grief and emptiness, lovely elfin face facing away from the viewer.

"How could you ever let this happen again?" was all I could think to say, my formerly cold voice decimated to nigh inaudible whispering. I had never hated a piece of art more than the canvas in my hands.

Swallowing convulsively as he now faced a sight to match whatever he had heard that day, Jasper's expression turned positively nauseous.

Before Jasper could say anything, or react any further than visible sickness, the last person in the world I expected appeared with us in the clearing.

"What are you doing?" Alice demanded furiously of me. More life shone in her eyes, despite her bleak view of the world, than I had seen in ages.

"Showing Jasper what he stands to lose," I replied without pretense.

"You have to stop doing this," Alice pleaded angrily with me.

"You have to stop protecting him from your emotions," I countered with all too much ease.

"Well clearly – _clearly_ – I haven't done that lately!" Alice debated hotly.

Calmly, I responded, "Only because you've been too numb to work at it."

Alice froze, glare receding to sheer uncertainty.

"Are you letting him feel the anxiety I can see in your eyes?" I wondered sadly.

From the couple's glances to the ground at their feet, I could guess the answer.

"I think Esme was completely right," I went on quietly. "Neither of you ever worked through your histories before you started your relationship. So Jasper goes on hating himself and thinking he doesn't deserve you. And you go on shielding him from the worst parts of your emotional condition, always afraid of… of what, Alice? At this point, I don't know what makes you do it. You seem set so fair, yet…. you hide part of yourself from Jasper out of some unknown fear. I can make guesses, but I don't actually know why. And I don't need to, really… but Jasper does."

Edward's quiet appearance behind his sister relieved me. This wasn't a conversation I needed to participate in and I feared Jasper or Alice might avoid it if they took time enough to return me to the house.

The bronze-haired vampire lifted me into his arms, but before he could leave, Alice called to me.

"Mireille…"

Edward turned us to face two cracked souls, constrained from each other only by the fear in their hearts.

"How do we…" Alice tried, but couldn't finish the sentence, instead whispering painfully, "I'm so lost."

Hardly knowing how to assuage such a deep, abiding fear, I eyed both vampires' matching grief and fright with sad eyes, when I suddenly remembered a quote from one of my old stories. While it had been written in humor, it seemed appropriate.

"Don't forget your compass," I half-smiled, the words like a great secret I had never shared before.

It didn't necessarily make a lot of sense, but I had nothing else with which to help, nothing else to say. It was up to Alice and Jasper now. They had to find what they were working towards. Whether that was each other or internal peace or simply hope for the future, I couldn't say.

Alice frowned in confusion along with Jasper, but Edward smiled slightly as he recalled the precise scenario of the quote from my mind.

"You two have to find your way now," Edward shook his head, more sadly than before as he explained what I had been thinking. "Please… don't waste the chance on fear. You saw how that affected my future in the books. Don't let that happen to you."

With those brief words of wisdom, Edward swept us away in whirl of wind and inhuman speed, ending our journey at the sleek black piano in the Cullens' conservatory.

"Do you think they can do this?" I couldn't help worrying to Edward as he set me on my feet again.

Breathing deep in his chest, the seventeen-year-old shook his head. "I don't know what's going to happen. I never expected to see Alice and Jasper, of all people, lose sight of each other so thoroughly."

"Neither did I," I confessed with dreadful melancholy.

"We can only wait and see," Esme's calm voice reached us, the motherly vampire sitting with a very concerned Carlisle on one of the white sofas. Emmett and Rosalie took up space on the second sofa, both appearing just as concerned as their father.

Sighing our agreement, Edward and I settled together on the piano bench to wait out the two damaged vampires we all wanted to see whole and healed.

Stress could only go so far in keeping a person sustained during a waiting period, and it was left to Edward to break the tumultuous silence. Not with mere words, but with mellifluous melody Edward invaded the distressing quiet, fingers alive as he turned to intone the haunting notes of my favorite classical piece.

"Thank you," I murmured just above the sound of his playing, relieved by the familiar, comforting song of the night.

The wee hours of the morning were upon us when Edward abruptly halted in his playing, leaving everyone to freeze with anticipation of what might next befall our sight. Would Alice be black, bleak, and dead still? Would Jasper be forever stiff with self-loathing and cold distance? The very idea that nothing may have changed left me in a near panic before Edward grasped me by the shoulders and calmed me with only two words.

"It's over."

Before I could question anything further of Edward, all heads turned in unison to face the two people we worried most for.

Observing them as they approached, two vastly different looking individuals with incredibly different backgrounds and personalities, I found a smile growing on my face for the greatest similarity between them.

Each other.

Alice and Jasper held hands as they walked inside the glass doors at the back of the house, the taller of the two glancing down with apology spun across his brow even as the shorter looked up with relief.

The sheer _magnitude_ of what deep pains they must have experienced through each other left me aching with misery despite my renewed hope, but Alice and Jasper turned to face everyone with brighter gazes. I felt hope beating back misery.

"You're going to be okay," I remarked, suddenly impossibly happy.

Jasper smiled, pained and regretful, yet blooming with the same joyful relief we all felt. Seeing moisture build in my eyes, Alice proved the greatest change of all.

She smiled.

Not a cheap, wan, mocking impression, but a true and affectionate gesture I hadn't seen since before the Girls' Choice Dance.

Rosalie, Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle all began to ask rapid questions, but neither Jasper nor Alice replied.

Instead, Alice stepped over to me with great confidence and wrapped me up in a hug that lifted me off my feet with a startled laugh.

"Thank you," Alice murmured against my ear once she had set me down again, her slender arms squeezing around my middle with fond pressure.

"You're welcome," I murmured in return.

"So… on a less… traumatic note," Alice spoke as she pulled away, hesitantly, but then her gaze turned mildly mischievous beneath a nonchalant façade, "I heard the _strangest_ thing today and I was hoping you could help me sort it out…"

"What would that be?" I responded with incredible wariness.

"Well, it seems…" Alice started afresh, effecting quite the confused expression, "that _someone_ in this room thinks they have a special ability… Which is, of course, utterly ridiculous. As you well know, that person was exceptionally adamant that they did _not_ have a special ability. Now isn't that strange?"

The mask of playacted surprise and disbelief left me with blank features amidst a family trying not to laugh too loudly. Alice's freshly golden eyes gleamed sharply in the light.

Eventually rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I didn't bother to answer her rhetorical question.

"Alice Cullen, you're going to be _extremely_ annoying about this."

* * *


	53. Chapter 51: Irrefutable

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
I hope everyone has read _The End Of All Things_ , because it is highly important for development going forward in the series. :)

**Song Inspiration:** _  
Whatever It Takes_ by Imagine Dragons (can you tell I love these guys?)

**Previously** – Jess called Mir and said she didn't believe the rumors about the Cullens. Jess told Mir of Angela asking around about Vanessa. Rosalie doubted Jess was trustworthy, but Mir felt that Jess was truthful. Mir's gift seemed to be cropping up more often. The Cullens discussed Mir's gift and Mir admitted to learning more about it. The Cullens realized Mir is trying to be herself again. Alice had a setback and Mir held off defense so Edward could sit with Alice. Jasper took Mir to defense and Mir explained the attack to Daniel. Mir recalled her training well and created a more intensive training schedule with Daniel. Mir  & Jasper discussed Alice and Mir asked Jasper to join her while she painted. Mir took Jasper to the clearing and began painting. As Mir painted, she discussed similarities between their torment under Vanessa and Maria. Jasper believed he would never deserve Alice and decided to remain separated. Mir outlined possible futures where Jasper stayed distant from Alice. Mir concluded Alice would be empty and revealed that her painting showed that future. Alice wanted Mir to stop and Mir said Alice hides her emotions from Jasper. Edward carried Mir back to the house while Jasper and Alice debated. The Cullens waited for Alice & Jasper while Edward played piano for Mireille. Alice & Jasper returned and admitted they mended fences. Alice thanked Mir and teased Mir about her intuitive gift.

> **Chapter 51: Irrefutable**

Returning to classes after so much trauma and depression stood the test of time for a number of reasons. The worried look Jessica shared with me in Algebra and Edward's nigh imperceptible nod that her words over the phone rang true took top spot.

Most saddening was the silence of Angela at lunch and in classes. Even her circle of friends had begun to worry about her now. I wondered what they knew or suspected, but after seeing Katie offering Alice a strange, scared look, I didn't bother anymore. Unless or until Vanessa's actions were revealed, the rumors would be seen as mostly truth and we would be feared. Fear was aided all too smoothly by the Cullens' natural ability to defer others' attention and interest.

A collection of worried, troubled, upset, curious, and disgusted expressions greeted the eight of us upon our entrance to the cafeteria. Alice and Jasper, especially, found themselves the objects of wide eyes and fantastic whispers as they walked unashamedly hand-in-hand.

The couple had been holding hands nonstop since their return to the house early Sunday morning. Alice couldn't seem to let go of Jasper, a sad fact for which I could hardly blame her. Jasper made no protest to his wife's clinging tendencies, merely reaching out to hold Alice close whenever she appeared nervous or awkward. Jasper had become the most wonderful partner in history, excepting perhaps Carlisle. The former soldier cared for his damaged mate with utmost tenderness and patience; he would never forget what he put her through, infallible recall or not.

While the mystical mated pair had obviously patched up the most problematic part of their circumstances, they weren't magically healed all of a sudden. Where Alice had been blocking every vision before it ever happened, now she spent a great deal of time searching the future. I could only imagine the strength of her anxious need to continually verify Jasper's continuing presence at her side, and found myself unimaginably sad every time Alice's eyes glazed over.

The only time Alice forced herself to let go of Jasper on Monday was during those three classes they didn't share. Carlisle and Esme had both tentatively and kindly suggested Alice had to learn to let go of Jasper for periods of time. They couldn't truly remain locked together every second, so Edward's suggestion of Jasper accompanying me to my self-defense lessons seemed the most reasonable way to handle the initial challenge of letting go. I didn't like to think what Alice behaved like during my training hours, but Edward's face never seemed so terribly maudlin as to overtly concern me upon our return.

The one great change I lamented with surprising tenacity was once again in Alice. The tiny vampire had begun asking my opinion on her outfits for school each morning. She didn't talk about fashion or shopping at all anymore, nor did she say anything about the family's clothing or style or hair… Rosalie had gone out looking for a prom gown and Alice looked completely uninterested. Suspecting – or perhaps hoping – that it was merely Alice's need to stay with Jasper all the time and it would eventually pass along with that habit, I tried to ignore the enormous difference with little success.

Those times when Jasper accompanied me to training became a necessary venting and discussion period for us both. While Jasper blamed himself wholly and completely for the changes in Alice's confidence and priorities, he still needed someone to clear his head with, someone to help him understand and work through the remaining troubles he and Alice were sorting out. Through Edward, I learned that he and Alice shared a similar pastime while Jasper and I were at my lessons.

When we returned from Olympia Tuesday night, I felt so badly for Alice and Jasper's persistent difficulties that I apologized quiet profusely for my horribly dark painting thrown so unceremoniously in Jasper's stunned face.

"Jasper, I'm so sorry," I had started, features wrapped into a grimace, "That painting was a sickening way to try and reason with you. I could have said as much without making you see that visual so clearly."

"Oh, Mir, don't do this," Alice sighed terribly sadly and hugged me firmly. "You did what you had to. We understand completely. As a matter of fact, we both decided we'd keep it. As a reminder of what not to do to each other."

"You saved us, Mir. There's no need to apologize for that," Jasper informed me with a kind smile, but as he reached out to hug both of us in his long arms, the blond-haired vampire suddenly frowned. "I thought we were both on a nickname basis now?"

Alice giggled for the first time since coming back, and I smiled broadly as I acquiesced, "Have it your way…. Jazz."

Alice wasn't lying when she said they were keeping my dark, depressing painting. As they both showed me, the canvas now took a place above the old roll-top desk in Alice and Jasper's bedroom.

"What's in this thing, anyway?" I couldn't stop myself from asking, waving a hand at the antique desk. I had been asking myself that question ever since I saw Jasper's study during my tutoring sessions in the fall. "Jasper has a desk already."

Smiling mysteriously, Alice stepped up to the heavy piece of furniture and threw open the roll-top in one smooth sweep. On the surface of the desk, countless stacks of leather binders full of paper took whatever space was available.

"What's all this?" I asked more curiously.

Rather than speak, Alice opened a compartment at the very back of the desk and pulled out the oldest looking leather binder with tender hands. It was roughed up a bit and very worn where hands had grasped the cover over and over again.

"Open it," Alice told me gently, offering up the leather binder for me to reach.

Doing as I was told, I opened up to the first paper in the binder and found a pristine sketch of Jasper's face, every detail flawless and true to life. This page had clearly been well tended, what should have been yellowing merely seeming a little thinner for wear.

"This was my first image of Jasper," Alice murmured, a breathtaking kind of quiet overcoming the room. "And these are all images of visions I've liked or felt were important over the years. Really, your painting is just like another vision sketch to add to the collection."

Jasper shared a soulful look with his wife, two sets of golden eyes meeting over the book in Alice's hands. Admiring the achingly perfect details of a face thirty years in the waiting, I had let Alice and Jasper have their moment and slipped back downstairs.

Regardless the many growing pains now present in Alice and Jasper's relationship, the two really had returned to themselves in many ways. It may have been necessary for Alice to clutch Jasper's hand at times, but she smiled with genuine positive feelings at Emmett's jokes or my sarcasm or Edward's morbid humor. Jasper still eyed his wife with nervous concern when she wasn't looking, but the love in his eyes eclipsed the anxiety by a thousand miles.

Outside of Alice and Jasper's homecoming of sorts, I faced my own changes in behavior. Mainly, I stepped out the way I had before the bathroom incident – or perhaps better than before, if my confidence was any example. The Prom committee meeting that occurred after Alice and Jasper's reconciliation was the first of a few bold moments I undertook.

Jessica smiled a little uncertainly at me when I asked her where they were meeting that week, but her expression was nothing compared to the other committee members when I walked into the meeting to find them making very poor attempts at a Grecian background for the bleachers. With his anime artistry supporting him, Nathan tried very hard to create structure and landscape, but the frustration on his face clued me into his ultimate disinterest and lack of experience with the subject at hand. Everyone else had a hard time even making straight lines, it seemed, let alone the more complex shapes Nathan had half formed.

Doubtless no one expected me to come back from the dead, so to speak, and I was reminded with reluctant amusement of Bella's sudden revival at school in _New Moon_.

A very similar reaction greeted me when I offered to keep up my end of the bargain for Prom, leaving me helplessly smiling at the foolishness of gossip.

The other committee members probably didn't believe I'd be able to pull through on the deal, but the moment I got home I started to plan again. By the end of the week I had made a litter of drawings and sketches to see what I wanted best. On Saturday, I spent the whole morning trying to finagle a particular section of columns, but it didn't work the way I hoped and I kept drawing it over and over on my sketches. Nothing seemed right.

"Do you need me to get my Hercules costume?" Emmett playacted a serious exasperation, but the grin lurking in his latent dimples told the true story.

"You stay out of this," I pointed at the big vampire commandingly, adding an exaggerated glare to send the point home. Laughter rang through the house as I returned focus to my Grecian sketches all over the floor.

Self-defense, like my artwork, had taken a few days of sorting through what I really wanted out of myself. Daniel and I worked endlessly on echoing my original training and finding exactly how far I excelled in each technique and movement.

Also the same as my prom sketches, self-defense finally clicked on Saturday. Dan had me working on enhancing blocks with new footwork to more easily move out of range of an attack. The complication of adding on foot movements in conjunction with arms and torso should – by all rights – have set me back or at least slowed me down somehow.

Instead, I found each part of the techniques coming together little by little, each twist and stop and blow making a little more sense each time I connected foot, hand, and head to each other in one fluid block. Each move, each block, each escape urged me onward through any and all pains and fears I had ever felt about protecting myself. This time, unlike all the other moments, I was truly going to do whatever it took to make myself stronger, faster, better than I had ever been before.

Vanessa nearly ruined my hope, my joy, and my confidence.

More accurately, I had nearly _let_ her do all those things. No one could ruin me unless I allowed myself to feel ruined. For a while, I had almost allowed that feeling of worthless ruination to overwhelm me. While the cynical chill of self-doubt had been easier by far than fighting through each and every self-effacing thought and action, it simply didn't have a place in my life now. No longer would I allow anyone else to determine my sense of self worth because of their prejudices.

With Saturday emitting such marvelous steps forward in the atmosphere of the house, it stunned me more than I thought possible to find Sunday morning infinitely less promising.

For the first time in ages, Esme hadn't made breakfast for me. I didn't require being waited on, of course, and I knew how to make breakfast for myself, but Esme simply loved to do it for me. It was just one more way she could take care of someone.

Concerned something else happened while I slept, I reluctantly made a quick breakfast and walked out to Edward where he sat playing soft melodies at the piano.

' _Edward… Is everything all right?_ ' I inquired tentatively of the bronze-haired vampire through my thoughts.

Inhaling with hesitant comprehension, Edward struggled to find words for a moment. Worried all over again, I waited impatiently for his response.

"Esme," he breathed as softly as possible while still allowing me to hear his words.

Worry became fear as swiftly as a brisk winter wind, chilling and unmanageable.

' _What's wrong?_ ' I asked, again in my head.

"It's Mother's Day," Edward answered simply.

Heaven knew, it was enough of an answer to be going on with.

Mother's Day… It was a holiday I hadn't celebrated for two years in my old world. Even before then, I hardly enjoyed or nurtured the special day with my own mother. Amy Holden wasn't one for sweet shows of affection or tender displays of love. By that estimate, this third year hardly would have made an impact if I hadn't been told what day it was.

Edward's eyes became harsh and cold as I recalled memories of my failed childhood attempts at celebrating my mother. In those naïve days, I was too young to understand why I couldn't be close to Amy in the ways I saw other daughters behave with their mothers.

"Is Carlisle here, then?" I assumed, pushing away my memories for the time being. The good doctor would have known precisely what kind of pain his wife was going through and he certainly would do anything to ease it, if he were able.

"Carlisle couldn't take the day off," Edward sighed in that soft voice still. "It's not helping."

"There have probably been other years like this one, though," I considered sadly, knowing that nothing would make Carlisle's absence easy to handle on such a sad day for Esme.

"He's hasn't always been able to take off, it's true," Edward shook his head, "but most times he does. He always sits with Esme… he's the only one who can."

"Where is she?" I wondered.

"Up in their room," Edward replied with a mixture of curiosity and hesitance.

"I won't press her for anything," I informed him reasonably and made my way upstairs.

The door to Carlisle and Esme's room was actually wide open, surprising me as I tentatively made my way inside. Carlisle and Esme once asked Edward to tell me I was free to enter their room at any time, and I hoped that still applied in this moment.

The green tree tapestry Rosalie had given for Carlisle and Esme's wedding anniversary hung proudly as a backdrop for the shelving divider between door and bed. For once, thinking of the terrible night that followed the anniversary celebration didn't disturb my complicated thoughts. Esme's current emotions concerned me far greater than the past I had endured as I rounded the divider.

The motherly vampire in question sat cross-legged atop the cream covers of the bed she shared with Carlisle, back to the headboard as she repeatedly caressed the fabric of a once-white blanket with bright yellow scallops crocheted around the edge.

Tears welled up in my eyes when I realized just how small the colorful blanket really was.

Esme looked so lonely in that vast bed, holding the newborn blanket of her long lost baby boy, and the tears nearly overwhelmed me before I forced them back with rigid self-control. It wasn't my time to grieve; that was reserved for Esme.

"The door was open," I offered very quietly as I stepped forward with uncertain feet.

Esme smiled sadly and nodded. "Yes. I heard you and Edward talking."

"I'm sorry," I flinched slightly.

"You needn't be," Esme eased, offering a brief glance up at me. Those golden eyes were so sad, yet incredibly warm. "You can't bear to leave someone in pain if you might comfort them. I understand that. It's Carlisle's way, as well. That's why I left the door open."

Honored to be compared to Carlisle's kindness, I dared another couple steps forward.

"Oh, don't be so gun-shy, Mir," Esme insisted with a soft laugh that ended in a sigh. "Come and sit."

Following her congenial instruction, I came to sit on the space across from her, taking special care to avoid the blanket in her hands.

Smiling gratefully for my thoughtful caution, Esme patted my hand and became silent, only the tiny sounds of her roving fingers on soft yarn filling my ears.

"I'm sorry," was all I could think to say, hating the clichéd words of every sympathetic consolation that had ever come before.

"Thank you," Esme murmured, eyes returned to the blanket. "I try not to focus so much on it, but…"

"Having perfect recall can't make it any easier," I commented.

"No, that's true," Esme sighed and went silent again.

Staring at the fingers of a mother whose only desire would be to have her baby back in her arms, I asked myself what she would have called the darling little boy she gave birth to. What kind of names appealed to Esme Cullen, I wondered?

As I considered the possibility of asking the question and compared it to my sense of respect for what Esme was feeling, a bold surge of anticipation overtook me without warning.

I'd thought after all that happened with Charlie, the Webers, Mr. Banner, Alice, and Jasper, that my gift had potentially run its course for the time being and no more anticipation would overcome me.

How wrong I was.

Fighting through the onslaught of demanding expectation, I tried to understand what precisely my gift was trying to tell me. Beneath the powerful and unyielding pull of anticipation and expectation, up rose a sensation of speech. More accurately, the need _to_ speak.

My gift insisted upon asking the question in my head, I realized. Not in actual, verbal language, but a strange inference of what was meant to occur. Hardly understanding how I could comprehend what the inference truly meant, I nevertheless knew it was true.

"Esme," I began with the utmost resistance to tactlessness, "I… I feel an urge to say something, ask something… because of my gift. I don't know why, but the urging is pretty clear now. I just don't want you to be hurt or offended."

"Sweetie, I won't be offended and I certainly won't be hurt," Esme responded, concluding with a surprisingly keen thought, "You can ask about my past, if you want to."

"What did you name him? Your first son?" I asked kindly.

Smiling broadly as she held the blanket tighter, Esme answered, "Jonathan. Jonathan Platt…"

A soft smile crossed my face. "Jonathan is a wonderful name."

Esme nodded her agreement, fingering the soft yellow scallops with sweet fingers as she added a bit ruefully, "In some deeply buried part of myself, though… I gave him the name Cullen."

We laughed quietly together over Esme's eternal fondness for her future soul mate, even before she realized what he would become to her.

"After all this time," Esme added more pensively, unintentionally bringing our humor back in line, "I do think of him as Carlisle's son. He's the kind of man I would have raised my baby boy to be, after all."

Carlisle _would_ have raised baby Jonathan as his own son, too, I realized without much effort. There could be no doubt the wonderful and compassionate doctor we all knew would have taken that little baby under his wing as if he were his biological human father. Poor Esme and Carlisle… They deserved so much beauty, joy, and love in their lives. Yet one of the greatest things they deserved was now impossible for them to achieve. I tried very hard not to cry, but it was extremely difficult in the face of everything Carlisle and Esme, in particular, never had.

"I always wondered…" Esme began, but hesitated a long moment before continuing sadly, "I always wondered what it would have been like if… if Carlisle and I had ever had a child together… If we had a baby boy or a little girl."

Deeper sadness filled my chest at Esme's wistful fantasy. If only Carlisle had been able to reunite with Esme and have a hybrid child with her before… But that wasn't the way it had happened. They would have been terrified and had no one to turn to. Edward wouldn't have been there to read the baby's mind and say it was all right. It could have ended terribly. Esme might never have made it out alive. Carlisle might never have found his forever or the family they made together.

"What would you have named them?" I asked softly, tucking away my dismal train of thought.

"We've discussed it so many times," Esme whispered, eyes drawn to the aged baby blanket in her grasp. "A decade ago, I spent Mother's Day and the entire week afterward looking through baby name books. Carlisle was so concerned, but I swore to him I was all right. He faked an illness to take the week off and be with me, just waiting for me to come back to him, always holding me up."

Sniffling overcame me and my eyes filled with tears. Esme only smiled sadly and pulled me under one arm as she went on, "For a girl, we both agreed on Joanna Beatrice; Joanna to honor Carlisle's mother and Beatrice for its meaning 'bringer of joy.' That's such a lovely meaning for a baby."

"And for a boy?" I prompted quietly.

Smiling again, Esme answered, "Gabriel Tobias. Gabriel means 'God is my strength' and Tobias means 'God is good.' I couldn't think of any more fitting descriptions for the kind of miracle a baby would have been for us."

All thoughts caught on the terrible denial of one of Esme's greatest desires, I let a few tears make their way down my cheeks. I hope that somehow, Esme could cry through me a little.

"No one can replace what you've lost, Esme," I spoke on a breath of sound, "I know that… I spent years trying to celebrate the mother I thought I had. The mother I _wanted_ to have. My grandma tried to fill the void and love me the way I needed, but she was always afraid of getting in the way of a reconciling. She always hoped my mother would see sense one day."

Taking a deep breath as Esme offered me soft, warm eyes of tender care and concern, I confessed quietly, "You've been more than the mother I thought I needed. You've been a mom and a friend in all the ways that matter. I wanted – and needed – to say thank you."

Overcome with warm feeling, Esme's lips trembled and the mother of the Cullen family leaned over – baby blanket in hand – to clutch me in a hug. We stayed there on the bed, Esme leaning companionably against me until I was forced to leave for self-defense. Edward appeared the moment I thought of it, stepping into the room hesitantly while I stood to go.

Offering her eldest adopted son a loving smile, Esme tilted her head ruefully and said, "You don't have to stay, Edward. You're playing was lovely, if you'd prefer to go back to it."

Reluctant for reasons we didn't understand, Edward waited a moment with a troubled expression on his face. Something in Esme's mind changed his view in a blink, the struggle in Edward's topaz eyes turning to a tenderness I didn't often get to see on his lean features.

"I don't _have_ to stay," Edward remarked in agreement, head tilted as his mother's had been. A frown nearly crossed my face until the seventeen-year-old added, "I would like to."

The loving smile Esme wore turned sweet and gentle as Edward settled into the spot I had just vacated, offering an arm for his mother to slip beneath so the two could sit side-by-side against the headboard. Esme's head of caramel lay on her son's strong shoulder while Edward's bronze head dipped down over top. Edward softly pulled the straying corner of the baby blanket back up onto Esme's lap, careful not to damage it in any way, and I felt myself melt.

Carlisle had revived Esme's body when he changed her, his compassion overcame the pain of Charles' cruelty, his faith renewed Esme's hope, and through love Carlisle had renewed Esme's faith. Carlisle had healed so much of his wife's pain, but the one thing Carlisle could not truly have healed was Esme's heartbreak. Not because his love wasn't enough for her, but because she had not been heartbroken by a lover. Charles had never loved Esme, nor she him.

No, Esme's broken heart stemmed from the loss of her son.

And it was Edward who had healed that pain as much as anyone could.

When I returned from self-defense with Jasper that night, Esme had curled up within the circle of Carlisle's arms on the sofa while Edward played a lullaby his mother couldn't seem to help but hum along with. The baby blanket settled on Esme's lap, one corner in her hand and another in Carlisle's nimble fingers.

Esme didn't appear sad anymore, but merely wistful, and Carlisle's presence seemed to interest her more than the blanket between them. Soft notes faded on the ivory and ebony keys before Edward lifted his hands from them and set them back down in a rush of complex, elegant melody composed especially for his parents' great love.

The love and camaraderie between everyone thankfully lasted into the school week despite the continued presence of gossip and disbelief over our apparent return to the close-knit family everyone first knew.

Swept away by the ease and amiability between us, a startling piece of information caught me off guard at the next Prom committee meeting.

With my artwork now promised with unwavering surety, the committee had gone back to other plans with gladness and relief. Once past the initial shock of my return, the other members seemed to recover fairly well.

So well, in fact, that they now discussed their plans for attending Prom.

"I thought sophomores couldn't attend prom?" I asked before anyone could talk further, thoroughly confused.

"Well, they can't," Amanda agreed, confused by my interruption for some reason.

"Then why are you all planning on going?" I asked, even more confused.

"Prom committee gets free entrance to Prom," Jamie pointed out, and their ongoing confusion drove me a little crazy. "It's kind of part of our job to go."

"Since when?" I inquired a little impatiently. "I had no idea we had to attend the dance. I've never heard of that before."

"We talked about it after Girls' Choice Dance," Megan pointed out more irritably than Jamie, but at the mention of the dance and the memory of what I must have been like in the aftermath, everyone seemed to freeze with comprehension.

Now it made sense why I never heard the information before – I just wasn't listening.

"It's because we're such a small school," Jessica clarified, moving the discussion into safer waters. "We get lucky, I guess. Or unlucky. Depends how you look at it."

In the Acura on the way home, Edward kept grinning at my annoyed thoughts, but wisely stayed silent while I mentally complained about all the last minute preparations I would have to indulge.

With such a short time left before Prom, I had to find dresses, shoes, hairstyles, jewelry, corsages, boutonnières, suits, ties, dress shoes, and who-knew-what-else for four of us Cullen 'kids,' since they would never let me go all alone to an event Vanessa might very well attend. Rosalie and Emmett were set to go already, thanks to Rosalie's earlier shopping venture, so at least that was less to finagle.

I didn't lie to myself that Alice would step up in fashion and shopping all of a sudden, although I hoped she would at least offer me a helping hand with what stores to look at, if nothing else.

Sighing irritably at the burst of responsibilities when I still needed to complete the final copies of the backgrounds for the bleachers, I walked very quickly into the house with Edward chuckling all the way.

"If you keep laughing at me," I glared at the bronze-haired vampire beside me, "I swear, I will buy you a Barbie pink suit to wear to Prom."

Snorting at the ludicrous suggestion, Edward shook his head and retorted, "Even if I actually wore it, you'd be too embarrassed to walk around with me. They're up in their room, by the way."

Scowling at the truth in his statement and the easy way he rooted out my plans to find Alice and Jasper, I ignored Edward's outright laughter and took the stairs up to the second floor.

Alice and Jasper sat together in their corner seating space, both engrossed in a swath of papers and maps, easy debate filling the quiet room. It looked like they were planning a trip, but I couldn't be sure.

"Mir, I'm sorry, but I'm not going," Alice sighed before I even opened my mouth.

"Well, thanks for letting me ask," I returned sarcastically, crossing my arms at her refusal to even hear me out. "I thought you'd stopped preempting like that?"

Heaving a sigh, Alice tossed down her click pen and rubbed at her eyes wearily. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to go."

"Why?" I finally asked, frustrated enough to ask the question that had been bothering me for days now.

"I just feel differently now," Alice replied more shortly.

"Please don't tell me _you're_ the one with a guilt complex now?" I deduced exasperatedly. "Don't we all have enough of that to go around already?"

"I'm not going and that's final!" Alice exclaimed, smacking her pen down at last. "Do you understand this time?"

"No, I don't," I retorted, glaring slightly at her strange attitude. "Not because you aren't saying it clearly enough, but because it doesn't make any sense. You and your husband experienced a terrible situation and now suddenly you stop liking fashion? How does that even work out?"

"Leave it alone, Mir," Jasper warned me off as kindly as he was able. "This isn't about our separation."

"For someone with perfect recall and almost endless brain capacity, it's truly amazing how dumb you can be," I concluded at Jasper's naïve comment, stalking out of the room before either of them could reply.

Driving to self-defense with Jasper was completely uncomfortable for obvious reasons, but both of us were too proud to admit it or openly acknowledge it.

My training had the remarkable effect of letting me vent my frustrations, particularly with a punching bag. It wasn't strictly necessary for most of my lessons, but Dan felt it was an excellent way of improving fitness, gaining strength, and learning focus.

Since Prom and all its crazy responsibilities would take most of the afternoon and evening, Dan and I agreed to move my training to early in the morning the day of the dance.

By the time Jasper started the drive back to Forks, I felt a lot calmer and even guiltier than that.

"Didn't you say something about too much of that going around?" Jasper commented dryly, though he was smiling as he said it.

"I'm sorry for insulting you," I sighed, slouching in my seat, "and for getting on Alice's case. I know she's still trying to get back to herself."

"What makes you think this is related to our recent trouble?" Jasper inquired with furrowed brows.

"Come on," I scoffed quietly, even congenially at him. "That's when it all started."

"I know that," Jasper nodded, not offended in the least. "I just wondered what you think her reason would be. As well as I know my wife, and as much attention as I've been paying her every move since this happened, I've been unable to divine a purpose behind her sudden aversion to fashion."

"So you lied back at the house?" I asked, confused. "You said outright that this isn't related to your separation."

"I didn't exactly lie," Jasper hesitated, but my raised brow convinced him otherwise. "I truly don't think it's a direct result of us being separated these last weeks, but more a result of Alice's fear that it could happen again."

"That's still a lie," I scolded him amusedly.

"Half-lie." Jasper grinned at me.

Rolling my eyes at the blond-haired vampire, I added with further confusion, "But I still don't understand. Isn't _that_ her purpose, then?"

"Not specifically," Jasper shrugged. "It's the underlying reason for what she's doing, but it doesn't explain her logic behind that reason."

"Oh, well that's easy," I responded instantly. "How many times did you and Alice spend apart because she was out shopping or looking at fashion?"

"Often enough," Jasper admitted with a little nod. "You don't think she's feels like she should have spent more time with me, do you? Honestly, that's never been a concern. We spent so much time together already, it was nice for us both to take some time with the rest of the family. Close as vampire mates are, they don't mind spending time with friends. Especially with our animal diet – it promotes a more peaceable co-existence."

"I don't believe that's her problem," I shook my head negatively. "Think of it this way. Spending all that effort searching for fashions or purchases would take time and it would take up her visions. If anything ever happens to take you away from her, she doesn't want her time or her visions clouded by anything unnecessary."

"Will she ever be able to trust me?" Jasper murmured sadly. "I know it's my fault. I don't blame her in any way, but… If this is how she lives the rest of her life, it's not a life at all. I don't want that for her."

"Hard as this might be to believe," I explained with equal sadness, "it's not that Alice can't trust you. She doesn't trust herself, I think. Remember what she said about kissing you during the dance?"

I hated to bring up that painful time and the horrible memory of it Jasper now had, but it was the most relevant explanation I could offer.

Jasper winced mildly, but pushed forward with his desire to understand his wife's unusual behavior. "Of course."

"Alice said she was always impatient, arrogant, and jumping ahead of the present to reach what she _wanted_ to happen."

"How does that correlate to avoiding shopping?" Jasper frowned.

"If Alice believes arrogance is a problem she has to correct…" I shrugged awkwardly. "Fashion is something she spent a lot of time being proud of over the years, so she might think that's a form of arrogance and needs to be stopped."

"That's not going to be an easy fix," Jasper exhaled heavily.

"No," I agreed, "but if your guilt could be reconciled, so can hers."

"That's the first positive thing I've ever associated with guilt," Jasper chuckled darkly.

"We're on the same page, then," I muttered.

"She's full of light and color," Jasper spoke softly of his mate. "I hope I can restore that somehow."

"We're both going to be working on that," I comforted him definitively. "Whatever it takes, we'll get there."

"Thank you. I'll need the help," Jasper half-laughed as we drove on. "Alice is stubborn."

"Aren't we all?" I sighed humorously.

Snickering like his old self, Jasper nevertheless wondered concernedly, "How do we even start, though?"

Allowing a frown to cross my features, I tried to imagine what in the world could convince Alice to snap back to her cheerful, fashion-forward, shopaholic self. Obviously simply hinting at style or fashion wasn't going to do it; I had done exactly that whenever Alice asked my opinion of her outfits in the morning.

Then again, I hadn't exactly been honest about most of those clothes. In the spirit of easing Alice back into her world, I had half-heartedly praised the clothing she chose each day. Much of her wardrobe remained quite dark, albeit still generally fashionable for our public image. If I had been more blunter about Alice's decisions, perhaps she would have gained a little understanding of how different she looked.

Caught in a feeling of anticipation all of a sudden – a feeling that was swiftly becoming second nature – I realized a rather fascinating idea that could get Alice's attention. It was quite a mean idea, I supposed, but after how I had helped Jasper fix his guilty choices I was ready to try anything to complete the circle with Alice.

"I think I know what we can do," I announced mysteriously, leaving Jasper to frown at the unexpected combination of shame, hope, concern, and sneakiness warring within me.

It seemed impossible to reroute Alice's gift when she was now so focused on it, but Edward helped immensely when he read my thoughts upon returning to the house. Grinning almost wolfishly, the lean vampire made me feel even meaner about my plan, but Edward just laughed out loud and set about doing what I needed him to.

Edward's constant, tiny decisions all appearing one after the other eventually made Alice furious. The tiny woman raged at her unrepentant brother by the piano while he continued to make those little decisions in spite of her anger. Meanwhile I was able to nonchalantly write a note, one randomly chosen word at a time, about my plan while Alice raged at Edward in the background. A few well-picked words into the note and Jasper's lips slowly began to from a grin.

With my plans explained, Edward stopped deciding anything at all, leaving Alice's visions clear and the pixielike vampire to stomp upstairs with a fuming expression, never the wiser what we were planning.

While Rosalie had already gone shopping for her prom dress and Emmett's suit, I needed her help rather abruptly on Thursday after self-defense. When I arrived at her vivid red room, the blonde made no hesitation about waving me inside to where she sat on her chaise lounge flipping through an auto magazine. Emmett had gone wrestling in the back yard with Edward and Jasper – or rather Jasper had gone wrestling with Emmett and Edward. Apparently, Emmett still hadn't forgiven Edward for a lost match ten years prior.

"Can you help me out?" I asked of the statuesque vampire left behind.

"Help with what?" Rosalie wondered with a lifted brow.

"I need to go shopping for Prom," I only half lied. Jasper was beginning to rub off on me, I considered wryly. "The prom committee apparently gets free entrance and we're expected to go."

"I have no problem going shopping, believe me," Rosalie smirked a little and put away her magazine. "You want to go now?"

"Are there places open in Seattle?" I wondered, checking the clock. "It _is_ getting late."

"We can go elsewhere if not," Rosalie shrugged, already rising.

Fondly reminded of Edward's wild drive to Sacramento to see _Underworld_ , I agreed with ease, "Definitely ready, then."

Seattle had quite a few places still open when we arrived, actually – just not any place Rosalie had expected to shop.

"I thought you were buying prom clothing?" the blonde inquired dubiously, a strain of suspicion in her voice as I reached for a number of pricey blouses right off the bat.

"Oh, well… I'm… looking for that," I hedged, not wanting Alice to see anything of my plans yet. Hoping to avoid too many details, I walked ahead to a number of stylistic skirts I would never have chosen.

In my anxious desire for my plans to remain unknown, I accidentally dropped a skirt from the pile on my arm. Rosalie bent to pick it up before I could do so, inadvertently seeing the size of the skirt.

"You can't fi—" Rosalie started to exclaim, but realization cut off her words before she finished the sentence. Staring for a long moment at the skirt in her hand – a rather ugly skirt, truth be told – the beautiful vampire's ruby lips began to spread into a Cheshire cat smile. Now smugly amused with understanding, Rosalie reached out to easily organize and hold on to the clothing bunched haphazardly in my arms. "Nevermind, Mir. Go on and pick what you like."

Grinning with appreciation for her assistance with the matter at hand, I ran on through the clothing in the store and chose many more pieces at random before we bought it all and moved on to the next business Rosalie found. I didn't want to think what kind of balance had been run up on my AmEx card by the time we returned home, but Rosalie assured my worry with a single look of encouragement.

On Friday night, Rosalie and I repeated the very same measures of shopping, but with more finesse now that Rosalie understood the game. We came away with even more clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup, and purses than the first night availed us. As we had the previous night, we kept the vast run of purchases in their bags, then stuffed them into the Vanquish as per Edward's allowances.

Saturday began the real work of my plan – 'Operation Blank Slate' I called it in my head, which left Edward choking on laughter. Thanks to Jasper, Alice was out of the house for a series of small stops that would hopefully keep her visions occupied all that day.

' _You did it?_ ' I asked Edward in my mind once he and Rosalie reappeared in the kitchen where I ate breakfast.

"Blank slate," he remarked teasingly, laughing once more at my crazy ideas.

"Everything's up there," Rosalie explained humorously. For once, she stood in concert with her brother.

Ignoring their humor, I let Rosalie carry me upstairs in a hurry. From the outset, we knew our actions couldn't be pre-planned. That made it harder in some ways, but I felt so in tune with my idea – and my ability's helpful inference – that it seemed shockingly easy to get everything done before Edward drove me to self-defense that night.

The next morning I dressed with a very unexpected sense of style, all part of the plan, but I couldn't help feeling strange.

' _I look crazy,_ ' I thought anxiously, but I felt pleased by my successful attempts at looking ridiculous.

"You don't," Edward informed me amusedly and exasperatedly all at once. "You wear bright colors very well, even if the style is ostentatious."

"Thanks," I laughed nervously, following him downstairs to wait out Alice and Jasper's return.

Esme kept offering wry shakes of the head for my wild idea, but she obviously found it quite hilarious while we sat in the living room. Carlisle couldn't seem to keep his lips from quirking upwards every once in a while and Rosalie matched him with tiny smirks. Emmett, on the other hand, was extremely mad we hadn't included him on the plan at all.

We could hardly tell the big vampire he would probably have given it away at some point, nor could we say he would go too far overboard to come back from, so we settled for letting the burly man enjoy the humor enough to move on afterwards. Rosalie promised she would kick him into gear if he sulked too much, so I figured that was good enough.

Jasper and Alice walked into the house hand in hand; the latter invested totally in her husband's eyes for a moment before they stepped past the foyer.

Once they had noticed our conglomeration on the main floor, Alice glanced up and instantly did a double take of my outfit the same as I did hers.

Alice had changed from that morning. There was no mistaking that fact as I looked over her new clothes with a stunned gaze. A loud yellow tiered blouse atop an equally loud aqua pencil skirt matched up to a dark blue floral blazer with yellow, aqua, and hot pink featuring prominently. Hot pink jewels emboldened her wrist and ears with their crystalline shine and shiny ankle strap pumps in hot pink adorned her feet.

Pink and girly to a tee, my short-sleeved blouse and its lacy collar paired up with a teal, tiffany blue, and pink floral pencil skirt, and shiny tiffany blue pumps. Dolled up far more than I'd ever done, the makeup on my face illuminated all the colorful tones of my clothes and the bright shades of pink and tiffany blue on my nails. I'd even pulled my short locks half up with a teal and pink flower barrette and chose to wear a heavy pink bangle and a vibrant pair of earrings with a pink gem and white diamonds hanging from a single teal jewel.

Alice stared for a very long time at my clothing choices, face as cold as stone in more than one way until finally her lips began to thin and tightened together in a very disconcerting manner. Either Alice was amused or she was extremely upset. Leaning towards the latter with a very nervous air, I waited impatiently for her response, whatever it stood to be.

"You _actually_ think that's unfashionable, don't you?" Alice remarked at last as she gestured up and down at my outfit, her lips finally wobbling from thin lines into a very puckish grin.

Caught off guard entirely by the question, I felt my mouth hanging partly open for lack of words to speak. Edward sighed resignedly as he accepted what my sluggish brain had difficulty comprehending.

"You knew?" I mouthed almost noiselessly, leading Alice to close her eyes and repress far greater amusement.

"I saw Edward compliment you," Alice admitted as her eyes opened, unable to keep her grin at bay. "I must admit, I never knew you were such a fashion maven at heart. You obviously always appreciated fashion, but… this outfit really is a cut above."

"You consider _this_ fashionable?" I repeated in disbelief, gesturing down at my outrageous outfit the same as Alice had moments before.

Laughing brightly, Alice shook her head. "I should have known you were trying to be outlandish and unstylish."

"I can't believe it," I exhaled a gust of air with shock. "I tried so hard to make myself look completely silly!"

Giggling now, Alice nodded emphatically, "I know you must have! Really though, Mir, you look absolutely marvelous!"

"Oh for the love of…" I sighed with heavy exasperation, planting pink and tiffany tipped fingers on my hips. Alice just laughed again and reappeared to hug me tightly.

"Why did this stupid little outfit change your mind?" I demanded, annoyed by my useless efforts and the pointless expenditure.

"You put so much effort into it," Alice sighed and pulled back from our hug. "I couldn't stand to see you put so much work into your clothes for some strange plan to get me back to normal. And… well, Jasper may have had a few words to say once he realized I knew."

The tiny vampire tossed a lightly accusing look over her shoulder at her chuckling mate.

"Well, I'm glad you're back, at least," I grumbled half-heartedly. "You _are_ back to your fashionista self, aren't you?"

"Stylish once more," Alice answered with irrefutable promise, winking gladly at me.

A relieved sigh escaped me for that good fortune.

"Very stylish, indeed," the pixielike vampire teased, tapping my jewel-bedecked earlobes playfully. I swatted testily at her small hands, but missed as Alice immediately pulled them out of reach with yet another giggle.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know how close to the mark your outfit is," Alice razzed me once more time, disappearing with Jasper before I could reply.

Edward had me up in his arms and following right behind them, and I frowned confusedly as we stopped at the second floor landing. If Alice had seen everything…

"Not everything," Edward murmured with deep smirk and I quickly understood Alice had merely seen my outfit, not the entire plan.

It took tremendous effort not to squeal with excitement and horror all at once, but I managed well enough as Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme all joined us on the staircase, waiting for the hoped-for reaction with bit lips and expectant eyebrows.

Squealing from Alice and Jasper's bedroom morphed into a drawn out, aggravated sound of utter frustration that didn't disappoint. Two doors slammed in quick succession and after another moment, Alice uttered such a horrified, tortured gasp that I felt a bad for causing it despite the others' muffled laughter. Edward looked ready to keel over he was laughing so hard. I could only imagine what thoughts ran through Alice's head to cause such hilarity for her mind-reading brother.

Doors kept swinging open and closed while Alice dug through all of her closets in search of something that wasn't there.

"What did you do!" the small woman shouted into the hall right before appearing in front of me with sharp eyes and fists on her aqua-clad hips. Far behind Alice, Jasper peeked around their bedroom doorway with wary but highly amused eyes.

Fierce and angry, Alice terrified me for a moment before I swallowed and answered with courage I'd never known, "Whatever do you mean, Alice?"

Upon my nonchalant reply, the rest of the family finally burst from silence with loud laughs, Emmett's guffaws booming with grateful normalcy around us.

"All of my clothes are gone! Replaced with… with… utter nonsense!" Alice snapped, still glaring intensely. "I _know_ this was one of your crazy schemes to get things back to normal!"

A grin slowly began to unfurl on my face as her anger peaked and I shrugged. "Oh, I just thought since no one was interested in all that fashion, then I may as well help you out by buying all new clothes. You know, fashions more in line with that dark style you came up with in the last week or so."

Alice's glare intensified and I nearly gulped before I allowed bravery to sway me again.

"Honestly, do you really think I'd throw it all away?" I scolded the tiny vampire with a roll of my eyes. "Go look in the Vanquish, for heaven's sake!"

Alice evaporated from view, then returned in flash to offer me a far less scalding glare. "You are _so_ lucky I understand what you did!"

"Does this mean you're going prom shopping with me?" I dared to ask in return, leading to another laugh from the other vampires around us.

Alice growled deep in her chest.

* * *


	54. Chapter 52: Invincible

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:** Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
I recommend double-checking inspirations over on tumblr at **farinspirations(d)tumblr(d)com**. I have put up images of how I see a lot of the characters for this story. Not everyone matches the movie version, but I explain the reasons for any changes on each post. On the left side of the blog, you'll see a link for 'Character Inspirations' that leads to all of them. Just my take in this series. :)

And so Prom cometh… Is that foreboding enough? Hm… maybe not. Ah well, do enjoy this chapter. It's a long one and chock full of information!

**Song Inspiration:** _  
Invincible_ by Kelly Clarkson

**Previously** – The school greeted the Cullens oddly because of rumors. Alice clung to Jasper, Jasper took Mir to self-defense, and Alice refrained from fashion. Mir apologized for the painting, but Alice  & Jasper kept it as a reminder. Alice showed Mir the roll top with her vision sketches. Mir returned to prom committee and renewed her promise of prom art. Mir worked on prom art and Emmett teased. Mir became more focused in self-defense and refused to let another determine her outlook. On Mother's Day, Esme held her son's baby blanket. Mir & Esme talked baby names and Mir thanked Esme for being a mom. Edward took Mireille's place with Esme and Mir realized Edward healed Esme's broken heart. Mir learned prom committee must attend Prom and argued with Alice on shopping. Mir & Jasper realized Alice's issue and Mir made a prank for Alice. Rosalie & Edward helped Mir while Jasper kept Alice busy. Alice returned in a fashionable outfit, the same as unknowing Mir. Alice confessed seeing Edward compliment Mir's outfit and proved she was her old self. Alice saw Mir's prank – her closet replaced with horrible fashions – and was furious. Mir bravely teased Alice for her recent fashion drought. Mir revealed Alice's clothes were fine and dared to ask Alice prom shopping.

> **Chapter 52: Invincible**

"Are you ever going to get over that?"

The inquiry was, I felt, a reasonable one.

After all, Alice had been fuming for a whole five days over my little stunt with her closet. This was the beginning of the sixth day, actually.

It wasn't as if I meant to harm her precious clothing, nor did I even damage them in the trips to and from the second floor. Rosalie and Edward had done most of it, anyway, until Alice insisted on moving everything back to its proper place all on her own. Clearly the small vampire didn't trust anyone to do it properly.

Of course, it hadn't escaped my notice that some of the 'utter nonsense' Alice raged over somehow ended up missing from the donation box. My knowing, exasperated eyes had followed the pixielike vampire with complete mistrust as she swept back up to her room without a backward glance.

"And what if I don't?" Alice snipped, definitely back to her old self as she sniffed condescendingly and continue staring out over the road ahead through the windshield of her vibrant yellow Porsche.

After a full week of painting for Prom, immersing myself in defense, exploring my gift a little more, and completing a steadily increasing flow of homework the teachers seemed certain we needed to pass finals in a month, I had finally pulled Alice out for a day of prom shopping.

Shrugging at Alice's snarky reply, just a little bit hurt, I replied simply, "Up to you, I guess."

"Mireille, don't be that way!" Alice exclaimed suddenly, irritation gone with the wind.

"What do you expect?" I retorted, ignoring her startled face in favor of contemplating my own.

"I figured we were playing around like Halloween!" Alice admitted incredulously, frowning. "I never thought you'd take it seriously!"

Blinking away shock, I considered the similarities between the past few days and the week-and-a-half before Halloween when Alice and I playacted our snide repartée over costumes. Ashamed to have so misconstrued the situation, I turned away.

"I'm sorry," Alice said quietly. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Mir."

Difficult though it was to move past my embarrassment, I couldn't let Alice sit waiting for a response. She'd been through a lot lately and I didn't want that to keep going.

"I think it's me," I confessed even more quietly than Alice had.

"Don't be silly!" Alice argued, scoffing at the idea.

"I mean it," I fidgeted awkwardly before adding, "I'm not as light in humor as I used to be."

"I think your choice to redecorate my closet says otherwise," Alice half-laughed.

While I could hardly refute the point, I still felt something inside me must have changed for me to think Alice was truly upset when she actually wasn't.

"I don't think anybody has changed," Alice stated with certainty, albeit tinged with sadness. I opened my mouth to counter, but Alice shook her head firmly. "No. I know I'm right on this, Mir… You've spent so much time trying to see through my dark nature lately that you've become accustomed to it. I'm so sorry you had to adapt to it for so long."

"It's not like you could help it," I shook my head with equal force. "Even Jasper, as wrong as his choices were… they were based in something Vanessa started. If she hadn't chosen to be vindictive, then none of this would have happened."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that," Alice whispered, visibly choking up. "You've been blaming yourself for so much and I'm so glad to finally hear that changing."

There was little more I could say to that without starting another debate, this one far harder to work through, so I remained silent and allowed Alice her pleasant feelings for the rest of our drive.

Shopping with Alice was just like old times, the pixielike vampire miles ahead of me and already rushing me into fitting rooms with fifteen shades of dresses in ten different Grecian-themed styles. In the end, only one of the gowns caught both our eyes.

The pale sea blue draping fabric formed one of the most obvious types of Grecian gowns, along with muted champagne gold trimming and a lovely lightweight cloud of material hanging down my back. It took some convincing for me to wear the piece when I noticed how low-cut it was, but it didn't look quite as bad when I put it on – plus, Alice was very persuasive this time around.

"Anyway, we can add a little lace or chiffon if you really feel awkward about it," her final argument veritably sang in my ears.

As for Alice, she had picked out a tangerine gown with an asymmetrical shoulder design and a relatively simple silhouette. Leaf-themed jewelry and heels, both in rose gold, paired very well with the sweet orange-like color. My own heels, a muted champagne color with pearls and gold-colored gems, looked perfect with my dress' belted waist. Alice tried her best to gear me up in the full range of jewelry, but I didn't want gems and gold clogging up the look of the gown – neither did I want anything emphasizing the neckline I felt so nervous about. In the end, Alice rolled her eyes at my attempts in modesty and allowed me to leave with only a simple pair of aquamarine bar earrings set in pale champagne gold.

"I just have to get one more thing," Alice assured me calmly. "It's for Rose's birthday."

"It's her birthday?" I echoed in surprise.

"Yes, today is," Alice murmured distractedly as she searched through jewelry with an eagle eye. After four cases full of insanely priced gems and baubles, Alice finally settled on a selection of gold bangles with pearls and diamonds inset.

"Let me guess," I remarked as we headed for the door, "like everyone else in this family, Rosalie 'doesn't want a fuss' for her birthday?"

"Well, except for Emmett and me, that's true." The elfin vampire shrugged her agreement. "I don't want a fuss, really, but I have no problem if someone throws a bash like you did this year. That was a wonderful party, by the way. Did I ever say thank you?"

"If I remember right," I replied in fake thoughtfulness, attempting to playact a confused expression, "you said 'thank you' by squeezing the air from my lungs and spinning me around in circles. Does that sound familiar at all?"

Giggling quietly, Alice looked at least a little sheepish. "To be fair, I was extremely excited by the lovely decorations and your skillful evasion of my gift."

"My pleasure," I responded, snorting amusedly.

Just before we exited the main door, my eye caught on something in the window display.

"Alice, wait…"

Stopping on a dime, the tiny woman turned and watched in curiosity as I stepped over to the window. Lifting a moderately priced bracelet from its velvet case, I admired the lovely roses, stems, and baby's breath trapped forever in a resin band.

"I may as well keep my personal tradition," I decided with a wry smile.

"That being?" Alice wondered humorously.

"Buying symbolic gifts for people who don't really need gifts at all," I answered, matching her humor. "Come on, you know I can't pass this up on Rosalie's birthday, of all days."

After the bracelet had been carefully gift-wrapped in solid gold paper, we left the store and made our way back to Forks at high speed. Along the way, my nerves grew to the point that I eventually decided against giving Rosalie my gift.

"Mir, it's hardly a bomb," Alice scolded me exasperatedly. "She won't mind. You just can't throw a big to-do, as I have unfortunately learned the hard way."

"You didn't see her bad reaction beforehand?" I wondered, brow lifted in disbelief.

Alice opened her mouth to speak, but closed it after a moment of vain attempts at an excuse. "Oh, you know what I mean!"

Laughing lightly at her predicament, and the even more thoroughly exasperated expression that drew her eyes tight, I nevertheless responded, "It's just… I know I can trust Rosalie, but there are times when I still think… it's _Rosalie_."

"Sometimes, Mireille, you are the silliest woman alive," Alice shook her head and sighed, letting the issue go.

The moment we stepped through the door, Alice danced over to Rosalie sitting on the sofa with Emmett.

"For Prom and birthday," Alice explained simply and comfortably, slipping her white-wrapped box over to her sister's well-manicured fingers.

Rosalie pleasantly opened the box to find her set of bangles and a tiny smile lifted the corners of her mouth before she replied quietly, "They'll be perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Alice smiled placidly and stepped away, offering me an expectant sigh.

Sighing myself, I closed my eyes momentarily before heading over to Rosalie as well. The blonde looked up curiously at me.

"So, you know I can't ignore certain days…" I stated more than asked, voice wry.

"Yes, I do," Rosalie agreed with a raised brow that hinted towards humor.

"And you know that, as a writer, I can't just ignore symbolism where I find it," I sighed, wry amusement deepening in my tone.

Half-smiling already, Rosalie nodded once and left her head slightly turned down as she murmured, "Of course."

Hesitating only a minute more, I breathed deep and handed over the gold-wrapped gift with a flick of the wrist. Elegant fingers grasped the small box and opened it in seconds, leaving me no time to back away again or for my nerves to skyrocket further than they already had.

Clear resin and deep red roses sat prettily against Rosalie's pale hand while she examined the bracelet with apparent interest.

"It's lovely," she complimented quietly, half-smile returning to her features. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I smiled a little and backed away feeling relieved for her acceptance. "Happy birthday, Rosalie."

I made to walk away and sit with Alice as we had planned to do, hopefully to see how much she could help me attune my gift based on the similarities between our abilities, when Rosalie's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"It's Rose."

By the time I turned around to make sure I heard correctly, Rosalie had already returned to her gifts, trying on both the bangles from Alice and the single resin bracelet. Each looked excellent on her graceful arms and wrists.

Alice gently pulled me away as surprise threatened to overwhelm me, leaving the blonde to her birthday presents and her smiling husband. Not grinning like a goofy fool, but smiling with happiness. Emmett knew how much this must mean to Rosalie and to me.

Once upon an October afternoon, Emmett had asked me not to be mad at Rosalie, and I hadn't been. And in return, the blonde had slowly seemed to accept my presence in her family's life. We were annoyed with each for a while, perhaps, but never truly mad. As those first days and weeks played out, I would never have believed annoyance would eventually translate into slow camaraderie and mutual understanding. I thanked heaven for that blessing and continued on with Alice.

Aside from our brief shopping venture that unique day, Alice had spent little time hoarding up clothes or pouring over magazines and styles for the future. She was still interested, as she told me, but it didn't hurt to spend more time in the present.

"You've been telling and showing me that, in one form or another, ever since you came here," the tiny woman reminded me with a smile. "I think I've finally gained a better understanding of what you meant."

Deducing the specific ins and outs of my gift was more complicated than I expected, but Alice seemed to grow into the topic as we went along. Well, as much as we knew about it at that point. Eleazar had pinpointed two parts to my single gift. Like two halves of the same apple, my intuition and my affectation formed a lopsided fruit, in my opinion. I still had no idea what the affectation aspect covered.

After a while, it was Alice who pulled me back from the unknown and into the present. Ironic that she, of all people, who be the one to refrain from examining possibilities, but I attributed it to her new mindset of living more in the moment than before.

Our contemplations became convoluted upon analyzing the one part of my gift we understood to some degree. Suitably fascinated by the examination of my gift, it took up a lot of my thoughts as the week progressed.

Having finished my art for prom at last, I had happily presented it to the rest of the prom committee for consideration on Wednesday. Not that anyone planned to refuse it, considering how little they wanted to remake the slow-in-coming works, but I wanted to make sure the art matched what the other sophomores had been looking for all the same.

Immensely relieve to have the art and the prom shopping off my hands so early, I was left with only one thing more powerful in my mind than my intuitive ability, and that was self-defense. Already it had been nearly a month since I restarted training. I couldn't believe I had missed a whole month before then, yet it somehow seemed as if I never left at all.

I felt better, more attuned and more in charge of myself, than I had ever felt in my life. Lessons with Dan were enjoyable the same as before, but this time I remained more focused and aware than originally.

Driving away from my training Saturday morning, I asked myself why that would be so and I realized one vital difference between then and now.

It was Edward.

I had grown to appreciate his presence in lessons and it was always fun to share them with him.

That, however, was precisely the problem. It had been too 'fun' with Edward. Having him there felt more like playacting and less like protecting myself. Perhaps because I knew, without a doubt, that Edward would ensure neither of us actually hurt me in the midst of training – or any other time.

With Jasper now my training attendant, so to speak, things felt vastly different. For one thing, Jasper never joined my practices. There were reasons, he assured me, so I didn't bother to ask; I easily guessed various reasons based on his history and recent events, then decided it wasn't important to know for certain unless he wanted to tell me. Regardless, the blond-haired vampire's steady presence comforted and yet encouraged. He never had to use his gift to make that happen, either.

It was a very similar feeling to the altercation with the boys in the hallway in February. I knew Jasper was there for me, but he didn't have to be directly involved; he let me do what I needed to do and only stepped in when the occasion called for it. No moment at self-defense had yet risen where the 'occasion called for it', so I continued to do what I needed to do and Jasper supported in his quiet way.

Said vampire plucked up my gym bag before I could clear my head and actually move for it, the honey-blond man grinning at me as I gave him the stink eye over the roof of the car.

Alice's giggling interrupted any words I might have offered as we walked through the front door of house.

Rolling my eyes at the two conspirators, I hurried upstairs to get ready for setup at the school. Jessica waited for a ride from me, something we'd planned so we could talk a little more freely if we needed to. I'd never seen Jessica's house, so I was also partly intrigued by seeing the Stanley home anyway.

Apparently, Jessica's parents wouldn't be home until the early evening, so Jessica wasn't worried about her mom seeing us in company together. If she did, I expected Monica would have words for everyone in town about me; something to the effect of that strange Whitlock girl going after her daughter now. Humored by the stupid idea, I smiled as I headed back downstairs.

"You're not driving alone, are you?" Esme wondered concernedly when I stepped off the staircase. "With Vanessa out there…"

"I'm going to be in the car, Esme," I assured the soft-hearted mother almost laughingly. She was just so sweet when she worried that I couldn't help it. "Jess is already set to go, she'll just run to the car. She already has an inkling that Vanessa is dangerous and on-the-prowl sometimes, so she's not going to wait around."

"I still don't like it," Esme sighed nervously.

"I must admit to being highly concerned as well," Carlisle added to his wife's statement.

"I don't see anything going wrong," Alice offered.

"You didn't see the first two incidents, either," Rosalie commented. Alice looked slightly hurt, but Rosalie explained more clearly, "All I'm saying is that Vanessa seems to live for the thrill of the moment. She attacks without really planning it ahead of time."

"I expect that's why she always carried a knife with her," Jasper nodded in agreement with his sister. "Even if you check a hundred times, Alice, you may never see something happening until it's too late."

"Why don't you see what _your_ gift tells you, Mireille?" Edward turned to me suddenly.

"Me?" I repeated in surprise. "Why would my gift be any more useful than Alice's? Truthfully, there's not much difference between them, other than the manner in which our gift shows us the possibilities ahead."

"There's a huge difference!" Alice half laughed, almost incredulous, and tugged me to sit on the couch with her.

I had no idea how the tiny woman planned to explain some vague difference between our gifts, but I knew I wouldn't be going anywhere otherwise, so I settled in to listen.

"How do I explain this…" Alice wondered irritably, settling cross-legged beside me. "I could see… ten different visions… of the exact same event. All of them could be just as likely as the next, depending on the strength of the decisions creating that circumstance. Our decisions can change. What I see is not always concrete. In many ways, my gift focuses on the extraneous. Your gift, on the other hand, seems to focus more on the heart of any given situation. You sense the final vision, if you will. No matter how many choices change along the way, you seem to have the ability to 'see' the eventual outcome – good or bad – with your unique intuition."

Frowning thoughtfully, I processed the explanation with a good deal of hesitance. It seemed odd to ever think of Alice's gift as less than perfectly potent in any regard, but the way she explained it certainly gave me pause.

"You should always get a second opinion, if possible," Carlisle remarked a little humorously.

Repressing a smile at the doctor's medical pun, I nodded awkwardly. "I'll try."

Pressured – albeit kindly – to utilize my ability on the spur of the moment made it more challenging to get into the right frame of mind.

Seeing my difficulty, Edward settled on my other side and encouraged me, "Ask yourself the question, Mireille. Ask yourself what you want to know."

With that suggestion lingering in my mind, I closed my eyes and cleared my thoughts as much as the situation allowed. What would happen with Jessica? I wondered the question over and over again, brow steadily deepening.

Nothing.

No feelings to speak of, except my own curious bewilderment and frustration.

"It's not working," I exhaled irritably. "I don't know how to… _make_ it work all the time. Most of the time, it's just been there already."

"What happened when you thought about self-defense, then?" Edward frowned as pensively as I had.

"When I thought about self-defense, I had so many thoughts in my brain that I didn't know which one prompted the intuition."

"Mir," Alice pulled my attention away from Edward and around to her contemplative features. "We have a very similar style of gift, it seems. Not just premonition, but the way we gain that premonition as well."

"What do you mean?"

"In those first few years after I awoke," Alice went on to explain, "I wasn't the vision fiend you know me to be. It was brand new, this gift. Obviously I never remembered the visions from my human life, so I rose up in my vampire life, never knowing how I came to have them or how they truly worked. As you just described your own gift, most of the time my visions were just already there. The way I search out the future now? That took years to perfect. It's still not _truly_ perfect, of course, but all that time looking for Jasper, I became an expert at calling up possibilities."

"You think I might be able to use the same kind of method you do?" I wondered more interestedly.

"It sounds possible," Alice hesitated. "I don't want to make any promises, since we don't know the full range of your gift yet… but it's worth a try."

"You're short on time," Emmett pointed out kindly, eyeing the clock.

"It won't take but a minute," Alice answered. "All right, Mir. Remember when we tried to find you an instructor for defense? I told you that I had to focus on the place and your decision to go there."

"I remember," I nodded.

"Think of Jessica's house," the black-haired vampire prompted me, "and think of actually driving there. Focus on the time, as well, if you can. Try to imagine it all flowing together in a seamless line. One thing after another until you leave her house and arrive at the school…"

Closing my eyes for the second time, I took a deep breath and slowly released it as my thoughts streamed ahead of me. Picking up Jessica and driving to the school swam in my head… Jessica's curly black hair, her short stature, the Acura shining dark blue, the light blue house Jess described to me, Jess sitting in the passenger seat as I backed out of the gray driveway and took off for the school, hopes of it turning out well and no one being harmed. All of us safe and sound back at home after the dance was arranged to our liking…

And there it was.

Startled slightly by the nonetheless familiar feeling of expectation, I honed in on what kind of expectation and anticipation waited underneath it all.

Positive, encouraging… certain.

"Nothing will go wrong," I stated as plainly and surely as if I'd described the rain falling outside the house at that moment.

"Are you sure? Esme worried still.

"Absolutely," I agreed firmly, opening my eyes at last and turning to Alice beside me with a slight smile. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," the pixielike vampire scrunched her nose excitedly. "This could be really fun."

We laughed at her giddiness and I stood to leave with gladness of my own.

"Be careful all the same," Carlisle asked of me, smiling warmly.

"I will be," I promised him sincerely. "See you in a little while."

A swath of farewells followed me out the front door and carried a special place in my chest as I left for the Stanley home.

The overlarge house in question stood out with clear, crisp modernity for as old as the house had to be. The pale blue siding color, dark gray shutters and roof, and bright white trim clearly had been added in recent years and kept well-maintained. Plain green plants and brown mulch lined the front of the house with far too much perfection, no sign of real warmth gracing the lawn's overly manicured look.

Jessica rushed out of the dusky blue front door and to the car the moment I pulled into the drive; I had to hurry and unlock the doors for her so she wouldn't get caught in the rain any longer than necessary.

"Ugh, I'm going to a hot state for college," Jessica complained as she shook rainwater from the sleeve of her raincoat.

Laughing at the comment, I shrugged, "Hot doesn't mean there's no moisture. Think of Florida."

"Oh." Jessica paused as I started to back out of the driveway. "That's a good point… Okay, so I'll go to Texas A&M. Or UA in Tucson. Whatever."

"That might work," I repressed laughter at the irony of Bella coming to Washington and Jessica later going to Arizona. "You belted in?"

"Uh, sure," Jess answered absently, reaching for the belt. I waited until the black-haired girl had buckled up before backing out onto the road.

"Anything new about Angela?" I prompted conversation anew as I drove off.

"No, nothing's changed," Jess shook her head. "She still keeps to herself unless she talks with us. And Katie still walks her out to the parking lot."

"Anything else outside of her, then?" I asked again.

"Just that the blonde, Vanessa, doesn't talk to Allison anymore."

"She doesn't?" I repeated in surprise. "Why do you say that?"

"They were arguing about something after school on Wednesday," Jessica responded conspiratorially. "It was Megan who heard them. I think Vanessa was mad because Allison told Angela something about the dance."

"Did Megan hear what Allison supposedly said?" I inquired, ashamed of gossiping like every other silly schoolgirl, yet happy to find out something of Vanessa's interactions rather than the other way around. The lopsided game Vanessa played needed to be evened out somehow.

"Not really," Jess shook her head, leaving me disappointed until she added, "It could have been something about Vanessa leaving early, but Megan isn't totally sure of that."

"Hmm," I hummed thoughtfully, intentionally not offering any commentary. Jessica may very well have been on my side, but that didn't mean she fully understood how to stop herself from sharing too much information just yet.

Jessica prattled a little more about Allison and Megan and the prom committee's speculations on the whole situation, but most of it was old hat and I gladly let it fade to background noise until we reached the school and headed inside at a run through the rain.

Just as my intuition told me, setting up the gym passed by in blur of laughs and excitement for the events to come. Even as nervous as I had felt about having to attend the prom, I couldn't help feeling conversely buoyed now that all efforts were coming to a close.

On the drive back, Jessica looked quite nervous – very different from the drive over – and I wondered what would have changed her view.

"You all right, Jess?" I asked as nonchalantly as any other inquiry would be.

"Um, just… kind of nervous," she admitted, sucking in her bottom lip with familiar anxiety.

"About what?" I inquired, surprised.

"Conner's my prom date," Jess replied quietly, appearing impossibly worried over my opinion of her choice.

"That's great!" I exclaimed pleasantly. Conner had proven respectful enough to apologize for pushing too hard and more importantly, he had learned from the experience and changed his behavior accordingly. "Why would that make you nervous?"

"Well, I don't really like him that way," the short girl further confessed, heaving a great sigh. "I still like Mike. I know he's been stupid, but I can't help it. And I… well, I asked Conner during Girls' Choice, because I wanted to make Mike jealous… He said yes, but after a while, I remembered what you said back on Valentine's Day. That being rude wouldn't make me any friends."

"Jess, I was a little harsh," I allowed with a sigh.

"The thing is," Jessica continued before I could, steeling herself before concluding, "I think you were right. I felt exactly like that – rude – for tricking Conner, so I told him why I asked him to go with me. Conner said it's okay, that we can go anyway and just have fun, but… Will that make it weird for him?"

"Only if you both let it," I told her consolingly, forced to repress a laugh at her freshly adorable behavior. It was nice to see Jessica actually wanting someone _else_ to be happy. Who knew? Maybe Conner and Jessica would actually be good for each other. "Just remember it's about having fun, not about making everything perfect."

"I'll try," Jess smiled, still nervous as a cat, but her eyes brightened at my simple suggestions.

A brainchild struck me of a sudden, the idea odd but fascinating as I considered it. "Hey, why don't you and Conner drive over with us? Edward and I are going to take my car tonight."

"Really?" Jessica seemed rather excited, but hesitated. "I don't know if my mom would like that very much, though."

"We could come by early," I suggested, feeling a little guilty for subverting a parent, but seeing as Monica's reasoning was harsh and foolish, my conscience eased somewhat. "What time are your parents coming home?"

"Seven-thirty," the short girl answered.

"We could come by at seven," I offered with a shrug. "We have to go pick up Conner afterwards, too, so that would work out well, actually."

"I… guess so," Jess began to look excited again. "If you and Edward are okay with it?"

"Edward doesn't mind Conner," I smiled slightly. "And you've been reasonable for a while now, so I don't think he'll mind."

"I'll call Conner, then," Jessica bounced a little in her seat, "We get to ride in a cool car. This is going to be so awesome! Thanks!"

Laughing at her energy over the idea of riding in a nice car, I shook my head and already began planning how to break the news to Edward.

Once I dropped Jessica off at her house, thankfully not encountering Mrs. Stanley in the process, I headed back to the Cullen home with an unknown weight lifted from my chest and a general idea of how to handle Edward's inevitable frustration.

Esme and Carlisle stood waiting like any two anxious parents would, and I laughed brightly at them as I entered the house completely normal. Feeling bubbly and unblemished, I even dared to teasingly spin, showing off my unharmed state. Joining me with sheepish but unrepentant laughs, both Cullen parents pleasantly pulled me into an embrace between them.

"You know we will always worry," Carlisle assured me confidently and sweetly. "Every single day."

"As surely as we worry about the rest of our children," Esme agreed laughingly.

"I can handle that," I grinned, putting an arm around each of their waists and squeezing back.

"I wish I could say the same for your mad ideas," Edward remarked keenly, and I looked over to find the mind-reading vampire with his arms crossed stubbornly.

"You can ride with your happily mated siblings, then," I commented brightly, fearlessly, bringing laughter from everyone in the house. My simple plan was all too easy to implement.

"Fine," Edward snapped, sitting at the piano again to furiously flesh out a Rachmaninov piece.

Heady happiness filled the house that evening after my dinner as I floated between Esme, Rosalie, and Alice for nails, hair, and makeup respectively. Dressed in my pale blue gown with soft natural nails and delicate makeup, I stood in front of the hall mirror down on the main floor with pleasant surprise at the simple, gentle way Rosalie had pull the top section of my hair back into a small knot topped with baby's breath.

Rosalie looked like a natural-born queen in her asymmetrical gold satin gown with all gold shoes, earrings, and bracelets tempered by diamonds and pearls. Just enough of her golden-blonde curls had been pulled back in a braid around the crown of her head to look elegant yet tidy.

Back to her sleek self, Alice looked completely poised and unruffled in the tangerine dress she had chosen with all of her rose gold accessories and natural spiky black hair. All of us wore white flowers – roses for Rosalie, tiger lilies for Alice, and white tulips for me.

The last to come down, the three brothers of the family wore neutral-toned suits with white dress shirts; from Emmett's tan suit and gold tie, to Jasper's all-taupe suit and tie, to Edward's crisp three-piece linen suit and pale blue bowtie, every man looked fresh and wonderful.

To my utter surprise, Carlisle joined the ensemble of Cullen men moments later, only there was nothing neutral about the doctor's sleek black tuxedo, white dress shirt, and perfect black bowtie as he stepped off the stairs still fastening a silver cufflink. Not a moment afterward, Esme gracefully descended the staircase behind her husband. The beautiful vampire's caramel waves had been perched in an elegant updo to match the upscale class of her black sequin-covered off-shoulder gown, black peep-toe pumps, and crystal clear diamond necklace and earrings.

"You look beautiful!" I complimented both parents with a grin, albeit a confused one as I asked a seemingly obvious question, "Are you going out?"

"We're attending the Cancer Benefit tonight," Carlisle answered, letting Esme straighten his bowtie unnecessarily. The doctor never complained about the cute little gesture and Esme always shared a mischievous look with Carlisle when it occurred.

"Cancer Benefit?" I repeated confusedly. It sounded as though I should remember it, but I drew only a blank.

"I mentioned it during our first shopping trip," Alice reminded me with a bright smile.

"Oh, when you told me all the events that would be happening," I vaguely remembered something along that line.

"We're only a phone call away if anything happens," Esme informed all of us sternly, although soft and steady eyes focused mainly on me.

"I'm not expecting anything," Alice explained reluctantly. "As Rosalie said, though, that might not mean anything with Vanessa."

"Mir?" Jasper inquired of me with one brow lifted in question.

"I haven't felt anything one way or the other," I shook my head. "I've been trying just the way Alice showed me, ever since I got back from setup, but there's nothing so far."

"There are probably too many variables," Alice shook her head as well, frowning at the knowledge. "Even with your ability to seemingly see the ultimate end, I think it still depends on a certain level of choice from the people involved. Much less than my gift, but enough to be problematic."

"And there are a _lot_ of people involved with prom," I concluded interestedly. "That makes sense."

"As we always say, be careful," Esme decided with a worried sigh.

"And please, call us as _soon_ as something seems even slightly wrong," Carlisle insisted firmly.

"We will," Edward reassured his father sincerely. "We can't waste time in another situation. This has gone on too long as it is."

"Agreed," Rosalie nodded once.

"Well, we all should get going, I suppose," Esme announced, biting her lip with obvious reluctance to leave.

"Ah, ah!" Alice stopped everyone, scolding us all. "Pictures first. We do have Mir's scrapbooks to fill, you know!"

Half the family rolled their eyes while the other chuckled resignedly, but each of us fell in line for the proposed pictures all the same.

For once I was going to drive to a school event – mainly because Edward wanted to pout, although his apparent lack of driving age did factor in.

Jessica waited outside on the porch, something that made me frown a little, but I supposed since nothing happened it was all right this once. Thankfully the rain had stopped and it left Jessica to carry her coat over one arm and her soft yellow dress, matching strappy heels, and curly updo brightly visible to us as she walked out to the car.

"Thanks for driving us," Jess smiled happily, smile enhancing her bright eyeshadow and lipstick. "Conner would have had to borrow his dad's car and it doesn't run so well."

"Glad to help out," I laughed and headed on to the Packham house.

"Hey, will you guys just meet Conner's parents?" Jessica asked of us, eyes skittish at the request. "They just want to meet who we're riding with. You know how parents are."

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Edward commented, forcing patience into his voice. Eyeing the bronze-haired vampire awkwardly, I admitted in my head this wasn't exactly my best idea yet. The slight smirk that lit Edward's features told me just how much he agreed.

In a black suit, yellow tie, and yellow carnation, Conner waited on the porch of his parents' house the same as Jessica had done. The one difference was that Conner's parents stood waiting with him, anticipating the new dance date with interest and the hint of a joking smile for their son.

The three of us stood from the Acura all at once, Edward taller and far more handsome than any average teen boy could be. The seventeen-year-old's eyes glinted amusedly at my mental description and I shrugged for his benefit. I couldn't help it he was an immortal vampire with inhumanly good looks. After so long living around him, and his continued insistence I needn't be worried about my thoughts, I decided it wasn't worth it to try and hide it anymore.

Repressing a grin with obvious difficulty, Edward wrapped a gentlemanly arm around my shoulders and guided me up the front walk behind Jessica.

"Hey, you look nice," the Conner told Jessica with a friendly smile.

"You too," Jess awkwardly responded, accepting the corsage Conner slipped on her wrist.

"Glad to see you, Jessica," Mr. Packham greeted the short girl familiarly.

"Who is this?" Mrs. Packham wondered fairly with a glance over at Edward and me.

"This is Mireille Whitlock and Edward Cullen," Conner announced, sure of himself and clearly not bothered by the rumors floating around.

"Oh," Mrs. Packham exclaimed rather piteously, immediately turning her full attention to us. "Ray, is it?"

"Yes, ma'am," I replied just as anxiously as Jessica looked. I didn't know who I could really trust, so it was hard to believe the seemingly real sympathy in the woman's brown eyes.

"Conner's talked about you before," the mother smiled more congenially than I expected. "I'm awfully sorry about all this gossip going around. Hard knocks of a small town, I guess."

"Thank you," I replied, antsy of the uneasy topic. Edward nudged me gently in the back and on a slight turn, I caught sight of his encouraging topaz eyes. So Mrs. Packham meant what she said… that was a relief.

"We won't keep you any longer, though," Mr. Packham smiled, as straightforward as his wife. I found that I liked the Packhams quite a lot. Like Conner, they appeared to take their own view of things and not bow under pressure. One more reason I kind of hoped Jessica could learn to like Conner more than Mike, but I didn't know what fate had in store for them.

"You'll drive safe, won't you, Ray?" Mrs. Packham asked with the same kind of worry as motherly Esme.

"Carlisle and Esme make sure we all learn safe driving," Edward answered for me. "Ray won't even back out of the driveway until everyone wears their seatbelt."

"That's wonderful," the mother released a somewhat relieved breath. Not that it would stop her fears, of course; she was a mom, after all. "You kids have fun, then."

"Okay, we will," Conner promised his parents with a wry look, he and Jess following us back to the car with a little relief on their faces.

On the way to the school Conner explained, "Sorry about that, Mom worries all the time."

"So does Esme," Edward assured the boy dryly.

"Moms, huh?" Conner laughed at the idea and Edward actually smiled at the mild joke.

Conner and Jessica chattered most of the way there about everyday things, not requiring much input from Edward or myself. Upon our arrival at the high school, our 'siblings' waited outside the Volvo, as relaxed as they could be when they stood so vigilant of outside threats.

Our two companions hardly took any notice of the stiffness in the other Cullens, but continued to chatter in an easy, friendly way as we all headed up to the line.

Far fewer students waited in line at the ticket table than at Homecoming or Girls' Choice, leaving it even easier to notice the sparse familiar faces.

First Lauren in a pink one-shoulder dress and strappy, iridescent pink heels caught my eye, the sophomore clearly having hooked a senior into taking her to prom – apparently Mike was no longer on the menu.

The next to enter my view was Whitney, strawberry blond hair in a very plain, straight updo to match her relatively simple pale green strapless dress and silver sandal heels.

Beside her, of course, stood the viper who had done so much harm, not only to me, but to Whitney, Jessica, the entire Weber family, my own 'relatives' however inadvertently, and God-knew-who-else over the years before my arrival.

Wild highlighted hair full-bodied and untamed, Vanessa wore a clinging, low-cut red dress with thin straps, a beaded decal, and a knee-high slit to reveal her jeweled black heels. As if prompted, the vicious senior turned and our eyes locked, blue versus brown – each filled with coldness and fury that could not trump the other.

"Easy, tiger," Jasper's deep, amused voice floated into my ears, followed by a gentle finger against my bare arm that instilled immediate calm.

"Sorry," I muttered, averting my eyes from the bully across the way with much difficulty.

"We understand," Edward commented, an odd tone to his voice that I found challenging to decipher by the time we started moving forward towards the gym doors.

To distract myself, I took unnecessarily detailed notice of the banners I painted for the event. The infinitely simpler pieces of art had been my first completed pieces. Two symmetrical ivory columns between the top and bottom marble platforms, the date in light blue over the roof piece and the school name across the base in the same blue color. Against the blue sky background were the words 'Mount Olympus' and 'Junior/Senior Prom' in green and ivory lettering.

The tickets echoed the theme somewhat, with a similarly ivory marble structure of two columns between a base and a roof, against blue skies with the dance theme 'Mount Olympus' once more in green lettering. Also in green, set against a checkered green and ivory band, the tickets read 'Junior/Senior Prom'. The rest of the dance information had been simple black lettering against an ivory background to make it more easily visible.

"Stop waxing," Edward jolted me from the reverie, but his humor eased the hackles rising against his lack of poetry.

"I just can't do that!" I exclaimed with faux helplessness, sighing in playacted weariness.

Chuckling at the quick retort, Edward led me forward behind Jessica and Conner, still chattering away. I was glad they got along so well. And just as glad that Vanessa, Whitney, and Lauren had disappeared inside with their dates.

At the ticket table, the staff volunteers – of whom I recognized only straightforward, non-nonsense Coach Clapp – offered tentative looks of suspicion. The other two teachers apparently believed themselves quite discreet about it.

On the way inside, I felt such a sense of déjà vu from the night of Homecoming that I actually checked to make sure I wasn't still wearing that same plum and eggplant gown, or deep purple hydrangea, or borrowed pearl jewelry… Everyone stared precisely the same as that night back in October, including the other students.

"Stop it," Edward gently corrected my nigh imperceptible searching hands as I checked foolishly for sleeves I knew perfectly well weren't there.

"Sorry," I sighed and let him keep my hands in place. "I understand that everything is mysterious and frightening with kids getting threatened and bullied so blatantly, but I wear the adults are equally as immature as the kids are!"

Chortling, Edward bowed his head to hide the laughter from prying eyes as well as he could until he recovered. Once he had, the bronze-haired vampire grasped my hand and led me to the dance floor with the comment, "I seem to recall dancing helped that."

Dancing did indeed offer great relief from the stares of everyone around us, and I smiled amusedly at the familiar feeling. "Thank you, Edward."

"My pleasure," he ventured in signature velvet tones, a smirk teasing the edges of his mouth.

After a few good dances interceded by modern tunes that we had no intention of grinding along with, Edward and I ended up at the dessert table beside Jess and Conner, both of whom were smiling quite pleasantly.

"Been having fun?" I inquired of the two, who looked to have been dancing a lot based on their reddened faces.

"It's been great!" Jessica responded, lighting up. "Conner's so much fun!"

"Thanks, Jess," the boy in question tilted his head, shrugging off the compliment modestly.

"Oh, Ray, I almost forgot," Jessica turned to me again, sipping her punch before completing the thought, "the banner up front fell. I tried to fix it, but the tape wouldn't stick anymore."

"I don't think too many people care at this point," I half-laughed, waving the issue away, when I realized quite suddenly that Jessica's bright lipstick had been long gone before she ever touched the punch. Grinning, I asked Jess and Conner mischievously, "And what exactly were you two doing all alone outside?"

Pink in the face, Jessica refrained from answering and instead focused very determinedly on her punch. For not liking Conner as much as she liked Mike, Jess had certainly warmed up to the brown-haired boy.

"Anyway, everyone's inside now," I offered with a laugh in my voice. "Anyone who isn't… probably won't care about the banner too much."

"Yeah, that's true," Jess nodded in a bad attempt at carelessness and let the matter drop in favor of going back out on the floor with a sheepish Conner.

"Isn't public necking outlawed?" Edward remarked teasingly to me and I laughed out loud as we returned to dancing.

After the song came to its end, Edward and I paused long enough that a cold, slender hand spun me around and into a dance with Alice and Jasper. Recognizing Alice's hand as the one that had pulled me in, I laughed at her enthusiastic grin and left my hand resting on Jasper's upper arm and an arm across Alice's shoulders.

"Messing with the locals?" I assumed humorously.

"They already think I've been two-timing," Jasper sighed.

Alice giggled and answered with false superiority, "Maybe they'd feel more comfortable if we were just sharing Jasper, rather than fighting over him."

Bursting into laughter at the crazy idea, I had to lean into the small woman to hold myself up. "You're insane, Alice Cullen."

"Proudly," the tiny vampire giggled again.

Once the song was over, Alice grinned over our silly escapade and left me to dance with Jasper while she pulled Edward into a spin he gracefully took control of, ending with Alice back in his grasp for a waltz.

"Crazy," Jasper and I said at the exact same time, laughing at each other and our erstwhile dance partners.

All seemed set for a fun, drama-free night with no interruptions from Vanessa's cruelty. Jess and Conner kept on dancing right up near the speakers, ignoring a sour-faced Lauren and her bored date nearby. Rosalie and Emmett remained absorbed in each other throughout every song, Emmett's hand precariously low on his wife's exposed back for any public consumption.

At the center of the floor, Alice gave chase at a very human speed when Edward caught her off guard enough to ruffle her carefully styled spiky hair. Students jumped out of the way, shaking heads and rolling eyes as the two passed by. Jasper snickered at whatever he felt from his wife and brother, and I joined him when I saw the two reappear on the other side of the floor with Edward's bronze hair equally as mussed as his tiny sister's short black locks. Smug and calm now, Alice accepted the mockingly extended hand from her brother and returned to their dance.

It wasn't until midway through the third song dancing with Jasper at the edge of the floor that my senses tingled with warning I didn't understand. Attuned along with the former soldier to anticipation curling my insides, I noticed all too clearly as Alice and Edward froze together on the other side of the dancing students, the hem of Alice's tangerine dress fluttering back to the ground in the middle of an aborted spin.

Standing nearby, Rosalie and Emmett only gradually escaped their own absorption to notice their siblings' barely perceptible distress.

Jasper had no such gradual understanding, eyes narrowing as Alice appeared to mouth something with mindless fervor across the way, eyes plainly glazed to my sight.

"What did she say?" I asked of my companion, just loud enough to be heard.

"Whitney stood up to Vanessa outside and she attacked her," Jasper answered rapidly under his breath, distractedly paraphrasing as his eyes zeroed in on his wife.

With the two 'twins' caught up in whatever Alice envisioned, their emotions appeared to grow unmanageable with every passing second. Mindlessly, afraid for his wife and the apparent strength of her distraught emotions, Jasper slipped over to the duo with quick strides.

Left behind in shock as Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper congregated around their still-paralyzed family members, I wondered at the insanity that plagued Vanessa Travis. How many people had she hurt during her young lifetime? How many people were too afraid of her to fully live their lives?

Jessica had felt watched, hunted even, after realizing someone had been eavesdropping on her. Angela was so afraid of a single threat that she lied to her parents and avoided a friend she obviously cared about. Most of the town treated the Cullens and I like pariahs ready to attack. My own life and outlook had been so damaged that I spent weeks on end recuperating physically one time and emotionally the next time, nearly lost hope in the future, and gave up trying to be happy. Rosalie had been unfairly reminded of her painful assault under Royce King's hands. Emmett became dark and unhappy, barely sharing a laugh or a smile. Alice and Jasper had been thrown into a tailspin of grief and pain. Carlisle and Esme had been completely aggrieved by all of our pain and Edward could hardly move past guilt for not protecting me. Now Whitney, who had long been Vanessa's victim, faced even more horrible pain than her experiences already permitted.

To think that Whitney had finally found her strength and faced up to her abuser, only to now face suffering because of it… Reminded of my own pitiful attempts to protect myself in the bathroom two months earlier, and knowing how little Whitney had the resources to defend herself, I found my blood boiling hotter than flames.

Vanessa had too much confidence in her power and someone needed to kick the throne out from under her wicked feet before any more damage could be done.

Checking on my family, their forms all rigid as they stressed over an event they were technically incapable of intervening in without having 'seen' the event first hand, I didn't even have to make a choice. Intuition guided my feet.

At a steady walk, I made my way out of the gymnasium and through the halls on sheer instinct; an explosion of expectation filling every nerve ending. I didn't have the faintest idea what I would do when I got there, but Jessica had given me and alibi and I knew I couldn't let this keep happening. I had let Vanessa get away once already and I refused to do so again.

Once not so long ago, I had run through the halls of the gymnasium, attempting to escape the hurt and weakness overwhelming me.

Walking through the same corridors now, I felt no hurt – only a sense of powerful injustice.

Would Alice see this –whatever _this_ became – now that I was so determined? I had made no real decisions, yet surely this kind of certainty gave yield to a certain outcome.

My path brought me past the coat check, out the front doors, past the ticket table that had yet to be taken away, and onto the gray pavement of the parking lot with increasingly quick steps.

Off in a shadowed section of the lot, two figures moved in a terribly familiar dance – Whitney shaking on the ground, arms protecting her head, while Vanessa threw all her strength at the defeated junior. Had things gone only a little differently, that shaking girl could very well had been me, in this very same parking lot months ago. Was this the kind of vision Alice saw that night at Homecoming? I shuddered at the possibility.

Beyond all the horrible things Vanessa had ever done, it was the knife slipping into her hand that broke my every muscle from indecision.

Recalling the greatest pains I had ever felt in this world and the direct correlation to a silver blade, my vision bled crimson with rage.

As the knife swung back and nearly came back down on the victimized girl I once felt like, I hardly recognized the voice calling across the lot.

" _Vanessa!_ "

Pure power filled my lungs as the words expelled themselves from my lips with the strength of a fully packed punch.

That horrendous blade stopped mid-air, catching the light at just the right angle so that it glimmered harrowingly in the darkness. Vanessa turned, a furious face lit by shadow and outlined in severe strips of blond hair, and our eyes caught for the second time that night. Piercing convictions and dirty defiance collided across the half-empty concrete, blue and brown caught in a war of mutual rage and refusal.

"Stay out of this," that deep, heavy voice coiled with hate I could barely comprehend from this near-stranger who so antagonized me.

Not even just hate, I realized, as I stared into those cold eyes… Resentment stared back at me, too.

"I won't let you do this," I responded, heels planted firmly on the cement beneath my feet.

A harsh, mocking laugh left Vanessa's throat before she returned, "Like the last two times you stopped me? This should be easy, then."

"What is _wrong_ with you?" I couldn't stop the unbelievable question from escaping, terrible disgust filling my voice.

"There's nothing wrong with me!" Vanessa called out more angrily than before, eyes turning venomous as a snake. "I just deserve more than I've got. More than this pointless life in this useless little town! I deserve more than my stupid mother and her stuck-up husband!"

"What are you even talking about?" I asked even more disbelievingly. Truly, insanity could not be far off for this young woman.

"You and your perfect little lives!" Vanessa spat, apparently now so far past her limits she couldn't seem to stop spewing her madness as she advanced on me with slow steps. "They should be _mine_! I should have all those clothes and jewels and fancy cars! _I'm_ the one who should be having spoiled Christmases and birthdays! I should have the best of the best! _My_ parents should have been _perfect_!"

There was so much more behind this raging woman than I had ever expected to find. While I could never excuse what Vanessa had done in her life, I began to wonder where it all stemmed from. Was it truly just a desire to have what I had? The money, clothes, jewels, cars… a loving family, even? Hard as it was to imagine, I thought of what her home life might be like without the same kind of love she apparently saw in my 'family' every day.

I thought of my own loveless childhood with a deep frown. Was it possible I could ever have become like Vanessa? I had been through so much pain with my selfish, egotistical mother and father, but would it ever have turned me so cruel? I couldn't help thinking it never would have. Abusing others was a choice… and it was never the _right_ choice.

"No one's life, no one's parents, are ever going to be perfect," I stated as surely as the sun. "Hurting other people can never give you perfection or even real satisfaction. It's impossible."

"Shut up!" Vanessa shouted now, knife waving threateningly in her hand. "What do you know about it? You have _everything_! You _all_ have _everything_!"

Finally a mere foot away, that wild highlighted mess of hair witchlike and crazy, Vanessa came to a stop with promise in her gaze. A promise of further pain, more suffering…

"I hate you," Vanessa spit at me with absolute venom in her entire form.

In that moment, it no longer mattered what she went through. It could never excuse her horrible actions and I could never allow her to keep on doing this.

Vanessa stood only a few inches taller than I did, high heels notwithstanding, but it was enough to stare down at me. When I first stood toe-to-toe with the highlighted blonde bully back in January, she had seemed the most intimidating thing I had ever encountered in my life.

Now, seeing the virulent, detestable person standing before me so outraged over being knocked off her pedestal, I felt stronger than she ever was.

My body could hurt, my heart could break, and my mind could be lost.

Yet my spirit was invincible.

Vanessa couldn't frighten me any more.

* * *


	55. Chapter 53: Inconceivable

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
Forgive my cruel tease! Haha, here we finally see the fight. It may surprise you, but this isn't from Mireille's view. Betcha didn't expect Edward's POV to crop up right now. ;) It really makes a good deal of sense for many reasons, one of which is that we get another buildup to the fight, only this time it won't be left hanging!

**Song Inspiration:** _  
Fire N Gold_ by Bea Miller

**Previously** – Mir thought Alice was still upset about the closet prank and Alice said she wasn't. Mir realized she changed and Alice debated it wasn't the case. Mir  & Alice shopped for Prom and Alice bought Rosalie a birthday gift. Mir bought Rosalie a rose bracelet and was afraid to give it. Rosalie accepted the gift and told Mir to call her 'Rose'. Alice and Mir studied Mir's gift and Mir finished prom art. Mir felt stronger in self-defense and realized it was because Edward wasn't there. Mir realized working with Edward was too 'fun' and she didn't take it seriously. Mir tried to use her gift to see if it was safe to pick up Jess alone. Alice helped Mir focus her gift. Mir picked up Jess and Jess said Vanessa wasn't speaking with Allison Johnson. Rumor was Allison told Angela something about Girls' Choice and Vanessa was angry. Mir happily helped set up Prom décor. Jess said she asked Conner to prom and Mir said just have fun. Mir offered Conner and Jess to ride with her and Edward to Prom. Mir and Edward met Conner's parents. Everything went well at Prom until Alice saw Vanessa attack Whitney. The Cullens were distracted and Mir slipped away to intervene. Vanessa talked of her cold childhood and prepared to strike. Mir decided to stop Vanessa and was no longer afraid.

> **Chapter 53: Inconceivable**

Long, dark nights and longer, duller days had passed the years of unending time since fate overwhelmed my world and created a new one in its stead. Years of despair, faithlessness, anger, and pain had all collided in a cataclysm of adaptation and compromise as each new star of my family's constellation blossomed and burned.

Through Carlisle's purity of soul and Esme's purity of heart, the elusive and illustrious Cullen family had walked through the decades of the world more than eighty years as a mere shadow of the kind and compassionate beings our human existences might have once proclaimed.

We believed in them, our eternal parents – in their love and their peace. As any wayward child idolizes the nurturing tree from which they fell so hard and rolled so fast into degradation, often failing to see the crumbs of their parents' broken hearts that might guide the way back home. Indeed, Carlisle led the way when we were lost and Esme held a candle at the end of the road when it became too dark to see. They guided us and we followed as best we knew how.

For my siblings and I, there would forever remain the question of our true nature. Without the guiding hands of our parents, would we choose the light? Were we truly meant to be the monsters our parents simply failed to see? The doubts harbored never truly eased, endless question spilling over the horizon and darkening the future to our unprotected eyes.

One small being had burst as a gunshot into the very fabric of our existence, bringing with her all the brilliant color, innocent humor, and bone-deep happiness we had long since put away as forgotten delicacies of our dead humanity.

How had this young creature taken our lives so thoroughly under her wing? This one young soul, that might seem so insignificant in the span of humanity's great leaders, teachers, comforters, innovators, artists… She reached out with her tender fingers, so young and fresh and inexperienced, to bend our backs straight once more and open our eyes beyond the dark horizon we had painted for ourselves.

Mireille never needed any book to inspire us, to make us laugh, to bring joy to our hearts, to make us hope…

She was hope.

If Carlisle was purity of the soul and Esme purity of the heart, then surely Mireille was purity of the spirit. Undaunted and endlessly hopeful, her young optimism and faith held us beholden to ourselves and to our lost causes.

Was it any wonder our entire world shattered and stumbled to a halt when _her_ hope nearly died?

Darkness no longer painted on the horizon, but ever-present in our every waking moment, had decayed the color and humor and happiness of our most zealously guarded gift. Mireille's suffering became our pain, her sadness our tears, her weakness our paralysis. Without her strength and her perpetual understanding, nothing made sense. The world had taken a flawless gem and smashed it into tiny pieces, leaving us no more qualified to pick up the sharp, glittering pieces than any common thief.

Left helpless, we had turned Mireille's own gifts upon her, offering the love, patience, and compassion she had given us so freely without hope of return. Emmett protected her from injury, Rosalie and Alice saved her dignity from assassination, Carlisle and Esme nurtured her guarded heart, and between Jasper and I, we had protected her thoughts and her feelings from utter darkness. Yet not one of us could ever claim to truly save Mireille.

With all our help and all our encouragement, stunted by our own grievances with the lives we endured, even then Mireille had been left adrift. Searching the ocean for survivors in the shipwreck, her gentle soul had endured much. Yet still it was her own damaged soul that had solved the mystery. Mireille's tender ministrations in saving others ultimately saved her, too. She was too strong to need us as her saviors.

None of this suffused panic of the purest nature expanding my chest with iron fingers as vision overtook my psychic sister for the second time in as many minutes.

Nothing of Vanessa Travis' vile behavior should have shocked me anymore. Thanks to this one woman's hateful actions, Mireille and my entire family had been thrust into a world of suffering previously unknown to them all.

There was always a special level of inner hatred that only ever assailed me through sleepless nightmares when the minds of my monstrous victims feasted on the guilt of my indulgence.

In the wake of the incident at Girls' Choice Dance and the defeated, lifeless spirit that followed Mireille like a shadow afterward, that hatred had then found a new home in which to luxuriate. I had sworn to myself on the holiest of grounds that no harm would ever befall Mireille ever again while under the safety of my keen watch. Failure perpetrated my every move, dogged my every step at that foul event.

Now, once again, I had failed.

Horror for Whitney Duran's unjustified treatment under Vanessa's hand fell far to the wayside as a new opponent stepped onto the scene.

Mireille.

What fate had so oppressed this vibrant young life that she was to be subjected to torment over and over at the hand of a self-righteous tyrant?

"What have we done?" Alice breathed in utter terror, eyes widened with fear as we both watched our young savior exchange words with her abuser, allowing the heinous creature to within a mere foot of her position out on the pavement.

Not waiting for anything more, I pressed for the only two minds I needed to hear.

Vanessa recalled the years of her mother's coldness with as much tenacity as my own sister recalled Royce King. Linda Keller's preference for money and gains rather than for her daughter's happiness filled Vanessa's every thought, tempered only by hatred for the stepfather whose money and pampering consumed Linda's deceptive life, and the estranged biological father who had never offered the love and support he was supposed to.

Each day of Vanessa's young life had been empty days and nights spent at happy neighbors' homes. All the while, Linda Travis courted and coaxed rich Tony Keller, leaving her child alone in houses full of warmth and love she never offered. Resentment had festered ever stronger over the passing years, growing to include those with more wealth and material possessions and better looks than Vanessa thought she had.

Mireille had captured nearly every single facet of Vanessa's hatred. Foremost on the list was a loving father figure who doted on her, as well as a warm and tender mother figure who praised her. To make everything so much more grating to Vanessa's envy, Mireille also had great wealth, beautiful clothes, expensive jewels, an easy ability to make friends… the list went on and on. Everything about Mireille had become a poison to Vanessa's engorged sense of justice, now only worsened by Mireille's courage in standing up to her.

Dear Mireille had thoughts only for the injustice of Whitney's –and others' – pains and the many evils Vanessa had perpetrated in her short life so far. Mireille stood her ground before the blonde now spewing the vitriol from Alice's most recent vision.

The veritable light of our lives had decided Vanessa must be stopped and if no one else would do it, then Mireille refused to back away now.

Oh, sweet Lord, what are you doing, you foolish woman?

The question rattled around in my head, the expanse once so full of extraneous minds now open only to one.

I didn't know how to make it outside without causing an immensity of trouble, for how could we have known where Mireille had gone or how she had gotten there? Everyone in the gymnasium had already given us strange looks for our frozen postures and frightened features.

Yet I could hardly breathe for fear of Mireille's safety and security. I _had_ to get out there. For once, just _once_ , I had to be there for this dear human when it truly mattered most.

Jessica's curly hair, black as ebony and tall enough when combined with her heels to make her stand almost at Conner's height, caught my eye like a flash of light. The sign out front had been hanging, she told Mireille. Having heard her suggestion, I would have every reason to check for Mireille out near the scene of the nearly combusted confrontation.

Vanessa had reached the end of her rope, finally losing steam in her hurled insults and demands as I rushed across the floor towards the front, my family following immediately behind for reasons unknown to me. Perhaps Alice had told them while I focused so stringently on Mireille and her enemy, but it mattered little. If Vanessa so much as _breathed_ damagingly towards Mireille, I would rip her hair from its roots and rejoice like a demon.

Alice had the misfortune of catching Jessica and Conner's concern before we cleared the dance floor, but I didn't wait to see what happened between them.

I would never know if I truly hid my underlying panic or if my hurried pace looked completely unnatural to an outside observer, but I no longer cared. I had an alibi and I _needed_ to be out there.

As I cleared the front doors and passed the ticket table, my eyes immediately found the shadowed corner of the parking lot I had now seen twice in Alice's visions at very different times in our lives.

I had no time to help at this wretched human pace when Vanessa finally struck… her new blade lunging out in an arc to swipe the skin from Mireille's cheekbone – or worse. The movement nearly caused me to shout a warning to Mireille.

A funny thing – nigh impossible to expect – happened as I finally came within twenty feet of the scene.

Mireille caught Vanessa's wrist.

Not a paltry little play out of panic or a lucky guess, but a true, well-thought hold on the wrist that I had never practiced with her while I escorted her to self-defense lessons. Indeed, delving into that magnificent brain gave such a glorious story of the learned move under Jasper's watchful eye and the fresh, electric instinct coursing through Mireille that I nearly smiled.

Vanessa's eyes grew wide and stunned, not only by Mireille's actual ability to block, but her certainty in executing the gesture at all.

Yanking away after the shock had worn off, Vanessa lunged again.

Another swipe, another block, and Mireille's thoughts grew stronger as Vanessa's grew wilder.

A low whistle caught my attention with abrupt shock, startling me into whirling around at Emmett's proud, appreciative face, matched by the fierce pride in Jasper's darkened eyes and the concerned yet supportive gazes of Alice and Rosalie. Conner and Jessica stood amongst our group in disbelief, a phone in Jessica's hand that I realized had been set to record.

Unsure how I felt about capturing this for the world to see, I nevertheless found my interest much too deeply drawn to Mireille's surge of power to bother with theorizing. Gradually, slowly, others from the dance somehow found their way outside, viewing the spectacle with eyes wide open for once in their lives.

Vanessa had stopped throwing the blade at Mireille and now simply threw herself and every appendage in whatever way she felt would do the most damage to her opponent. Mireille continued to dodge, swerve, hold, block, and evade every single move the taller woman made. Pale blue delicacy swirled in the midst of strength and hard muscle, the golden jeweled heels on Mireille's feet appearing more as the war-worn sandals of a gladiator than the heady fashion of a modern young woman.

Should I intervene? The doubt plagued me, even as I continued to watch that small, brave creature battle with the finesse and confidence she had been praying for all these months. This was what Mireille so craved when she began self-defense, this was the power she wanted to imbue herself with upon training in the art of jiu jitsu with Daniel Griffin. By no means a master or even a highly skilled amateur, Mireille still held her own and kept herself from being harmed. That was all she ever wanted.

Silence held each and every one of us captive under the spell of Mireille's conviction, her determination and courage. All the hope we had found in this imaginative, insightful woman now came to the fore, rising up against the tide of her aggressor's fury with calm presence of mind.

With a badly-aimed kick at Mireille's knees, Vanessa found to her endless surprise that Mireille had an answer for that, too. Bending slightly under the easy fluid weight of her gown, Mireille turned in parallel with the appendage swung out at her legs. This blue-clad fighter grappled onto that outstretched leg, twisted up on the shin and down on the knee, and finally forced Vanessa Travis hard onto her backside on the pavement below.

A startled laugh escaped the watching crowd, bringing all attention in the vicious duelists to our presences nearby, including the newest additions as they ran outside with the rest of the student body – Coach Clapp and Mr. Greene.

Vanessa let loose a cry of rage at her watching audience, her cover blown and her secrets now exposed. Enraged and almost frothing at the mouth to get her own back, Vanessa clambered up again to face Mireille on scraped hands and knees.

As the blonde rose with such wrathful vengeance, eyes glittering meanly and her hair a wild and witchlike storm, Mireille finally had enough. Before the savage senior's hands could ever even rise with attack, one lone hand of creamy peach skin slipped back behind a head of golden-brown, dredging with it the power of belief to release with one sharp _CRUNCH_ against Vanessa's smooth nose.

Howling overtook Vanessa in the face of the painful breakage and a hand attempted to stem the flow of brilliant blood. She stood hunched with the damage and pain too overwhelming to work through any more. The blonde who used to appear so large and terrifying to those around her now appeared very, very small indeed.

For a moment, Mireille almost took after her rival with a deeply furrowed brow, but the unexpected hands of my honey-blond brother restrained Mireille with two gentle grips. There was no fear or disappointment in Jasper's eyes as he held his breath, but merely a sense of justice for all those whose lives had been torched by Vanessa's selfish cruelty.

This viper's pain was no longer Mireille's concern, but that of the law.

Two raging squad cars flashing red and blue appeared on the scene, squealing to a stop within seconds of Jasper holding Mireille back. Vanessa certainly had no time to run, let alone recover from her broken, bloodied nose as Charlie and Mark caught up to the combatants.

An ambulance was quick to follow on the heels of Fork's two-man police squad, paramedics rushing over to where Whitney had been tended to by our very own Rosalie Hale. My sister's calculated ineptitude proved a clever move when the paramedics moved to help the strawberry blonde on the ground without a shred of suspicion that the tall blonde beside her was actually the holder of a medical degree.

Bewildered how both law enforcement and medical assistance had arrived in such a timely fashion, I turned to Alice, who failed to speak, but merely showed me the details I'd missed while I worried for Mireille during the fight. Unbeknownst to my rattled brain, several necessary phone calls had already taken place. Long before the students had filled out the lot, Alice called Charlie, Emmett called an ambulance, and Rosalie called Carlisle and Esme. Upon their realization of the battle being waged outside, Mr. Greene called the police as well, but Charlie was already on his way. Instead, Mr. Greene phoned Tony and Linda Keller while Coach Clapp rang up Matthew and Christina Duran.

The aftermath of the inconceivable spectacle we all witnessed became pure chaos. Charlie and Mark walked the combatants far from each other as they entered the front office. Mireille, Jasper, and Mr. Greene were led by Charlie and Mark escorted Vanessa into the same doorway after a decent pause.

Meanwhile, the medics slipped Whitney onto the stretcher and lifted her into the ambulance. The poor girl thankfully had not been as badly injured as Mireille in November, but she would need a long recovery just the same. I hoped her parents were intelligent enough to find her a good counselor for the trauma she had been living with the past seven years, not to mention her younger brother.

As the thought crossed my mind, two cars converged on the parking lot at the same time. Tony and Linda Keller stood from a Lincoln Town Car while Matthew and Christina Duran stepped from a Hyundai Sonata. Both sets of parents rushed by us with dirty looks – none of which disturbed us in the least.

While Alice and Emmett headed inside to support Mireille and Jasper, Rosalie and I waited with barely concealed tension for our parents, the last to arrive. I could hardly restrain my anxiety for Mireille, wishing I could be there to stand with her as my siblings did, but someone had to talk with Carlisle and Esme when they arrived and I determined my particular set of knowledge most advantageous to that end.

As sure as dawn, the Mercedes rapidly slipped into the lot several minutes later, parking quickly before Carlisle and Esme stood in a rush of worry, still clothed in their formal attire from the benefit.

"How is she? Is she hurt?" were the first words from Carlisle's mouth as the two hurried up to us.

My father's hand came to rest on my shoulder as I replied, "She's all right."

The simple words cycled around and around in my mind, bringing me back down from some strange rigidness of fear I hadn't been able to lose until I acknowledged just how 'all right' Mireille had come out of this battle.

"She's really all right," I repeated quietly as I double and triple-checked Mireille's fascinating mind, swallowing hard at the information as relief poured into every disused vein where my human blood once ran.

Carlisle's eyes softened upon me, his hand turning comforting rather than demanding on my shoulder.

"You should hurry inside," Rosalie instructed our parents with a slight tilt of her head. "The other parents are already here and they didn't appear very understanding when they passed us."

"We're going," Esme agreed with a single nod, drawing Carlisle away with a hand on his extended forearm. "Are you two coming with us?"

"I can hardly look at that girl without wanting to strangle her," Rosalie denied, eyes narrowing. "I think it might be better if I wait out here for a time."

"Very well," Esme allowed, turning to me with concerned eyes. "And you, Edward?"

"Not yet," I denied also, not entirely returned to myself.

"Try to make it inside for a moment, if you can," Carlisle told us respectfully. "Just to show your support for Mireille."

"We can do that," Rosalie answered for us both, understanding enough of the reasoning to release some of her remaining fury at Vanessa Travis.

Merely nodding, Carlisle and Esme disappeared into the front office hand-in-hand, leaving the two of us to our own ends in the now-empty parking lot.

Had I thought the silence between my most distant sibling and I would remain untouched, I was sorely mistaken. Out of the clear blue sky, the most startling sound filled the quiet with unexpected boldness.

Rosalie laughed.

It was nothing raucous, of course, and not a sound of tender hilarity by any means, but it was not the fake, polite social tittering my sister had learned in her elite Rochester family. The blonde I had so long associated with stiff self-importance and raging conceit let loose with true humor I had never before heard, neither with my own ears nor from anyone else's mind.

Rosalie's oft coveted features, so adored by men and so envied by women, now appeared truly lovely to me for the first time since I saw her face in 1931.

"You know, Rose," I found myself saying with utmost sincerity, "when you laugh… you're incredibly beautiful."

Sadly the laughter faded away in the face of shock, Rosalie staring at my honest face with doubt warring against hesitant flattery. She didn't want to believe me, and heaven knew I had given her more than enough reasons not to after all these years.

"You don't have to accept that from me," I told her remarkably kindly, turning towards the ground with shame I had never felt before. "I wasn't very accepting of you, after all, even with all of my flaws as an example of why I shouldn't judge. You deserved better after what you experienced. I'm… sorry for that."

Apologizing for a seemingly justified opinion years ago didn't come easy to my stubborn spirit, but I felt its necessity as concretely as Mireille had felt the need to battle Vanessa's hateful actions not long before.

Allowing Rosalie her time to process my statements, I turned and walked towards the gym doors with hands in my pockets, resigned over whatever reactions she felt best suited.

High heels clicked delicately behind me a moment later, catching up at the doors where everyone had passed before us.

"Thank you," Rosalie spoke, quiet and composed once again both verbally and mentally. Catching her equally golden gaze over my shoulder, I wondered at the tiny offering of peace I saw there.

"You're my brother," she revealed plainly, reaching out to lay a hand on my arm. "I would never have offered that if you hadn't shown me what it meant to be one."

A resolution of sorts had taken place in the span of a blinking eye. It may have been remote and difficult to come by, it might have been full of holes that could never be completely filled, but it was there. Rosalie and I had finally found some common ground and a measure of… not peace, necessarily… but understanding.

We would continue to clash personalities and knock heads, I had no doubt, but that was fine. It was our way. And perhaps, in some small part of ourselves, we enjoyed the mutual morbid humor and sarcasm far more than we ever let on.

My sister – for truly she was a sister in all but blood now – grasped my arm and pulled me inside the front office along with her.

While decently-sized for an average school day, the front office clearly wasn't meant for so many people with heated opinions, I swiftly recognized. Jasper's thoughts became increasingly uncomfortable at the hot space and even hotter emotions simmering between everyone present.

Standing against the front counter which cordoned off the contesting forces were Mr. Greene and Coach Clapp. On one side of the room, Jasper, Alice, and Emmett stood against the wall, shoulder to shoulder – or as close as Alice could get, I corrected myself with mild amusement returning to me. Mireille sat calmly between regal Carlisle and Esme, barely a hair or a plume of fabric out of place. A small scratch on the hand, one lock of hair that had fallen from Rosalie's immaculate hairstyling, and perhaps a rip in the train of Mireille's pale blue gown… but otherwise, Mireille appeared as if she had stepped out of a dressing room on a movie set.

Catching her blue gaze, I winked almost imperceptibly and she smiled almost shyly.

' _Thank you for letting me do this_ ,' Mireille thought for my benefit, her quick mind imagining all the ways I could easily have ended the fight after the first block.

I wanted to tell her how I planned to do exactly that, but the time and place wasn't right and I expected she would be irritated by the idea. Truly, this had been her battle, and my interference would only have held her back once more.

On the opposite side of the room, Mark kept a hold on Vanessa's shoulder while one of the paramedics handled her broken nose. Thankfully this kept the vicious blonde quiet, although the same could not be said for the two sets of parents near her seat.

Whitney's father mostly wanted to see how his daughter fared, but he did feel a tremble of injustice towards Vanessa. Far more surprisingly, Christina actually thought Whitney to be faking it.

An eyebrow rose on my forehead before I could stop it. Was the woman so blind as to ignore the changes in her daughter since Vanessa had sunk hooks into her? Another few moments in Christina's head, however, cleared everything up for me as she recalled some of the most vital history between Vanessa and Whitney.

I wasn't sure how it came about exactly, but early on in the friendship between the Kellers and the Durans some seven years prior, young Whitney had apparently accused new girl Vanessa of hurting her while they played out in the Durans' yard. Slighty older and more cunning, Vanessa had thrown the accusation back at Whitney with far more finesse. Matthew believed his baby girl, but Christina was stupid enough or unkind enough to believe Vanessa. Christina truly was blind, or perhaps merely unkind, to her daughter over the years.

Tony and Linda Keller were furious over Vanessa's implication in the fight and attack, as expected, but where Tony's stupidity nearly pushed me to roll my eyes, Linda's thoughts became quite a mess of intrigue.

Linda was afraid – terrified in fact.

Not for Vanessa. Oh, no, not for her child. Vanessa's thoughts of her mother's coldness rang true, that much I could see.

No, what Linda feared was being caught. Some chaos about embezzlement many years before, although the details had become muddled in her head after so long away from the situation. What better way to escape the law than to bury herself in a small town under her new married name, not having to work for her wealth? Tony Keller was a means to an end all those years earlier, it seemed, and now Linda feared her daughter would undo all the hard work and manipulation Linda had perpetrated.

The fool husband was oblivious to his snake-faced wife, although I had to admit Tony was no peach either. He loved money for its own sake and he loved having a beautiful wife on his arm for all the world to see. He also couldn't stand having his wife's daughter under foot; leading him and Linda to be out more than they were home.

Vanessa's disgusting actions were no longer startling in light of the people who barely raised her.

What a _lovely_ little family they were.

"Now, calm down!" Charlie finally raised his voice over the Keller and Duran families' obnoxious whining, complaints, and accusations. The strong words ceased their angry voices immediately.

"Thank you," Charlie started again sarcastically, hands perched on his waist with the agitation that was so typical of him when stressed. "I've heard nothing but noise for fifteen minutes! I'm going to ask one person – _just one_ _person_ – a question at a time. If anybody else answers, I'm throwing them out of the room! Are we all clear on that?"

Those brown eyes focused directly on Linda and Tony Keller, in particular, both of whom only reluctantly grimaced their agreement. Linda panicked inside and I forced myself not to snort with humor.

"All right," Charlie said determinedly, stepping up to Mireille first and foremost. The expression on the chief's face matched the mixture of annoyed and proud thoughts in Charlie's slightly muffled mind. "Young lady, if I ever see you do something like that again…"

The vague threat held no basis with Carlisle's arm wrapped so securely and proudly around Mireille's shoulders, but Charlie felt genuine concern.

Unable to let that pass, Mireille responded easily, "Then you'll know I've learned how to properly defend myself, right Chief?"

Rolling his eyes broadly, Charlie sighed with annoyance and shook his head at the smart-mouthed reply.

"Well, I'm starting with you, Mireille," Charlie moved on regardless, arms moving from his waist to cross over his chest. "Dr. Cullen, why don't you two step out here with me?"

"Of course, Chief Swan," my father nodded respectfully, adapting to the formal address as he guided Mireille up and out into the hall where three chairs and a school desk had been set up. Charlie took to the desk and chair across from his witnesses and the investigation began in earnest.

Mireille had everything under control from start to finish, no words mislaid or details flubbed. Her alibi matched my own, something I secretly smiled over, and she was clever and cool-headed enough to make sure nothing suspicious of our vampire natures was revealed.

Really, Charlie only questioned Mireille to do his job properly. In his mind, he already had a very good idea what took place and who held the blame on their shoulders.

Charlie went on gathering information and details from those assembled, and the haphazard panic between the Kellers and Durans created such wild discordance that the police chief often had to tell them to slow down or clarify every other word they spoke. Our stories, on the other hand, made perfect logical sense and rang true as gospel.

It was upon Vanessa's turn that I felt shock reappearing.

She didn't deny a single thing. In fact, the blonde senior seemed almost proud of her handiwork. Repulsed by her shameless confessions, I could barely listen in as the interview slowly came to its end.

How lucky I didn't tune her out, however.

Vanessa knew far more than I had expected about her mother's shenanigans over the years and it seemed while Linda had left her daughter's future up to fate and the law, Vanessa now intended to bring fate and the law upon her mother. Charlie had no idea what hit him when Vanessa revealed her mother's fourteen years worth of secrets.

Stunned and rightly so, both policemen kept a close eye on their charge as she more than pleasantly walked back through the room with them. It appeared that nothing felt more glorious to Vanessa than returning those loveless years to her mother's keeping. No amount of bullying or damage done to Whitney, Mireille, or anyone else, could measure up to that euphoric power trip.

As the last of the principle witnesses, Vanessa took her seat with Mark's restraining presence and Charlie followed Mr. Greene into his office for one last step in the investigation – watching security footage.

Through Mr. Greene's stunned eyes I watched the video footage from the exterior cameras as Vanessa and Whitney argued over their unbalanced connection. Even I winced, however surreptitiously, when Vanessa slammed her hand into Whitney's face and knocked her to the ground. The attack progressed as Alice saw in her vision, then led into Mireille's intervention and argument with Vanessa.

At the rate of Vanessa's attack and the probable trajectory of her knife, Mireille had in all likelihood saved Whitney's life.

When Mireille finally punched Vanessa in the nose, Charlie had to repress a guilty laugh. He could see where Vanessa had gone so off course in her life and realized she was deeply troubled, but the blonde had done more than scream at people or whine about her life – she and Greg nearly killed Mireille once and Whitney's circumstance nearly led the same direction. No amount of pity would change that and it didn't stop Charlie feeling glad for Mireille finally finding justice after so long without it.

And justice she had indeed found.

Mark escorted handcuffed Vanessa Travis out of the office and into the squad car, Tony and Linda reluctantly trailing after. I wondered how Charlie would handle Vanessa's information about Linda, but he wasn't focusing on it with so much else on his plate regarding the current investigation.

Matthew and Christina weren't speaking to each other as Charlie wrapped up his end of the investigation. Christina couldn't believe the way she had supported her daughter's abuser, eyes opened to her own flaws in a highly uncomfortable way. Matthew's fury with his wife could not be tamed; for years Christina had repressed their daughter's honesty with wrongful convictions. Whitney's father had been so tangled and knotted with frustration over Whitney's constant refusal to speak that he had hardly known what to do, especially with his wife standing against him.

Carlisle promised the pleading father that he would handle Whitney's case personally when they arrived at the hospital. Offering a proud shoulder clasp to my brothers and I, a warm embrace to all three of his 'daughters' and a kiss to Esme, Carlisle led the way out of the front office.

"I suppose the dance is over now," Mr. Greene sighed as we all headed into the parking lot. It had barely been ninety minutes and he was no keener to shorten everyone's night than any of the students in the gym.

"Oh, no, Mr. Greene!" Mireille immediately intervened, pleasant features flopping to the polar opposite. "This is the last dance the seniors will ever have here. Don't stop that because of this!"

"We can't just keep having a party after one of the students has been so badly hurt," Mr. Greene shook his head. "We sent everyone home after the investigation of your attack during Girls' Choice Dance. This is no different."

"It's completely different!" Mireille battled anew, her determination fierce. Charlie chuckled with our family at the familiar stubbornness and temper, but no one stopped the proven fighter now. "Everyone was still afraid then. They didn't know what was happening. Now they can know. Now they're free of Vanessa's threats. As hurt as Whitney is, she's free now, too. That's something to be celebrated!"

Mr. Greene opened his mouth, but found no argument.

"My daughter doesn't go to Forks High," Charlie added with a shrug, "but as an overprotective parent, I'd tell you to go ahead with the dance. Mireille's got a fair point there."

"I certainly think that's a worthwhile purpose," Esme put in her opinion with a smile. "We've all been through a great deal because of one person's jealousy."

"I bet we don't even know about half the kids who've been intimidated by that girl," Matthew Duran contributed angrily. "They deserve to know she's not going to hurt them anymore."

"After what Whitney's been through, Matthew, that means a lot," Mr. Greene admitted hesitantly. While he debated the issue in his mind, Carlisle passed the Mercedes keys to Esme and joined Matthew and Christina in the Hyundai to get up to the hospital.

Once the car disappeared down the road, Coach Clapp's strong voice interrupted, "Oh, come on, Brad. Let the kids enjoy it, all right?"

Eyeing the gym teacher irritably, the principal nevertheless agreed, "I guess we can give it the go-ahead. I'll go and announce it."

"Are you staying?" Esme asked of Mireille, specifically, a knowing glint in her golden eyes.

"Of course," the petite young woman replied confidently. "I helped put those decorations together, the least I can do is join in the fun."

Laughing delightedly, Esme hugged Mireille close and lovingly kissed her cheek. "Enjoy it, then. You deserve that."

Our mother slipped into the Mercedes and stole away down the main road, leaving the six of us with Mr. Greene and Coach Clapp in front of the gymnasium.

"Well, come on, Brad," Coach Clapp rubbed his hands together encouragingly. "We all have a dance to get back to, I think."

Mr. Greene rolled his eyes without a care at the present company, shaking his head over the incorrigible nature of his colleague.

Seeing a whole new side to this tiny town had become a humorous pastime, I realized. For so long I had ignored the depths of the minds around me, certain they were all filled with nothing but the same annoyances and selfish interests as the rest of humanity.

To Mireille, each person became a puzzle to solve or a flower waiting to bloom. Her unique view of the world led her to uncover some of the best parts of almost every person she met. Jessica Stanley had some measure of courage and kindness after all, Angela Weber's sweet disposition wouldn't prevent her from fighting for her friends and family, and Conner Packham turned out to be the honorable kind of youth I had thought extinct.

Jasper had found new resilience in his struggle with human blood and Alice learned to live in the moment. Emmett had shown his strength was not merely physical and Rosalie proved she could laugh and offer comfort. Esme reached a measure of peace with her past and Carlisle displayed his emotions more openly.

And I… I learned not to take my family for granted. I saw the potential for people to be decent despite their common natures. I discovered that hope had a place in my life. For that, I had Mireille to thank.

Mr. Greene and Coach Clapp walked back into the gym quickly, not bothering to draw us in with them. While I didn't focus on the principal's eventual announcement, I did pay attention to the sudden cheers of the student body, followed by a chant I also didn't care to focus on.

Mireille was my focus, and that of my siblings, too.

"You're amazing," Alice murmured happily, the first to hug Mireille.

With a booming laugh, Emmett picked them both up in a bear hug just soft enough not to crush Mireille's fragile human body. Our laughter echoed across the parking lot, the enthusiasm of our three brightest stars beaming in tandem through us.

"I have to admire that leg grab," Jasper commented with a grin, finally able to breathe without Vanessa and Whitney's fresh wounds nearby.

On her feet once again, Mireille hugged Jasper for his compliment, startling him only slightly. Exhaling humorously, my blond-haired brother returned the embrace very gently.

"Ray! Ray, you have to get in there!" Jessica's squealing enthusiasm rang out across the parking lot, drawing all eyes to her sunny outfit as she ran pell-mell towards us. I was surprised she didn't trip and break her neck in those high heels of hers. "They're voting for a new prom king and queen. Vanessa rigged the voting first time around!"

"What?" Mireille responded in disbelief. "It was that bad?"

"Oh yeah!" Jessica concurred matter-of-factly, hints of exasperation in her breathless voice. "Everybody on the committee dug up paper and pens to hand out and the teachers helped us set of a polling box and… oh just come back in, this is so exciting!"

Utter delight escaped Mireille in charming, ebullient laughter as Jessica clutched her hand and started to drag her back to the gym doors where Conner waited with a big grin on his face.

"Wait," Mireille called out suddenly.

Pulling them both to a halt and circling back in a clatter of heels to grasp my arm and tug me along as well, Mireille remarked as though I sorely tested her patience, "Well, come on!"

Grinning and chortling at the glorious high spirits of the energetic young woman dragging me quite willingly back into the midst of wild high school students, I let her pull me along without a fuss. Jessica latched onto Mireille's hand again and the three of us hurried back inside. Judging the joyous laughter of my siblings in both mind and voice, I knew they would follow.

We made it just in time to catch the announcement of the new king and queen of the prom, Mr. Greene taking up the microphone with gladness and humor he had apparently inherited from the infectiously cheerful crowd.

"Has anyone not voted yet?" the principal double-checked, his question greeted by silence. "Wonderful! And do we have all votes accounted for, Miss Amanda?"

Amanda Brown straightened from her conference with the other eight members of prom committee, aside from Jessica and Mireille, a smile broadening the president's cheekbones when she answered, "Yes, we do!"

"Bring them on up then!" Mr. Greene encouraged with a smile, waving up the committee.

Amanda brought forth two pieces of paper, handing both over to the principal with excited fingers.

"Ladies and gentleman, you're new Prom King… Jeremy Kramer!"

Mireille took acute – almost unconscious – notice of the lacrosse player's solid white suit with pink tie and flowers, beaming along with his date Kayla Nelson in her violently pink and red dress and heels. Jeremy made his way up to the front while Mr. Greene completed the new crowning.

"And last but not least, your Prom Queen… Jenna Stevens!"

A giddy girl in purple-framed glasses matching her equally purple ball gown squealed and jumped up and down beside her mildly sheepish date, Nick Collins, in his black suit and purple tie. Mireille found the girl's reaction adorable.

"But let's not forget!" Jessica, of all people, spoke up abruptly. Her firm tone halted the immense desire for celebration. "This opportunity tonight is thanks in part to one person. Ray, will you raise your hand?"

Caught off guard and anxious of being the center of attention, Mireille tentatively lifted her hand into the air as she was asked. Not that anyone lacked knowledge of her identity, I thought wryly.

"Mireille Whitlock probably saved Whitney Duran's life tonight," Jessica explained for the waiting crowd. "I know most of you saw the fight outside, but I thought you should know just how important this was. As Mr. Greene told everyone earlier, Vanessa Travis was arrested. Ray was instrumental in that, so I think we owe her a big round of applause."

The seniors surprised us all with steady, boisterous applause. Some minds still thought our family was too high and mighty for its own good, but for Mireille it seemed even those shallow brains were willing to make an exception. Mireille had far exceeded her quota for personal greatness that night and everyone admired a protector, no matter who they were.

The prom committee moved in to surround our position, excited enough to plan lifting Mireille into the air like a hero, but given their jittery energy, I couldn't risk them dropping her or manhandling her dignified pride. Pushing through their midst with ease, I leaned down and quickly grasped Mireille's legs with my own two sturdy arms before anyone else could lay their hands near her.

Squeaking in surprise, Mireille rapidly threw her warm, gentle hands on my neck as I lifted her carefully onto one shoulder. If anything, the students' applause grew in volume at their far more visible warrior. My siblings laughed audibly over Mireille's surprise, encircling us with their love, support, joy, and pride. For the first time in quite a long while, Mireille's cheeks flushed a lovely pink.

Prom King Jeremy Kramer and Prom Queen Jenna Stevens also faced a hoisting, albeit much less dignified of one in all those human hands.

Everyone clamored around the new king and queen of the Prom, free of oppression and celebrating their new world, but their wild glee and gaiety did not cause my broad grin or the gleam in my eyes.

No, it was the true queen of the evening who did so; the young woman who remained lifted up on my shoulder, beautiful in her twittering jubilee of unrestrained thought, magnificent as her lips spread ear to ear in rapture… an imprisoned soul finally free.

* * *


	56. Chapter 54: Independent

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
First thing… Please…

_**READ THE AUTHOR NOTES** _

Sorry, that was bold (pun intended :D). I will always answer your questions, of course, but I promise you about 95% of my author notes have a valid purpose, so definitely read them (if you don't already). I try not to put a bunch of random junk in them and I _do_ try to put important data for the readers. *cross my heart*

On to the rest of the note… This chapter is another one chock full of information and it's huge, so be ready. :) Many thanks for all of your beautiful reviews and your enthusiasm for the story! We still have a bit of material to cover, but I'm sad to say we are very close to the end of this first installment. *cries* However, the sequel won't be far off, so there's that to look forward to! :)

**Song Inspiration:** _  
Glorious_ by Macklemore ft. Skylar Grey

**Previously** – From Edward's point of view… Edward recalled Mir's importance. Alice envisioned Whitney's attack and Mir's intervention. Edward listened to Vanessa's thoughts of a cold childhood and Mir's choice to stop Vanessa. Edward was horrified by Mir's choice and unsure how to intervene without suspicion. Edward recalled a loose banner and went to the confrontation with his siblings. Vanessa attacked and Mir blocked. Everyone watched as Mir fought and students/staff came to watch. Mir punched Vanessa and broke her nose. Police/paramedics arrived and Whitney went to the hospital. The fighters were escorted off and Vanessa  & Whitney's parents arrived. Edward & Rose waited outside. Carlisle & Esme arrived and asked of Mir. Edward realized Mir was truly okay. Carlisle & Esme went inside. Rose laughed and Edward finally called her beautiful. Edward & Rose reconciled and went inside. Charlie questioned everyone and Vanessa confessed her crimes and snitched on her mother. Vanessa was arrested. Mr. Greene wanted to end Prom, but Mir argued. Charlie, Esme, & Matthew Duran agreed. Carlisle accompanied the Durans to the hospital. Mr. Greene left the dance open and announced it while Esme left. The Cullens congratulated Mir. Jess explained the seniors' new vote on Prom royals. King & Queen were chosen and Jess announced Mir's heroism. Edward reveled in Mir's joy, realizing she was free at last.

> **Chapter 54: Independent**

Dreams failed to perturb the depths of deep sleep as morning made its slow way through the dark of night, feeding a clouded sunrise that dredged tired eyelids open with great reluctance. Pale and soft, the muted light streamed in through the broad expanse of windows across the back of the house, illuminating a room untouched by movement and the silence tempered only by one very familiar Beethoven sonata.

Blinking away sleep more thoroughly, I took a deep breath of air laden with the familiar sweet scents of the Cullens' presences. Every one of them had stopped in my room for a word or two – or a hug, I remembered fondly – upon our return home in the wee hours. On a whooshing exhale, I recalled the wild, unexpected night before and found a smile crossing my lips.

Vanessa Travis finally met with the justice she had so long evaded.

Could there be any better way to end such a night?

Previously in my experience, from my original high school days in Lansing up to the present reenactment in Forks, those dramatic school dances had left me with terrible or unhappy experiences that marred the dances themselves, as well as the coming morning. Now I recalled the ending of this one dance and found myself smiling about it.

Thrilled as I was, memories of the fight's subsequent reactions only made me grin that much wider. The school demanding a new vote for Prom king and queen, Jessica's recognition of my fight with Vanessa, Edward lifting me up on his shoulder, the grin on every Cullen's face, and my own joy of our 'family' finally being vindicated of their supposed crimes.

When Edward had finally set me back down on my feet in the maddening crowd, we had found few songs worth dancing a waltz to, but tapped along with the beats nonetheless as the dance went far past its scheduled end slot of midnight. None of the students were going to be up early the next morning – that much I had known for certain.

"It's definitely not morning."

Turning with that same grin still filling out my face, I found Edward leaning against the wall by the alcove hallway, his sparkling topaz eyes reminding me of literal gemstones.

"Good morning _and_ afternoon, then," I remarked happily, finally rising to a seated position, smoothing back the wild mess of my hair that now reached a little past my chin. A glance at the clock on my bedside table proved it was almost two in the afternoon.

Chuckling warmly, Edward tilted his head acceptingly. "And the same to you, oh chosen one."

"Oh, God, no," I groaned aloud, inciting a bark of laughter from my companion. "None of that, now!"

"You're lucky Emmett and Jasper are out hunting," Edward teased.

"Don't I know it…" I groaned again, propelling my feet over the side of the bed and stretching as I stood. "How much have I missed by sleeping in?"

"You've missed a fair share," the bronze-haired vampire answered, shrugging far too blankly.

"This ought to be really good," I muttered, not bothering to argue his secrecy when I headed into the bathroom.

Edward remained in the alcove when I returned and headed down the hall to reach my closet. While removing the Beethoven CD from the stereo, the seventeen-year-old eyed me in his peripheral vision with something approaching mischief, although he hid it very well.

Pausing in the doorway of my closet, I narrowed suspicious blue eyes at the lean vampire. "What?"

Shrugging with that same blankness, Edward continued putting in his unknown choice of replacement for Beethoven. Even more deeply suspicious now, I slowly and quietly stepped into my clothing space and wondered what to wear, all the while listening for whatever musical choice Edward made.

Edward snorted audibly at my wary thoughts, but said nothing.

In a heartbeat, I heard exactly what music he decided on to replace my classical sleep piece.

_STOMP, STOMP, CLAP_ … _STOMP, STOMP, CLAP..._ repeated itself over and over in the quiet of the room, until Freddie Mercury's unique voice came in with fierce energy to sing the first verse.

If that wasn't enough to clue me in, the boisterous chorus _WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU_ certainly was.

"You're an idiot," I muttered strictly for Edward's ears and the vampire laughed out loud at me, his voice carrying in through the half-closed closet door.

Despite the ridiculousness of Edward's symbolic song for me, I did enjoy the music and it made me feel the same joy as I had upon waking.

So joyful, in fact, that I decided to be adventurous and attempt another 'un'-fashionable outfit as I had the day I pranked Alice. Paired to dark blue kitten heels, I chose a white dress with an adorable multicolor bird pattern, batwing style sleeves, and a slim black belt. Shrugging at my reflection, I went a step further and added sapphire earrings with hints of murky ruby buried deep in the stone before I headed downstairs with Edward.

Nose buried in a fashion magazine, Alice didn't immediately look up when we stepped off the stairs, leaving me a moment to observe her own colorful outfit; the sleeveless emerald, navy, and white striped dress and green snakeskin pumps were a far sight more unusual together than my birds and solid shoe, especially when matched to rather elaborate sapphire, emerald, and jade teardrop earrings.

Finally looking up from her book, Alice smiled mischievously at me and remarked, "Now you're just showing off, Miss Mireille."

Helpless but to laugh at her comment, I shook my head. "Hark who's talking, Miss Alice."

Giggling at our banter, Alice went on to add, "You have a lot to catch up on this afternoon. And of course Edward didn't want to spoil the surprise for you, so that's good."

"I don't think any of it is nearly as surprising as everyone's made it out to be," said Rosalie, walking out of the dining area in her standard red tones, blonde curls, and a very familiar pair of edgy, black leather stilettos Alice had once tried pushing on me during the Denali Coven's visit to Forks. I was glad to see Rosalie truly did want them in her wardrobe.

"Well after this much buildup, I think something had better be a _little_ surprising," I half-laughed the words, following the smell of maple syrup into the kitchen with appreciation for Esme's continued cooking expertise.

"Waffles for the victor," Esme smiled teasingly and proudly, sliding a pretty plate of food across the island counter.

"I think there's more strawberry than waffle," I teased right back, gladly digging in to my favorite breakfast treat while Esme laughed.

"What a lovely sound," Carlisle's voice entered the kitchen, sweetness and warmth suffusing his tone. Esme looked slightly abashed by the compliment, but smiled winningly at her husband when he appeared at her side, gentle lips pressed to hers.

A sigh left my lips without notice, but at that point I no longer cared if I looked like a sappy fool. It was Carlisle and Esme's fault, anyway.

Barking laughter reached us from all the way out in the living area and I grinned at Edward's humor. The vampire in question reappeared beside me, leaning onto the counter with gleaming eyes that flitted between his parents and me.

Both parents turned to eye me knowingly and with sparkling golden orbs, Esme pointed out, "There's whipped cream on your lip, Mir."

Shrugging carelessly, I licked the offending splotch from the corner of my mouth and responded, "It's not my fault you two can't control your sugar around me."

All five of the vampires present laughed over that, Carlisle burying his face in Esme's caramel hair with almost bashful chuckling. No more was said on the subject, so I returned happily to my waffles until they were gone and pleasantly accepted Edward's returned habit of watching me eat.

"All right, let's get to the latest," I announced at last, rubbing my hands together excitedly and following Edward to one of the white sofas.

Alice tossed aside her magazine without a second thought, eager to see my reaction to whatever apparent surprises lay in wait.

"Well, the first thing," Carlisle started the rounds of news with a wry glimmer in his golden eyes, "is that Whitney Duran would like to meet with you."

"Isn't she a little under the weather for that sort of thing?" I phrased it as delicately as possible.

"She would not be swayed," the doctor shrugged elegantly. "She wants to thank you, if nothing else."

"I guess I can't deny her that," I settled.

"We can go tonight or tomorrow after self-defense," Carlisle allowed.

"Not that you need it," Rosalie threw in, smirking my way.

"I have a lot to improve on," I denied calmly.

"Skip it," Edward rolled his eyes and waved my further arguments away. "We know you always think less of what you've accomplished, no need to rehash it for us all."

Glaring at the bronze-haired vampire's tactless response, I intentionally ignored his chortling and turned back to Carlisle for the next piece of news. Carlisle smiled tightly, plainly holding back another chuckle.

"The Webers also called," Esme took over for her restrained husband with an amused expression. "Dale and Julie apologized profusely for letting fear override their fairness and common sense. And Angela wants to talk to you personally, but I decided you could call her on your own time. If you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to, and Angela was very considerate of that."

"Of course I'll call her," I scoffed. "From what Jess told me, Angela didn't agree with her parents' concerns about us. She was just too scared to tell them everything that happened. Not that I'm angry with them, either. Like you said, they were afraid."

"I imagined you might say something along those lines," Esme admitted humorously.

"The best part of everything," Edward added last, "is this…"

With those words, the lean vampire handed over a newspaper of some kind. It was unbelievably thin and looked more like a school newsletter, but it was indeed labeled _Forks Town Press_ at the top, surrounded by the edition number on the left and that day's date of May 30, 2004 on the right. Unfolding the town's scrappy little newspaper, I couldn't miss the large side-by-side pictures of Linda Keller and Vanessa Travis taking up more than a quarter of the front page.

"Diane's husband is the newspaper editor?" I wondered aloud in surprise, pausing as I read the byline crediting the familiar nurse's husband.

"For the last sixteen years," Carlisle confirmed. "It's a family business; Aaron's grandfather held the position as editor with apparent renown, according to Andrew and Charlie."

"How did he print this so fast?" I wondered in further amazement.

"He's been out gathering data since shortly after Whitney entered the hospital," Edward answered. "Diane felt badly for how we've been gossiped about and wanted the truth out there as soon as they could print it. The entire newspaper staff gathered quotes and facts, and Aaron skipped a full newspaper in order to get this special edition out. It's the only article there. Once it was complete, they spent all morning printing; it was only delivered a little more than an hour ago. The Wyatts even paid for it out of pocket so they wouldn't have to take more time to print advertisements."

Suitably impressed, I moved my attention back to the article at hand with even deeper interest.

The report and its headline called out to the reader in the same manner any big city sensation would, but it became clear the news in Forks came through a more personal, familial voice and a style of writing more akin to an opinion column than a genuine article. Since everyone in Forks had ties to each other, or at least knew _of_ each other and all the local events affecting each person in the small town, it seemed a fitting style of news reporting as I began to read.

**DARK PAST ENDS LOCAL SUSPICION**

**Violence Comes Full Circle in Forks**

_By Aaron Wyatt_

_Town Press Editor_

_Forks, Washington has seen a fair share of unusual moments since its first settlers arrived in the mid-nineteenth century. The town even saw attempts to eliminate the timber trade most families survived on for generations, leading to a show of some intensely distasteful personalities in the town and in Clallam County overall. Yet events in recent months took a much stranger, more dangerous turn than ever before._

_On November 7, 2003, well-known family man and respected physician Dr. Carlisle Cullen found his niece, Mireille Whitlock, brutally attacked and abandoned behind Tiller's Station on Main Street. Many wondered if the young teen would even make it through the night._

_Dr. Robert Gerandy left the Town Press with chilling words: "It was a close call. A horribly close call. I remember the ER team had a hard time stemming the blood flow. If it had been anyone but Carlisle operating, I don't think [Mireille] would have survived surgery."_

_Police chief Charlie Swan expressed similar thoughts on the aftermath of the attack: "Mireille looked awful. I can't think of any nicer way to put it. I was really afraid they were going to lose her. Dr. Cullen seemed to be preparing for it, so I felt pretty concerned."_

So invested was I in the article that I gasped aloud at the description of that night and my potential future. While I had wondered, in those woods, if I was going to die all alone out there, I had never known how closely death passed by me.

"You thought I was going to die?" I asked of Carlisle in the softest voice imaginable, looking up to the doctor with the depths of possibility swimming in my head. Death was… unfathomable to me. As close as it had felt, I never gave it real, soul-deep consideration. Some subconscious part of me must have recognized Edward's presence nearby or perhaps my intuition had secretly been guiding me towards life and not death. I would never know, but the realization hit me hard.

Carlisle struggled with himself in search of a suitable answer, brow furrowed deeply on his forehead until he finally stated gravely, "I would not have allowed that to happen."

His wording threw me off for a long moment as I tried to comprehend the meaning behind such a vague phrase, but the deep waters of my brain answered the confusion with an obvious conclusion I had never even considered before.

"You would have turned me?" I whispered and stared at Carlisle in absolute shock. Not only had I thought Carlisle promised himself never to turn anyone after Emmett, but there was a very exacting treaty Carlisle would be breaking if he changed me there in Forks.

Carlisle seemed to want to speak, holding my eyes with a storm brewing behind those gentle golden orbs, but he appeared to have lost the words. Instead he merely sighed heavily and looked to Esme for guidance.

"Please give us a few moments to talk," Esme kindly told her children, offering a strong, mothering look towards the three of them. None of them questioned her authority, although both Rosalie and Edward caught my eye with an inscrutable look I wished I could decipher.

Another sigh left Carlisle once the others disappeared into the trees surrounding the house and Esme settled both of us on the other sofa with Carlisle.

"Mireille," the doctor began tentatively, "I once promised myself, after Emmett, that I would never again turn another to this life. Agreeing to the Quileutes' treaty was rather more a formality after the vow I made to myself. Yet… I never expected we would find you. I never expected to find someone I wished to protect as much as my children or Esme. That night, when you lay there so… so _destroyed_ … I…"

The words could hardly escape Carlisle's lips as he recalled with such perfect memory all the injury done to me, all the intensive work he must have performed to save my life in that operating room. I had never stopped to consider how much that hurt him – seeing my fragile human body so terribly injured must have reminded all of the Cullens I was not as permanent as they were. It must have reminded them all too easily how fast a human life could pass away.

"You wanted me here that much?" I wondered at the strength of their feelings once again.

"You know how we feel," Esme murmured tenderly, brushing back hair from my ears. "Jasper showed you. Carlisle felt that so much sooner than I did, Mir. I cared very much for you, but the two of you share such a bond and so many similar characteristics at times that I'm astounded. Sometimes… it truly feels as though you were his daughter, born and raised. I adore that about you."

Tears built up behind my eyes as I considered more deeply how much Carlisle and Esme loved and wanted me.

"The choice should be yours Mireille," Carlisle offered more strongly than several moments earlier. "If a circumstance led to an inevitable death… Would you want to become a vampire? It's up to you. If you choose it, you may very well wait as long to find your mate as most of us have waited, but we love you very much. It would pain us to lose you. Yet as much as it would pain me – and the entire family – to let you go in such a way, I would honor your choice."

"As much as that would hurt you," I marveled aloud, "you would let me go?"

"I would hardly be any kind of man or father if I didn't learn from Rosalie's experience," Carlisle replied gently. "She would rather not have lived this existence, no matter how much she loves Emmett. You deserve the opportunity to decide for yourself."

The subject was one I never, ever imagined discussing with anyone and I couldn't imagine what I would choose. There was so much to think through for such a deep-rooted choice.

"You can take some time to think about it, of course," Esme concluded warmly. "I know life can end at any moment, but if you don't thoroughly think it through, you may be pushed into a life or a death that you don't truly want."

"I do need to consider it," I answered honestly and pensively. "I've never thought about this before."

"Of course," Carlisle nodded understandingly. "Please consider all angles. I want this to be the best choice for you, not for us."

"Okay," I nodded in return. "I can do that."

"Excellent," Carlisle smiled, pleased by my intent to weigh both options.

"The others are probably rushing back now," Esme laughed lightly. "Alice would surely have listened in to our talk."

"You know me too well, Esme," Alice teased her mother, leading everyone back into the house in preparation for my reactions on the rest of the article I'd been reading.

I returned to the newspaper with a profoundly affected outlook, skimming for Charlie's quote again before I continued to read Aaron Wyatt's article.

_A long road of recovery awaited the Cullen family. Justice seemed to be served when the police arrested Greg Overman for the attack, but at Forks High School on March 20, 2004, Mireille was attacked again, this time in the bathroom during the Girls' Choice Dance. With one attacker clearly locked away, it became obvious Greg Overman was not the only threat in Forks._

_One month later, local residents Dale and Julie Weber found their daughter, Angela, had received a letter threatening harm to brothers Joshua and Isaac. Afraid for their family's welfare, the Webers admitted to feeding fear with unbalanced suspicions._

_Town Press caught up with Julie Weber early this morning, and she had only this to say: "I didn't know what to think. I was just so afraid for my kids. Everyone seemed questionable. I let that fear control me and I accused good people based on it."_

_Julie wasn't the only one with fears for her family's safety, however. Many parents had begun to wonder what went wrong in a town that once felt so safe. The people of Forks have been living in fear of an unnamed menace ever since the night of Mireille Whitlock's attack. No one would have suspected this menace would come among us like an old friend._

_Seven years ago, Forks' local residents welcomed a family of three into their lives without much thought to their histories. As a successful restaurant owner with establishments in Oregon, California, and Washington, Tony Keller seemed a respectable man and his sociable wife, Linda, settled well into small town life, rapidly making friends with her neighbors. Linda's young daughter, Vanessa Travis, quickly emerged with friends of her own and a strong presence at school. Beneath the appearances of respectability and friendliness, no one would have suspected mother and daughter of anything more criminal than illegal parking._

_At Forks High School's Junior/Senior Prom just yesterday, May 29, Vanessa Travis proved herself the opposite of her apparent sociable nature. Security cameras caught the young woman violently attacking her classmate and supposed friend, Whitney Duran, in the parking lot of the high school. According to hospital staff, Miss Duran is expected to make a full physical recovery, but the emotional trauma she has suffered will take a good deal longer to recover from, something Whitney's father, Matthew, lamented to the newspaper._

" _My little girl's hurting more than physically," said Matthew, features worn out after hours waiting through surgery and anesthetics to see his daughter awake. "Vanessa scared her to death. Greg Overman would beat up our boy Justin whenever Whitney didn't do what they wanted. I can't even imagine what my kids are going through after all that. I just have to be there for them."_

_During the altercation between Whitney and Vanessa, school security cameras also captured Miss Travis' third attempted attack on Mireille Whitlock, from which Miss Whitlock prevailed by the time police arrived on the scene. Upon being questioned by Chief Swan, Vanessa admitted her responsibility in Mireille Whitlock's previous attacks and the threat letter sent to Angela Weber. In addition, Miss Travis confessed culpability in a long list of other abuses expressed against other youth in town ever since the Keller family's arrival seven years earlier. Last night, Vanessa Travis was arrested on charges including assault and battery and attempted murder._

_During questioning, Vanessa also revealed startling information about her mother, Linda. The police department found reason to investigate Miss Travis' claims, leading Chief Swan to contact Santa Monica resident Hannah Orville. In February 1990, Ms. Orville hired recently-divorced Linda Travis in a managerial capacity at Third Regional Bank in Petaluma, California._

_On October 5 that same year, Third Regional faced an unexplained loss of more than ten thousand dollars. Alongside the bank's disastrous financial situation in light of the theft, then-manager Linda claimed medical leave for an unspecified period of time. Linda's absence taken so near the incident would appear to have been suspect in the investigation, but for reasons unknown, Linda was never questioned and disappeared without warning the next month, leaving Ms. Orville to scramble for leadership at the bank. Hannah Orville could not be reached for comment._

_Petaluma Police Commissioner John Riker, however, readily told the Town Press: "No arrests were made and we left the case cold, but not closed. Many families lost their life savings that year. We're hoping to finally find justice."_

_Petaluma and Forks authorities are working together to find answers to the fourteen-year-old crime. While no word has yet been released on Linda Keller's possible culpability in the theft, it's noteworthy that Linda has been detained at the police station for questioning while her husband, Tony, returned home quietly this morning. Tony Keller also could not be reached for comment._

The article continued on into speculation about Linda's potential involvement and reasons behind it, but none of it verified as fact, and I stopped reading.

"Is it true?" I asked of the only person who could possibly know at that point in time, turning to face Edward's menacing eyes with apprehension.

"Oh, yes," the vampire agreed, his grin a little too savagely pleased to be legal. "Last night, Linda couldn't stop thinking about her little scheme all those years ago. I've since learned more than even that. The police are going to be looking into Linda's financial records this afternoon. You won't believe what she's afraid of now…"

"There's more?" I repeated disbelievingly.

Before Edward could explain, a booming laugh cut in just as Emmett bounded into the house with a broad grin. Catching sight of me seated beside Edward on the sofa, the big vampire cried out, "Chosen one!"

"Oh my God, no," I muttered into my hands, leaving the others to laugh at my predicament.

Jasper followed behind his bulkier brother, snickering richly at my emotions. When infuriated exasperation made itself know in my 'climate', the former soldier forced his humor to a halt and flashed over to Alice's chair, lifting his giggling wife onto his lap and kissing her warmly.

"Please continue before Emmett thinks up something else to call me," I mumbled to Edward, who barked a laugh, but complied without further comment.

"Dear Mrs. Keller once married a man named Keith Travis," Edward began delightedly and angrily all at once. Delighted, no doubt, for Linda getting caught, but angry for what she had done. "They had a little girl named Vanessa and at a very young age, she was daddy's baby. All seemed perfect until Keith lost his job. As it turns out, Linda only married him for his money. During the divorce, Keith tried to get custody of Vanessa, but Linda was the mother and received precedence. But Keith's remarks on Linda's behavior made Linda angry. So Linda lied about Keith to Vanessa. She made her small daughter believe Keith didn't love her. Linda would use Keith's child support money and spoil herself and her daughter, making Vanessa think it was Linda's doing rather than her father's. Linda wasted so much of her money that she had to work, although she couldn't keep a job very long and eventually embezzled to make up for her spending."

"What kind of person does all that?" I wondered, upset by the cruelty some people enacted. "And especially to her child…"

"Linda never wanted Vanessa," Edward shook his head. "She hates children and she hates responsibility even more. Tony really meshes well with Linda, come to that. He hates children, too."

"How can you _hate_ kids?" I scowled. "They can't help being born."

"Tony and Linda aren't exactly Class A people, Mireille," Edwards sighed.

"So Tony knew what she did?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Edward chuckled darkly. "He's insanely furious with her right now. It seems Linda also married Tony for his money and the security of having a different name. She begged him to move into a small town like this, hoping to avoid notice."

"And Vanessa grew up in that environment?" I echoed rhetorically.

"Mostly," Edwards shrugged. "Linda's neighbors always took care of Vanessa while she 'courted' Tony in Redding. Vanessa never spent quality time with her mother and came to resent her – along with everyone she envied for their seemingly perfect families. That's one of the most prominent reasons she hates you so badly. You have Carlisle and Esme to love you and care for you in a way she never had. Linda always lied to her about Keith's love and care and eventually Vanessa came to hate what she thought her father was and refused to see him. He has no idea how she's doing, I imagine."

"No wonder she turned out this way," I couldn't help remarking. The story was so much more than Vanessa's bullying as the result of a selfish, spoiled childhood. On the contrary, Vanessa's every action was a symptom of the life of lies her mother had been living for at least twenty years.

"Vanessa still knew right from wrong," Edward countered my thoughts firmly. "She could have chosen to follow in the footsteps of those neighbors who tried to take care of her, but she chose instead to hate them for being better than her family."

"But you can clearly see where this started!" I argued back, feeling undeniable pity for the hateful blonde in spite of all her vitriol and all the pain she had caused me. "Vanessa's mother selfishly chose herself over anyone else, even her own daughter. What did that do to Vanessa growing up? How many times did her mother make her feel unwanted and unloved? I know she's become a horrible person, but she's still a human being! She needs help. She needs someone to help unwind the crazy mess Linda created in her mind. Someone needs to help set her straight again, if that's even possible."

The Cullens stared at me in great surprise, Edward most of all.

"You never ceased to amaze me," the lean young man quietly commented. "After all she's done, after the way you battled her last night…"

"I did what I had to do," I responded matter-of-factly. "I admit, I feel vindicated for finally stopping her, but it doesn't mean I can't see how much she must be hurting. I know what it feels like to feel unwanted by your parents. It's the worst feeling in the world and I don't wish it on anyone."

"Honey," Esme interrupted my words, kindness and strength mixing together in her warm voice, "Half of us here remember what that's like. Carlisle's father abused him, Rosalie's parents used her as a bargaining chip, and my own parents didn't love and support me the way parents should. We're not like Vanessa. As cold as Rose can be, she's never truly wanted to hurt someone out of simple envy. Even in the books, she regretted how Edward and Bella were later hurt by her phone call… None of us turned out like Vanessa, sweetie."

"And you are most certainly nothing like Vanessa," Rosalie emphasized her mother's statements softly. "It's all a choice, Mireille. Vanessa chose wrong."

"You even thought as much last night," Edward added more patiently than I expected. "You compared your childhood and Vanessa's, and concluded that your choices were the greatest difference between you."

"I know," I concluded simply, a deep frown marring my face. "I just can't help feeling sorry for her."

"That's a wonderful mark of your character," Carlisle offered his perspective, gentle in his manner as always. "You have great compassion and we love that about you. Yet we can't allow evil actions free reign because of pity for the reasoning behind it."

"As we can read from Maria's history in the guide," Jasper finally spoke, understanding to a degree I could hardly express in words, "most evil has comprehensible origins. She lost her mate and wanted vengeance. To a degree, that is an understandable beginning of her evil. Yet it doesn't change the fact that she can't be trusted. Compassion is admirable, Mir, but if we let it overbalance common sense, people will continue to be hurt by the wrong choices we have let pass in the name of excess empathy."

"I know you're right," I sighed sadly. "I guess I… wish Linda's wrongs could be made right. Poor Keith probably loves his daughter more than the world and would have wanted the best for her. Now she's become someone he probably couldn't even recognize. It's not right."

"Would you like us to try and find Keith Travis?" Carlisle offered with a gentle smile. "We could abandon a newspaper in his house, perhaps… It's feasible that Keith could help untwist his daughter's hatred once Linda's truths are unearthed… Maybe Vanessa could be rehabilitated in the future, given the right resources and supports."

"Can you do that?" I asked, warmed by the thought.

"If nothing else, they both deserve the truth of what Linda did to them all these years," Carlisle concurred.

"We'll see what works best," Esme agreed with her husband. "It might take some time, since we'll have to wait for the investigation to bring all of this into the open, but we'll see what we can do."

"Thank you," I told them, smiling in relief. "Is there any other news?"

"Nothing from the outside world," Alice replied mysteriously, rising gracefully from her husband's grasp.

"What does that mean?" I half-laughed at the vague enigma.

Everyone began to smile with mischief, each in their own way, until Alice disappeared and reappeared in the room with a familiar set of maps and papers, laying them all across the coffee table.

"Weren't you and Jasper working on this when I asked you to go prom shopping that one day?"

"Yes, Detective Whitlock, we happened to have been," Alice remarked with a fond roll of her eyes. "We were planning on a trip this summer, to look up my family. When you reminded Jasper of my time in the asylum, I wanted to see Biloxi again. I barely stayed in Biloxi a week when I first awoke, so I'm unfamiliar with it. Maybe my old street is still standing or the asylum or even my mother's grave… Who knows?"

"That sounds like a good idea," I decided sadly but appreciatively for Alice's bravery.

"Anyway," Alice went on more strongly, taking a breath, "At first we just planned to go to Mississippi for a few days and make a short stay in Philadelphia before we came home. After I watched you think so carefully of Rosalie for her birthday, the way you talked about symbolism… I knew I had to include you in this."

"We didn't want you to be a third wheel, however," Jasper took over amusedly, "so we asked Edward to join us as well on the trip."

"I couldn't resist your reactions," Edward shrugged casually, making me roll my eyes at his reasoning.

"And our little vacation… may have expanded beyond Biloxi and Philadelphia," Alice mentioned nonchalantly.

"How _far_ beyond Biloxi and Philadelphia?" I inquired suspiciously and humorously at the same time.

"Oh, you know, just a few places…" Alice waved off, making a very silly face as if it was no big deal. "Maybe Rochester, Gatlinburg, Columbus, Ashland, Chicago, Houston, Bottineau…"

"What the heck is Bottineau?" I repeated incredulously.

"It's the city in North Dakota where we found the elusive Cullens," Alice answered happily.

"Oh, I see," I allowed in understanding, when another thought struck me. "Wait, Houston? We're going to Texas?"

If my emotions didn't speak for me, then my side-eyed glance towards Jasper certainly did. "And did a certain Texas native agree with this little plan?"

"With an abundance of rules, regulations, and restrictions," Jasper replied, his Texan drawl exceptionally strong and dry. "Not to mention excessive foresight and mind-reading, backup plans, backup plans for the backup plans, and a _damn_ lot of caution."

A giggling fit overtook me before Jasper even finished his response, Alice joining me with her signature tinkling laugh.

"I would assume that means he agreed, Mireille," Carlisle remarked incredibly dryly, inciting laughs from the assembled vampires and an increase in mine and Alice's already powerful humor. Sighing resignedly, Jasper just shook his head and accepted the amusement at his expense.

"When is this trip?" I wondered after we all calmed.

"We leave the last day of school, this Friday," Alice answered excitedly. "It's only a half day, so we'll probably leave right after you eat dinner. Five more days! Only _four_ more of school, considering we have off for Memorial Day tomorrow!"

"I'd better get my visits and phone calls in, then," I settled myself more happily. There was a lot on my mind in the face of everything I learned since waking up, but my emotions remained peaceful even up to phoning the Weber house.

"Hello?" Dale's voice answered inquiringly.

"Hi, Mr. Weber," I responded pleasantly. "It's Mireille. Could I talk to Angela, please?"

"Of course, Mireille," the father of three responded more than happily. It was almost like nothing ever happened, except that I could hear awkwardness underlying the pastor's joy. "Just one moment and I'll get Angie."

Barely a minute passed before the girl in question picked up the call with nervousness plain in her words. "Hi, Mireille."

Feeling badly for what the sweet-tempered girl experienced and the foolish assumptions her parents had made out of fear, I made a very clear choice to be casual and return to the friendship I knew we had.

"Hey, Ang. How are you doing?"

"I'm… okay," Angela answered almost confusedly, but rapidly followed up with the heart of why she wanted to talk to me. "Ray, I'm so sorry! I never meant for anybody to blame your family for that letter! I tried to tell my parents it wasn't any of you, but… but…"

"It's okay," I cut through her rambling firmly. It was high time everyone stopped blaming themselves for Linda and Vanessa's actions. The Cullens were right – Vanessa chose wrong, no matter what her past was like. If she could change her ways in future, that was wonderful, but if not, there was nothing for me to do about it.

"You were all scared, Angela," I continued into the phone. "I was scared, too. If I hadn't been, maybe we could have stopped Vanessa before she ever sent you that letter. But I _was_ afraid, and that's not how it happened. Don't worry about it. I forgive whatever accusations were made. Okay?"

"Thank you," Angela murmured and I thought for a moment she was about to cry, but instead she pressed on more strongly, "Could I… would Alice talk to me for a second, do you think?"

Startled by the odd question, I frowned and turned towards Alice, whose raised brow spoke volumes. Apparently Angela hadn't planned to talk to her from the start. Nevertheless, Alice reached for the phone with acceptance.

"Here she is," I told Angela, handing over the phone to Alice's patient hand.

"Angela?" Alice spoke tentatively, but her bewilderment cleared within seconds and I wished I could hear what was being said.

A moment later, I needn't have wondered as Alice responded rather exasperatedly, "Didn't Mireille just go through this with you? If she forgives you, I forgive you, too. I don't care what your parents thought about me. Now they know it wasn't true and we can't keep living with this. It's just silly."

Smiling at the blunt words and the shock with which Angela no doubt replied, I was glad Angela wanted to talk with Alice now.

"All right, here's Mireille again," Alice ended their brief discussion with an amused roll of her eyes that forced me to repress laughter.

"Honestly, Ang, we just went over that!" I teased, unable to keep laugher completely out of my voice.

"I know, I know!" Angela returned with a tentative laugh. "I just feel so bad. Alice seems really nice and it wasn't fair that everyone made her into a bad person like that."

Angela never failed to be an absolute peach, I thought fondly. "I hated it, too, but we're going to move on from it. It's no fun living in the past, trust me."

"Now I'll have to get Katie to stop being scared and apologize," Angela sighed.

"She's afraid of us still?" I wondered incredulously.

"Oh, no!" Angela denied with a more genuine laugh. "She's just afraid of your reaction when she apologizes. You're kind of scary when you get mad!"

Snorting led to full blown laughter as I realized Katie's problem and the silliness of it all. "Okay, I'll try not to be mad when she talks to me!"

We laughed together, now just like old friends again. Conversation led into more normal territory as we discussed the easy things like Jessica and Conner becoming an item (so we hoped), Lauren breaking up with Mike, or Lauren's senior Prom date dropping her right at the dance – a memory I sadly didn't have, but one Jessica had apparently recalled with positive glee when she called Angela that morning.

With the reconciliation well under way between Cullens and Webers, I more peacefully made my way to self-defense that afternoon.

If anyone needed to know how I had successfully used my training in a real situation, it was my salt-and-pepper-haired defense instructor. Daniel happily and patiently listened as Jasper and I worked together to recount the previous night's events, something that took up almost our entire lesson that evening. A full belly laugh overtook Dan when Jasper vividly described both the leg move that landed Vanessa on the ground and the hefty punch that broke Vanessa's nose.

Had I not been so exasperated by Jasper's relish in telling the story, I would have turned pink at the praises Jasper sung.

"You've made a huge leap of progress!" Dan informed me excitedly, still chuckling over the scene of Edward lifting me into the air above the Prom crowd. "I wish I could have seen you come into your own, but I'm just glad you've found your feet now."

Jasper drove home with a very happy air and secretive grin, despite my annoyance with his overselling of my successful battle, and I could hardly stay irritated with him when he smiled like that. We'd been through so much damaging emotion since my arrival, I could hardly begrudge his enthusiasm. Sensing my changing climate of feelings, Jasper winked teasingly at me and I laughed. As we pulled up to the house, the two of us shared sentiments of 'thank you' and 'you're welcome' for each other's support all these past weeks without ever having to speak aloud.

With Carlisle at my side, I didn't feel nearly as nervous about visiting Whitney in the hospital, although my 'adventurous' outfit from earlier did seem a little overdone in such a situation. Regardless, I didn't want to keep Whitney waiting any more and simply changed back into my readily available outfit. Diane sat on desk duty up front, smiling warmly at us as we walked in. I offered a little wave to her, partly in thanks and partly in gladness to see a friendly face after so much drama.

When we came upon the room Whitney had been assigned, Christina Duran sat in the hall beside a serious-faced boy just as brown-haired as Christina and a little older looking than Angela's brothers. Assuming it to be Whitney's younger brother, Justin, I felt even more terrible than before about what they must have went through over the past seven years.

Christina looked haggard after only one night and I wondered if she had even slept. She certainly wore the same outfit from the night before. What thoughts must have gone through her mind, running on and on in endless loop of where she had gone wrong… The mother of two nodded simply at us, remaining silent along with her son while we stepped into the room.

Hard features defined strawberry-blond Matthew Duran where he sat beside his daughter, except when he nodded gratefully at Carlisle with sad, weary eyes.

In that sterile white room, dotted gown, and harsh hospital blankets, Whitney looked terrible. Most of her face was black and blue, along with her arms where Vanessa's fists had rained down in such fury. Bandages covered multiple spots on her face and arms as well, and the IV in her arm clearly displayed how fragile she still was. Despite her horrible appearance, the junior quirked a tiny, tiny smile when she saw us.

"Thank you for coming," Matthew murmured quietly, moving to stand from his chair.

"Please don't worry over us," Carlisle eased the father back into his seat with mere words. "We can stand."

Just as tired as his now-estranged wife, Matthew sighed resignedly. "Thank you."

"Go ahead, Mireille," Carlisle murmured kindly, gently pushing me forward to Whitney's side.

"Hi, Mireille," Whitney's quiet voice washed over me, the soft but smooth tone such a great change from my own experience that I nearly felt like crying for joy. Whitney hadn't screamed in agony last night, as I once did. Maybe I hadn't been able to prevent the condition Whitney was now in, but I had been able to save her the excruciating pain of a knife dug deep into her flesh with exacting fire, and the revenge of scars left behind.

"Hi, Whitney." I smiled at the girl with genuine happiness for the freedom she probably hadn't truly comprehended yet. "I'm sorry this had to get so bad before Vanessa was stopped."

"I'm sorry, too," Whitney replied sadly, "For letting her get away with hurting you so bad. I should have told someone sooner…"

Guilt and regret creased her bruised forehead in a way that had to painful. Eager to erase it, I shook my head and responded intensely, "You were doing what you could to protect your brother. I understand that more than you know. Please don't blame yourself for Vanessa's horrible actions."

Whitney quirked that tiny smile again and said simply, "Thanks. Not just for that… Thank you for saving me last night. If you hadn't been there…"

"Thank you, too, for being strong," I praised her rather than remark on her gratitude directly. "You stood up to Vanessa. You knew you probably couldn't fight her, but you faced her anyway. That's a big step for anyone to make."

Shyness and a little denial clouded Whitney's hazel eyes for a moment, but she couldn't debate the sincerity in my words.

"I think we had better leave Whitney to her rest now," Carlisle inserted quietly after a moment.

"I have to agree," Matthew added with a nod and a worried look for his daughter.

"Then it was nice to meet you, Mireille," the girl in question said in farewell, and she did look worn down after just those few minutes talking.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Whitney." I offered without a doubt, adding spontaneously, "And call me Ray."

Whitney quirked the extent of her smile and merely said, "Okay."

Leaving the small family to their sad circumstances, Carlisle led me back out to the Mercedes and took us to the house in respectful silence for all that had passed before.

Upon returning to school Tuesday morning, I once again found myself the victim of staring and whispers. Yet this time, the stares contained respect rather than suspicion and the whispers were excited rather than dubious. The change perplexed me until Edward exasperatedly pointed out I was a mini celebrity now for defeating the town bully. While I understood, it made me very uncomfortable to be the center of attention that way and I tried to ignore the other students' reactions.

Angela had truly talked with Katie, something the redhead admitted blatantly when she got up the courage to talk to me at lunch. It took some serious talking with Jasper, Edward, and Esme that night, but I decided I could forgive Katie's insinuations about Esme as long as Katie genuinely meant her apology.

The next day, I very calmly and reasonably informed Katie of my decision at lunch and the sigh of relief that blew from her lips actually made me laugh. As I found out, my forgiveness was quite timely, seeing as that day was Katie's birthday and she had hoped not to face me in a stew.

The last day of school came before I knew it and I found myself giving and receiving many farewells and promises to keep in touch over the summer. Amused at the apparent distance everyone expected to occur when they all lived so close together, I nevertheless agreed to every vow of contact within the limits of the vacation I was to take with Alice, Jasper, and Edward. Disappointment overcame Angela, Katie, and Jessica when they learned I would be gone so much of the summer, to which I couldn't help laughing.

Driving home with a thoroughly signed yearbook, courtesy of Alice's planning months before, my laughter had tempered into a smile that wouldn't leave me. I felt free now, independent of the chains Vanessa had seemed to hold in her hand for so long.

"You're going to enjoy this trip, then," Edward remarked with a smile of his own for my happy thoughts.

"I'll enjoy it, all right," I agreed. "I never traveled anywhere until I met all of you."

Alice and Jasper both waited on the porch, obviously already prepared to head out, but there was patience in Alice's posture I didn't quite understand.

"We're going to give you a minute to talk with Carlisle and Esme," Edward demurred quietly, disappearing from the car just as I came to a stop and parked. Realizing precisely why everyone would leave me to talk with the Cullen parents, I stepped from the car and walked up to the porch.

"Thanks," I told Alice simply as I walked past. The tiny vampire smiled at me understandingly and tugged Jasper away.

Carlisle and Esme sat on the sofa with utmost patience mixed with slight anticipation, holding hands as I came to sit across from them.

"Alice told us you'd made a decision," Carlisle started calmly, opening up the playing field for me to tread.

"I have," I concurred plainly. "I've spent a lot of time thinking about what you said. As much as you don't want it to be about all of you… I can't make a decision that doesn't consider your part in it."

Husband and wife took a collective breath at these words, but didn't interrupt me.

"I've thought up every conceivable argument these past few days, for death and for vampire life," I went on calmly. "I even consulted my gift, but it showed me nothing good or bad. No matter how I look at it, I can't seem to tip the scales either way. There are benefits and consequences to both options. The only thing that tipped the choice for me… was when I considered all of you. I just can't stand the thought of you watching me die. If there were no human means of saving me, I would be condemning you to stand by as my life slowly faded away… That sounds excruciating."

"Mireille, while we love you for your tender heart, we can't be the guiding reason behind this," Carlisle assured me softly and lovingly, sadness in his gaze to match Esme's.

"It has to be because one or the other makes you feel right," Esme completed her husband's statement.

"But neither does," I argued with that same calm. "As I said, both have positives and negatives. At this point, if I don't consider something outside of myself, there is nothing that draws me in one particular direction. When I think of you, though, I realize how much it would wound all of you for the rest of your lives to have known me so closely and becomes my friends in such deep ways, only to lose me suddenly."

Both parents tried to intervene again, but I cut them off surely, "No, I'm sorry. If I suddenly come face to face with death, and you have no options anymore… I'm asking you to turn me. No matter what my reasons are, I'm asking this of you, Carlisle. Please… If you chose to let me die in spite of this request, you would be forcing my hand just as much as if you turned me without my consent."

It was the last and most difficult argument they couldn't fight. The couple across from me shared a hard, complicated expression before they finally turned back to me with serious eyes.

"Then I can hardly debate your choice," Carlisle retreated from his position. "While I wish your decision hinged on your own future, rather than our feelings, I do believe that denying your request would be tantamount to intentionally killing you. As I could never do that, I will agree to your wishes. In the event of an unexpected death sentence, I will turn you as you have asked."

Expelling a pent up breath of relief, I nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

Laughing suddenly, Carlisle and Esme shook their heads in unison and appeared on either side of me to crush me in a near-unbreakable embrace.

"Only you, Mir, would thank us for saving _our_ hearts from breaking," Esme informed me with long-suffering fondness.

"I'm merely thanking you for honoring my request," I skirted the phrasing neatly, leaving the three of us genuinely laughing again when Alice zipped into the house with fresh impatience.

"I'm coming," I sighed exasperatedly at the tiny woman.

"Enjoy as much as you can," Esme ordered me warmly, kissing my cheek as she released me.

Carlisle held on a little longer, pulling me under his chin and kissing the top of my head. "If anything happens on this trip, I will never forgive myself for staying behind."

"You and your guilt complex," I uttered humorously, voice muffled by Carlisle's dress shirt.

"Mir," Carlisle commanded my attention and ceased my humor with a stern voice. At the same time, the doctor startled me completely with the use of my nickname. Carlisle had never used it before and while I suspected it was because of his proper diction rather than distance of any kind, it startled me nonetheless to hear it escape his mouth.

"I want you to follow Jasper and Edward's lead without question," Carlisle repeated more gently, but nevertheless firmly as he pulled back from our embrace, holding my face in his icy hands. "I don't care how unreasonable it seems. Do you understand?"

Combing the depths of golden orbs for the ferocity of Carlisle's request, I nodded slowly. "I promise I'll follow them, Carlisle."

"Good," he nodded once in return and finally let me go.

Alice's impatience had become tempered by the serious nature of Carlisle's intense request, lasting when we walked out onto the porch and met up with Rosalie and Emmett.

Only slightly less exuberant than he had been earlier in the day, Emmett grinned with his signature humor and told us indiscriminately, "Have fun, short stuff."

Uncertain who he even meant between the two of us, Alice and I finally rolled our eyes in unison and let Emmett give us a bear hug as he had done the night of Prom. Our laughter echoed across the yard when the big vampire spun us all around and settled us back on the ground.

"We'll see you before you know it," Rosalie smiled slightly, amused by her husband.

"See you soon, Rose," I said in farewell, grinning along with Alice as we hurried off to the Porsche and the beginning of our summer vacation.

* * *


	57. Chapter 55: Itinerant - Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:** Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
Referencing my story _In The Green Valley_ for this chapter. Technically, you could consider that a companion piece now, but it can still stand on its own. I never used that story during the family readings (not sure why, but oh well), so I really wanted to use it in a different way here.

The museum in this chapter is entirely fictional, although I was slightly inspired but the Texas Military Forces Museum in Austin, Texas and the National United States Armed Forces Museum in Houston, Texas.

Again, this chapter is huge and there is a ton of information in it. The second half will be up very soon!

**Song Inspiration:** _  
Good News_ by Ocean Park Standoff

**Previously** – Mir woke after Prom and recalled that night. Edward teased Mir of victory and played 'We Will Rock You.' Mir tried a stylish outfit and Alice & Mir noticed each other's style. Mir learned what happened while she slept: Whitney wanted to meet Mir, the Webers apologized, and Angela wanted to talk w/Mir. Mir read a newspaper that told events since her first attack. Mir learned Diane's husband edits the newspaper. Mir realized she nearly died in November and Carlisle said he would have turned her. Carlisle asked Mir to consider death/immortality. Mir kept reading the newspaper and learned how Vanessa's family came to Forks and that Vanessa snitched on her mother's embezzlement. Edward confirmed the news as Emmett & Jasper came back from a hunt. Emmett teased Mir of victory. Edward told of Vanessa's childhood and Linda's lying. Mir pitied Vanessa and wanted to help. The Cullens reasoned Vanessa chose wrong no matter her past. Alice mentioned a road trip to special family locations. Mir & Angela reconciled. Mir & Jasper told Dan of Prom fight. Mir & Carlisle visited Whitney and they thanked each other. At school, stares and whispers became positive and Mir & Katie reconciled. School ended and Mir told Carlisle & Esme she wanted to be turned if dying. Carlisle insisted Mir follow Jasper & Edward's lead on the trip. Alice, Jasper, Edward, & Mir started their road trip.

> **Chapter 55: Itinerant - Part I**

If there was one thing I learned about flying at the start of summer vacation, Jasper Hale was absolutely indispensable as a flight companion. When we arrived at SeaTac after an insanely speedy drive along Highway 101, I had groaned and whined in the same sound, leaving my three companions to repress laughter for my sake.

Despite initial amusement, however, Jasper swiftly realized just how anxious flying made me feel and took it upon himself to remain at my side from ticket counter to seating, leading us to adjoining seats on the plane while Edward and Alice took the two behind us. For the entire five hour flight, I gripped Jasper's hand with bruising human force and he supplied me with a slight sensation of calm through the contact. Not enough to make me feel unnatural, but enough to keep me from breathing strangely out of nerves and for me to eat lunch, which I'd neglected before leaving Forks.

Once we arrived, it was about an hour-and-a-half drive from Minot International Airport to Bottineau, which of course meant Edward got us there in half that time, even in a much slower rented car.

The Cullens' old red house in that out-the-way North Dakota town stood far smaller than even the gray house in Aberdeen and only rose one story off the ground.

"We were two less relatives at the time," Edward pointed out with a wry twist of his mouth.

"Everyone might have been a little overcrowded for a few weeks," Alice twittered humorously.

"We had to move anyway," Jasper added with a shrug.

"True," Edward agreed, nodding.

"Wait, so you two didn't get married here, did you?" I asked of Alice and Jasper in consternation. There was so much movement in the Cullens' lives that sometimes it seemed difficult to keep track of it.

"You've done just fine so far," Edward teased me dryly.

"No, we weren't married here," Alice answered with intentional vagueness.

"Why do I feel like you're purposefully keeping a secret about that?" I remarked with faux confusion.

Giggling a bit, Alice didn't reply, instead heading up to the former residence where she finally united her entire family.

"Aren't you worried about the owners?" I wondered at her unencumbered actions.

"We still own it," Edward replied, shrugging casually. "It's nice to be able to return to places with easy weather patterns."

Nodding my understanding, I followed the three vampires up to the house with raging curiosity. Alice fairly well dragged me inside once we reached the small front porch, guiding me through and pointing out where everyone's rooms had once been. The only person who seemed to lack a room was Edward.

Alice's slightly shameful features caught my eye with vast interest and a sudden realization prompted by a story I had read before.

"Oh, I see… You kicked him out," I concluded with a grin at Edward's long-suffering air.

"Well, to be fair," Jasper spoke up for his wife, also grinning at Edward's exasperated face, "Rose convincingly claimed Edward was preparing for the move early and wouldn't mind. We only had two weeks before the move at that point, so it seemed reasonable."

"Edward was out hunting with Carlisle and Esme that morning," Alice finished the story, still appearing very put out for having displaced Edward, however unknowingly. "So there was no one to speak up in his defense. Emmett wouldn't dare intervene; because it was Rose and because he thought it was absolutely hilarious."

A snort of humor escaped me at the very idea. I could definitely imagine Rosalie and Emmett doing something like that.

"That makes two of us," Edward rolled his eyes. "At least Alice and Jasper were kind enough to ensure my things were nicely packed. Rosalie would have thrown them in the dirt if she could have."

"That wasn't unlikely," Jasper snickered.

Shaking my head with amusement, I continued looking around at the home Esme had obviously touched up with her style and architecture. Not as much work had been done as the house in Forks, but then there was much less to design in that one-story living space. Over that green space we wandered a little aimlessly, admittedly very few things of interest claiming the plain and simple estate other than the memories Edward, Alice, and Jasper could share with me.

One of the most unique memories was of the tree Emmett had broken almost in half during his first attempt at wrestling with Jasper; or rather, Jasper had broken the tree with Emmett's bulky frame. The former soldier, only away from Maria's clutches for a decade or two at the time, had not been prepared for a casual, friendly fight. With Carlisle at work and the ladies shopping for Alice's first real wardrobe for their impending move, the early trio of brothers didn't quite mesh as well as they did in the present day.

"Luckily Edward intervened," Jasper concluded at the end of the story, shaking his head in a combination of wry humor and self-censure. "He adapted rapidly to the moves in my head and kept me at a standstill until Alice returned."

"Not that Alice took much time," Edward confessed with a shake of his head. "I have to say I was very thankful for that. Mind-reading or no, Jasper was definitely above my level."

"Not for that long," Jasper countered with a quiet snort.

"Only because of this," Edward remarked, tapping his head in a demeaning fashion.

"And you talk about me," I dared to comment, rolling my eyes. "Everything can't exist simply because of your ability. You still need good reflexes and instincts to fight well. Right, Jasper?"

"Right indeed, Miss Mireille," Jasper chuckled and that was the end of the conversation for Edward.

Before we left, Alice insisted on a few pictures to memorialize my time at their old house and I couldn't disagree.

On the way back through town to stop for my dinner, Edward took a different road from the first drive to the house, this one leading us past an oddity I simply couldn't leave alone. With a long-suffering sigh, Edward turned back around at my pleading thoughts and pulled into the entrance of a local park.

Alice and I giggled with silly joy as we finally hurried over to a very unusual structure of a turtle named Tommy.

It truly was a giant, cartoon-like turtle with pea green skin, yellow shell and helmet, silver visor, and black and red body. The utterly weird sculpture included a loud yellow snowmobile upon which the turtle was seated.

"This was most definitely not here when we lived in Bottineau," Edward muttered, a strain of disgust in his voice.

"Oh, lighten up, Edward," I reproached the lean vampire, shooting my eyes towards the darkening sky. "It's just silly fun."

A few pictures later, Alice and I ignored our reticent companions and happily returned to the car. We stayed at a hotel in Bismarck that night so I would be wide awake for our time in Houston the next day, although admittedly I spent more time chatting with Edward, Jasper, and Alice than I should have before finally falling into sleep.

To my great misfortune, in the early morning we once again needed a flight to our next locale. More amused than annoyed, Jasper sat with me again on the plane. The hour-long layover in Minneapolis that followed would allow us all to change into cooler clothes for the heat we would encounter in typical June weather for the radically different climate of Houston, Texas. My vampire companions would hardly be bothered by the heat, but they had to look the part for the other humans around us.

Still, as we walked through the terminal to find a bathroom, I had to wonder at how Alice, Edward, and Jasper would move around in the typically sunny Texas environment with me; wearing lighter, cooling styles of clothing didn't eradicate the sun's direct rays. Curiosity probed my brain when Alice and I headed into the bathroom together and I stopped Alice with a hand on her arm, but we had to wait for a mother and daughter to exit the restroom before I could ask the secretive question in my head.

"Alice," I was finally free to say, albeit quietly, bringing around Alice's golden eyes. "How is this even going to work? It's not rainy Forks we'll be going to, it's _Texas_. It's going to be sunny, isn't it?"

"It's not as hard for us to move around on sunny days as the books seemed to indicate," Alice answered, rolling her eyes slightly. "I'm not saying it's not a challenge often enough, but it's doable when needs call for it. Mainly we have trouble when we're living somewhere for a decent stretch of time. People are more likely to examine our appearance up close because they've come to know us, so if they seem to notice a sparkle here or there, they might get inclinations. On a brief visit like this, however, it's not going to be an issue."

"How did you live in Calgary?" I inquired even more curiously. "That was a decent stretch of time, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," Alice agreed. "But Calgary is pretty much a ghost town, even now. Plus, while we lived there, some of us took night classes and Carlisle worked the night shift in Nacogdoches. No one who knew us thought it strange that we 'slept' during the day. It was about the truest we've ever been to our vampire myths."

Chuckling with satisfaction at the information given, I entered one of the stalls to change while Alice took the one next to me. First I dug through my carry-on for sunscreen and sunglasses, stowing the items in my purse until we landed in Houston. After that I changed into a loose, comfortable linen dress in vertical blue and white stripes. Knee-high, dark brown leather boots ended up matching the natural feel of the dress very well. My only problem was that I'd forgotten a hat. Frustrated by the necessary item for such sunny excursions, I decided I would have to buy something at one of the airports.

"You'll have to do it in Houston," Alice called to me amusedly after a moment and teased further, "I _knew_ I should have packed your bags for you."

"I packed just fine, thank you," I reminded the tiny woman curtly, although humor undoubtedly shone through. "I remembered everything else."

Humming noncommittally, Alice left her stall at the same time I did. Stylish Alice had put on an ivory midi dress with a floral print, close-trimmed neck, and long sleeves. Matched to the lightweight dress were apricot boots, large brown sunglasses, and a broad brim ivory hat that flopped around Alice's elfin features as the perfect barrier against the sun's revealing rays. The legs startled me initially – Alice's boots were only ankle height and half her leg seemed exposed. It was Alice's hands that surprised me next; at first glance, it appeared she had done nothing at all with them, either.

Upon closer inspection, I could see no fingernails on Alice's fingertips. The tiny woman had made herself a thin yet opaque pair of seamless gloves and tights in her precise skin tone. The whole outfit made a great deal of sense in light of her earlier explanations and I rolled my eyes even as I admired the lovely ensemble.

"And you look perfect, as usual," I complimented the spiky-haired vampire anyway, wrangling my purse and carry-on up on my shoulder as well as I was able.

"Despite your lack of a hat, I return that compliment," Alice cheekily remarked, twirling away with her bags very perfectly attached and swaying as she led the way out.

Jasper and Edward appeared totally different in their attempts at camouflage. Edward looked effortlessly crisp and clean in brown leather gloves, dark brown oxfords, lightweight khaki pants, a light blue button-down with the collar flipped up, and a lightweight khaki jacket. By contrast, Jasper pulled off dark jeans, tan pullover, brown cowboy boots, brown leather jacket, and brown and tan gloves all with a casual Western influence. Both men held neutral panama hats, a classy addition I enjoyed immensely.

After a third flight with Jasper gripping my hand and transferring a glaze of calm, the four of us moved through yet another terminal and headed straight to the nearest selection of shops in the vast airport. Most of the shops only had cowboy hats and baseball caps; the caps didn't serve the purpose of sun protection for my neck and face, while Alice absolutely refused to let me have anything even resembling a cowboy hat, even if it matched my boots nicely.

Upon Alice's final refusal to me, Jasper had grinned at his wife with glittering darkened eyes as he intentionally picked up a dark brown cowboy hat to match his jacket and boots, very slowly replacing his panama hat with obvious relish and deliberately unfolding the cash to pay for it.

Alice closed her eyes almost lethargically, breathing deeply to keep herself from utter outrage. Edward restrained his laughter only barely until Jasper finally joined us again, snarky to a fault when he tipped his hat to Alice like the gentlemanly cowboy he'd always been.

Snorting in manner reminiscent of growling, Alice stalked off in a tall temper, leaving us to follow with equally tall humor to the next shop and the next. To my chagrin, I may have spent far too much time and money at a specialty candy shop and a chocolate factory before we even found a hat for me. Healthy as I usually tried to eat, I decided it was a special occasion and a time of fun would be all right just for this trip. My three vampire friends didn't put up a fuss either and Edward actually seemed eager to see me live spontaneously.

Finally, after what seemed like half the terminals in the airport, we found a shop with wide-brimmed sun hats. One glance at the colors and styles decided me on the hat I wanted to wear. Eyeing the dark natural fiber and elegant white chiffon wrapped into a flower around the band, Alice nodded once and instantly paid for the item.

Unprepared for the feeling of the oppressive heat, the heavy weight of the sun's rays beating down through the light linen of my dress, I exhaled heavily within moments of stepping off the bus to the car lot.

"I'm going to wish I'd never come here," I exhaled with another weighted breath.

"You do hate your extremes," Edward recalled mildly, a touch of concern in his voice even as he heard the relative tolerance in my head.

"Let's get moving, then," suggested Jasper more calmly. "You'll cool down in the air conditioning by the time we reach the hotel."

Pleased by the idea of air conditioning all on its own, I sped up in my trek behind Edward's long strides. At last our vehicle came into sight, and I snorted audibly at the shining black Volkswagen Touareg.

"You know how we are about cars," Edward remarked, grinning mutedly and enthusiastically swirling the keys around his forefinger with nary a jangle of metal on metal.

Regardless the vehicle of choice, the air conditioning became my new favorite thing on the way to our hotel.

While nowhere near the grandeur of the St. Regis in New York City, the hotel was still nicer than anything I'd ever stayed in during my 'first' life and I appreciated the beauty of the spic-and-span building on the way up to our rooms. Edward helped me settled in quickly so we could set out for our various stops as soon as possible.

As much as I adored the cool air inside the hotel room, I couldn't sit inside all day and I did have a genuine interest in seeing whatever locations and points of interest the three vampires had agreed upon, so I reluctantly followed Edward back out to meet up with Alice and Jasper.

First stop on the Houston vein was a military museum Jasper actually sounded excited to show me, even with the rigid paranoia he seemed so intent upon. Alice and Edward walked behind while Jasper led me in a careful path from the parking lot to the lobby, always avoiding any angle that might expose the diamond gleam of vampire skin to the sun's rays from underneath well-chosen hats. There weren't many visitors at the time, so I felt more comfortable of any discussion between the four of us.

Signs and symbols of all the military forces celebrated in the museum left me disappointed by a long shot. The earliest forces remembered by the museum began two whole years after Jasper had been ripped away from his honorable service to be in Maria's army.

"Why did you want to show me this place?" I asked quietly of the honey-blond vampire, who had removed his hat in the safety of the museum's windowless interior. "I don't see anything from the time of your service. That troop from 1865 is the earliest one."

"Walk a little further," was all Jasper said at first, a hint of amusement in his tone leaving me perplexed but trusting during a brief walk into the enormous section displaying mounds of memorabilia from that 1865 army troop I was so disappointed by.

"Here," Jasper pointed up on the wall to a glass case protecting an antiquated, yellowed letter and envelope from an unknown soldier.

Every corner had been ripped or worn away, including where a signature may once have existed, and the tidy, masculine handwriting was faded to gray. The date had faded such that the last two digits of the year no longer existed, leaving anyone who read it to wonder what year it had been written. Believing there must be something of value and intrigue in the old piece of communication, I read the hard-to-see letter through to the end.

_26th October 18_

_I cannot know what waits for us out in this wasteland. Life is destroyed here in the barren sand. And I am afraid._

_Not for me. My name will pass on like so much dust in the swirling wind. But I fear for the country I love. What does this war offer? As I live the dream of my brothers-at-arms, I see the pointless deaths and lose faith in my cause. My strength is waning, my comrades are dying, and my hope is weakening._

_But I love you all. And against all logic, it is that which holds me firm to my duty._ _If I should die before I see you again, don't mention my name in pride or grief. Let it pass on in simple memory of a soldier who did his duty for the ones he loved._

_All my love I give to you._

Such sadness filled me as I read the letter to its completion. A brave soldier, merely protecting his family and his freedom, had been at the end of his rope except for the love he felt towards those closest to him. There may have been Confederate supporters who only wanted to ensure slavery continued, but there were others, soldiers like the one in the letter, who had simply protected their loved ones in war.

Shaking my self from the sympathy and melancholy, I tried to see what Jasper wanted me to see. Curious as I continued to examine the letter with utter vexation, I started when Jasper chuckled over my emotions.

"Take a look at this," Jasper offered almost soundlessly, handing over a folded stack of copy paper.

Giving the vampire a brief scowl for his delayed explanation, I nevertheless opened the folded papers as instructed. It took a moment to understand the document in my hands, but I finally realized it was a professional historical commentary Jasper had gone through and revised with fascinating notes about the subject he had known well before the author had even been born.

"Neat as this is," I responded after a while, shrugging helplessly, "What do you want me to—"

As soon as the question began to leave my lips, I noticed a rather fascinating phenomenon. Glancing between the letter on the wall and the papers in my hand, I took deep consideration of Jasper's handwriting.

Oh, Jasper's current writing was flawlessly smooth and clean, of course, but given the variance between human hands and those of a flawlessly steady vampire… An incredulous half laugh escaped me as I saw the telltale similarities in unique letters between both sets of writing.

"You wrote this," I murmured for vampire hearing alone, eyeing the worn letter on the wall. "They just couldn't date it accurately."

"Correct," Jasper agreed, pleased by my realization, tone as low as mine. "I don't remember the words of this letter, but I'm fairly certain I have a memory of _writing_ it."

"How neat!" I softly exclaimed, refolding the papers in my hand. Jasper took them with a smile. "Tell me you have pictures of this!"

"Afraid not," Jasper chuckled. "When I saw this last, it was 1949, we couldn't afford a camera, and photographs weren't allowed in the burgeoning museum anyway."

"We're taking one now, though, right?" I insisted excitedly, eyeing Alice, whose eyes gleamed as she pulled out a digital camera. "Yes!"

Laughing quietly together, the three vampires indulgently let me take a picture for myself, although Alice utilized her perfect balance and stillness to take the best possible version of the letter and its small assorted information. Given the amazement at seeing part of Jasper's history still existing in the world, I felt far more inclined to walk through the rest of the museum's pieces in the Civil War collection. From antique swords and guns to full gray uniforms with golden threading and velvet sashes, I found more and more romanticism in the last measure of the old world of war and gallantry.

By the time we had walked through just that one section of the museum, it was time for lunch and my stomach made quite a rumble about the matter. Downtown Houston boasted any number of restaurants with a huge selection of cuisines, so it wasn't difficult to find something unique and tasty, but when a Tex-Mex place advertised carnitas, I was done for.

The afternoon played host to a very secretive trip which none of my vampire companions wanted to discuss until we arrived. Sighing after the fourth failed inquiry, I settled back in the cool air of the Touareg and waited out the passing blurs of people, cars, trees, and buildings that slowly thinned as we drove on.

After a period of pleasant driving with a quiet blues station playing in the background, we stopped near the remains of wood that might once have been a home, although there was little left to tell. A ways out from the house, we approached a cemetery as old as anything I had seen in the military museum's confines. An aged wooden sign, rugged from years of weathering, simply said 'Cemetery' in embossed lettering that had been painted over many times with plain white paint. The desert expanse of simple headstones and even simpler wooden grave markers, interspersed with bushes of various hardy flowers, was as barren as the desert in Jasper's letter. No one stood in the old graveyard but us, although obviously someone had taken care of the cemetery over the years.

Edward parked at the entrance and locked up while we walked in the wooden gate amidst a cloud of dust and heat.

"My family was buried here," Jasper pointed out needlessly. It hadn't been too difficult to guess the purpose of this locale once I saw what it was. Having said his brief piece, the former soldier grasped Alice's hand with gentle pressure and led the way through those small, plain stones and wood shapes.

Two short headstones sat side-by-side at the place Jasper stopped first, reading the names Lyman Whitlock and Eunice Bullard Whitlock. The dates of their births and deaths were the only other data on the stones.

"My parents," Jasper indicated simply, unaffected by any form of grief after so long without those two presences in his life. Unlike her husband, Alice seemed saddened and reached down to clear dust and debris away from the two headstones. Jasper offered her a fond, sweet smile and led us further down.

A clutter of headstones marked this new spot, the closest a double-wide stone displaying Jeremiah Felder and Cora Whitlock Felder and their dates of birth and death.

"My sister," Jasper explained. "She had a large family, from what we learned. They're all buried behind her and her husband."

Looking back behind the broad stone while Alice once again cleared away debris and dirt, I took into account at least eight headstones with the name Felder listed in some way.

"What about you?" I wondered softly, turning to look up at Jasper's proud, strong features.

"I'm a bit further out," Jasper smiled slightly, not bothered by my inquiry. "Come on, I'll show you."

Again we walked through the dusty land, to the very back of the cemetery, and then left the back gate to head out into the grassy field nearby. Far into the green, a wild and colossal bush of yellow roses stood out with vibrant color in the middle of a small patch of sweetgum trees. At the base of the rose bush, I couldn't help taking notice of a worn gray headstone all by its lonesome.

"There I am," Jasper nodded once at the stone, wry and humored as he stood tall in front of it.

Jasper Whitlock spread across the stone in an arc, his final rank as a major and his Confederate military division listed just above the birth date of Nov. 19, 1844.

The date of death was marked only as 1863. No month or day would have been known, I realized with a twinge of pity. The poor Whitlock family only knew that their son and brother had died in Galveston sometime that year. They had never known what took him away or the exact date of his loss.

"Don't feel too badly," Jasper assured me with kindness, reaching out to pull me under his arm. "They lived on in spite of losing a son. Cora gave them a lot of grandchildren and they lived a long time afterward."

"That's good to hear, at least," I murmured, still feeling sympathy for the family left behind. Despite knowing Jasper was never under that headstone, I hugged him with gratitude for his presence in our lives. The former soldier chuckled richly and returned my embrace peaceably.

More tenderly than before, Alice knelt down at the gravestone of her husband's human life and gently brushed away every speck of dust she could find, leaving the gray marker unhindered by dirt and corruption.

Jasper's expression became so tender that I slipped away from his grasp and turned away with Edward to give the couple a moment together. Edward smiled fondly at my emotional response, leading me back towards the Touareg while Alice and Jasper shared their moment and took pictures of the grave that never was.

When the pair returned arm-in-arm in the dusky light, a rugged soldier in his cowboy boots and a fashion maven in her high heels, a smile crossed my face at the oddity of their pairing. Yet after all they had endured, even up to the last month, I knew exactly why they were together. Alice and Jasper fit each other like a pair of well-worn gloves.

"Waxing again?" Edward teased, altogether undisturbed by the poetry of my mind now.

"Like you don't do the same," I returned in a sniffy voice tainted by laughter.

Sighing reluctantly as his siblings slipped into the vehicle, Edward eyed me with annoyance, but didn't refute my comment.

"So where to next?" I changed the subject pleasantly, turning back to Alice.

"Dinner, for one," the tiny vampire informed me ironically as my stomach grumbled.

"I didn't realize it had been so long since lunch," I laughingly acknowledged.

"Let's try some place with a little life," Alice suggested eagerly, turning to Jasper for his opinion.

"I know just the place," the Texas native agreed with a grin for his wife.

House of Blues topped off our touring with a bang; fantastic music and fabulous St. Louis ribs were the best possible way to end our night and our brief trip to Houston, Texas.

Before we left the following morning, Jasper and Alice entered my room with an argument already full-blown between them. Edward rolled his eyes at whatever the argument was and shook his head wearily. Cautiously amused by the situation, I waited until Jasper ignored Alice's glare and finally set two large boxes on the bed before me.

"Open them," the militaristic vampire nodded encouragingly, to which Alice growled quietly. Awkwardly, I followed Jasper's lead, flipped open both box lids, and dug through tissue paper until I found two very shocking items.

In the first box sat a two-tone white and beige cowboy hat, while in the second box laid a pair of beige cowboy boots.

Enthusiastic squealing erupted from my lips, overshadowing Alice's renewed attempts at arguing and leading Edward and Jasper to laugh loudly the sound and at Alice's disgruntled face.

"Traitor," the pixielike vampire glared at me, crossing her arms furiously.

"I don't care about fashion!" I nearly shrieked with impossible excitement, hugging the pair of boots close. "I _always_ wanted a pair of cowboy boots! Oh, they're so _pretty_!"

Indeed they were, the gentle beige leather and its imprinted design both delicate and clean despite the hardy material. Releasing another tiny squeal, I rushed up to Jasper and threw my arms around his torso.

"Thank you, Jazz!"

"You're more than welcome, Mir," the blond-haired vampire snickered happily, squeezing me gently in return.

Alice stayed in a rather sour mood throughout our next flight, something I wished she wouldn't do when I considered precisely where we were going next.

Biloxi may not have been a major point of contention on the trip, but it was certainly one of unhappiest stops on our list. Alice's mother loved her, it was true, yet she had been murdered, Alice locked in an asylum, and Mr. Brandon at the helm of it all because of his mistress. Nothing of that would be easy to swallow, no matter how blank Alice's memory was.

Not that Alice would or should be swayed because of that, and she certainly wasn't. Once we settled at the hotel, the spiky-haired vampire led our small group into the city archives with sure steps. Granted, Jasper held his wife's hand with bountiful support and love, but there could be no doubt Alice wanted and needed to do this.

Between the four of us, it took a good deal less time searching the archives than it would otherwise. Jasper was the one to find Mary Alice Brandon's birth certificate, prompted by Alice's vision of that particular section of data.

"Oh Gosh!" Alice exclaimed with an incredulous laugh, forcibly quieting herself so no one could overhear her next words, "I was born in June!"

"What?" Edward started, snapping up to look at his sister with shock and leaving behind the data he had been looking through.

"June 27, 1901!" Alice giddily elaborated, clapping her hands happily. "Only seven days apart. We really are twins!"

Edward came around to look at the certificate with Alice, a laugh escaping him as well. "I guess we are, after all."

Unexpectedly, Alice jumped up and wrapped her arms around Edward's neck with tremendous force, startling the lean vampire into falling forward in the embrace with an 'oof' of surprise, though he laughed over it along with Jasper and me.

Our next find was Alice's death certificate, very obviously falsified by the asylum officials with 'consumption' as the cause of death. No one would have been able to explain the tiny psychic's disappearance in any satisfactory way. Leaving it so dark and vague with then-common tuberculosis, which was a terrifying threat at the time, probably limited any desire to question the death of a patient who supposedly contracted it.

"October 4, 1920," Alice read off the date with a frown. "That sounds about right, I suppose. Maybe a few days off, but fairly close."

So saying, the little vampire waited for the best moment to secretly take pictures of the protected paperwork before putting it away. There wasn't much more information to be found regarding Mary Alice's days in the terrible asylum, but we found everything about her relatives that could be seen.

There were a few grainy old photographs of the Brandons, mainly of fair-haired Howard Brandon with his fair-haired young wife, Grace Maribelle, and little blond-haired Cynthia Gale. There were no photos of Mary Alice or her mother – Sarah Josephine, as she was listed in the 1910 census.

Even if I hadn't known what he did to his first wife and eldest daughter, I would still have thought Howard's features looked incredibly mean.

"He does seem rather unfriendly, doesn't he?" Edward remarked with unnatural glibness, anger plain in his voice.

"I guess my father was always angry, then," Alice concluded with a shrug, answering a question she had asked after first finding out her story from the guide.

Sarah Brandon's death certificate was another testament to the falsification of official documents, her listed cause of death as heart failure. Jasper reached out to hold his wife when her features darkened at the sight of the lie, but Alice moved on before she could let it overwhelm her.

While the consistent falsehoods on the certificates almost made me question Cynthia's cause of death, her passing was decades later. As a matter of fact, Cynthia Brandon, later Mrs. Thomas Keller, died the year I was born.

Alice continued searching for any data she could find, probably prepared to search the entire archive before she would stop, but we had been there so long that I was hungry again. Checking the clock, I realized it was most certainly lunch time for the human. Sensing how deeply involved Alice was, Jasper and Edward shared a looked and Edward nodded once. Wordlessly, the bronze-haired vampire led me away, leaving Jasper and Alice to their searching.

Luckily it was a murky day ready for rain and Edward was able to walk me to the nearest restaurants. Stuck on some kind of adventure streak, I made up my mind to try jambalaya at a café just down the street. Edward ended up bent over with laughter while I tried to make it through the spicy dish without drowning myself in water.

My eyes were still watering and Edward still chuckling as we walked back to the Touareg outside the archives.

"You are so strange sometimes," Edward eventually commented.

"I aim to please," I grinned at him despite my ongoing tongue burn.

The lean vampire shook his head at me and simply gestured for us to get into the vehicle. Alice and Jasper joined us not long after, a very thoughtfully expression playing on Alice's elfin features. Several more stops to dig up information, plus another adventurous meal for me, took up the rest of our first day in Biloxi.

The second day began with running past the general neighborhood Alice had once lived in. It was now a definite modern space and no longer displayed any of the old houses of a century earlier. Disinterested, we continued on to the run-down cemetery where Sarah's and Mary Alice's headstones were. The sad little markers said only names and dates.

Sarah and Mary Alice were, at least, buried side-by-side and I wondered how that had happened when Howard clearly hadn't loved them. Unless Cynthia had chosen to honor her sister upon hearing of her death… but that seemed unlikely since she was only nine when Alice 'died' and even younger when she lost her mother.

"Perhaps Howard felt guilty," Edward offered doubtfully. "I don't think we'll ever know the real reason."

"Reason for what?" Alice asked distractedly, cleaning her mother's gravestone with gentle hands.

"The reason you have a marker here with your mother," Edward admitted quietly.

"It doesn't seem like anyone would have cared enough to do that," Alice agreed with a thoughtful frown, pausing in her cleaning. After a moment, she shrugged delicately. "I guess you're right, though. We'll probably never know why."

Alice didn't bother clearing her own headstone, but Jasper took as much care with the stone marker as his mate had taken with his out in the fringes of Houston. A tender smile crossed Alice's face when she realized her husband's careful actions.

Howard, Grace, and Cynthia had been buried elsewhere, in a far more expensive crop of headstones further into the city that we traveled to next. This graveyard stood just as run down as the first, but the markers had originally been opulently expensive from what I could see. Howard and Grace had also conceived several more children, it appeared. Full names, dates of birth and death, and small inscriptions had been added to the markers.

"I hope they were happy," said Alice a little bitterly at the obvious difference between the two cemeteries. "My mother clearly never got to be."

"If you and Cynthia both led happy lives…" I suggested gently, "I think she would be happy to look down on those lives and know her death didn't stop you from finding joy."

"Thank you, Mir," Alice whispered emotionally, the bitterness sliding away. "I don't need to focus on what he did. If he hadn't… as horrible as this might sound… I may never have found Jasper. That's not a future I want to imagine for either of us."

Without another word, Alice proceeded out of the cemetery with confident feet. With the asylum's old location as our next stop, I worried that confidence might wane, but Alice stood firm in her convictions looking at the converted building.

"There's nothing left of it," Alice explained simply at my curious gaze. With a half-smile, the tiny woman told me, "I wanted to find the spot where I first woke."

Nodding my understanding, I gladly waited with Edward while Jasper and Alice disappeared into the nearby trees. It didn't take long until the two of them returned unsullied, but pleasant in their ways. Alice looked even happier and more confident than she had after leaving the cemetery, a fact which made me smile. Nothing, however, infused such joy in any of us as leaving that sad city behind.

I had a good feeling what our next location would be and Edward grinned at me for such clever deduction. All the same, landing in Philadelphia felt supremely exciting. After settling at the hotel, Alice and Jasper took us immediately to a special spot at lunch time.

"It's still here?" I wondered with exuberant shock as I stared at an aged diner that had seen quite a few years yet still served as well as any newer restaurant along the same street. In fact, the colorful little aqua, pink, green, and red structure accessorized with white and silver looked bustling for the lunch rush.

Giggling loudly and gleefully, Alice confirmed, "Yes, it is! I'm always so happy when I see that it's still in business. Honestly, I think I'd buy it just to keep it open for the future."

"If it ever comes to that, I will totally back you," I laughed along with her.

"Come on, come on," Alice waved me forward, grabbing my hand to drag me inside with her typical sunny energy. Edward and Jasper followed behind us with indulgent humor.

While I ate an excellently-made burger and fries, Alice whispered in my ear and pointed out special little spots in the diner. From the stool she always sat on, to the booth at which she and Jasper briefly sat and talked, to the juke box that no longer played old music, even down to the very place on the tiled floor where she had stood to offer Jasper her hand. With the fascinating details vivid in my mind and the fun atmosphere of the diner brightening the previously dismal countenance Biloxi had left on us, I enjoyed a chocolate milkshake with immense contentment before we all left the diner for our hotel.

The diner was really the only place of significance to Jasper and Alice, since they hadn't stayed long before moving on. Rather than leave Philadelphia under such high spirits, we took a fascinating historical tour of the city that Edward and Jasper put together. In Texas we couldn't stay long for safety's sake and in Biloxi was simply hadn't wanted to. But Philadelphia beheld so much wonderful interest and we had the time and desire to stay a little while.

For three days we scoured the center of the city for history: Franklin Square, the National Constitution Center, Fireman's Hall, Elfreth's Alley with its cobblestone street, the Betsy Ross House, Christ Church Burial Ground wherein lie the remains of Benjamin Franklin and hoards of pennies thrown for luck… The Graff House where Thomas Jefferson penned the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence, Independence Hall where the Second Continental Congress met, the cracked Liberty Bell, Carpenter's Hall of the First Continental Congress, and the Museum of the American Revolution…

So much iconic history could hardly be delved as deeply as any history buff wanted it to be, but for our short amount of time, I was only too happy to spend as much of my concentration as possible for the monuments, documents, and artifacts made available to me. Jasper and I shared most of the talking on our tour of Philly, but Alice and Edward followed along pleased as pie for the mutual interest and surprisingly deep discussions between the two of us.

The last night of our stay, Jasper agreed with his wife and brother upon a mostly non-historic place despite my disappointment, and we headed down to Spruce Street Harbor Park for the evening. The moment I saw the waterfront locale, even at a distance, I soon found I didn't mind the change of pace at all.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "That's… that's fantastic!"

So much color and life swamped the huge space ahead that I could hardly believe it. The trees sparkled with light, the water glistened from the brightness all around, and people flooded the area in relaxed comfort. Most of our walk through and around the park left me with my mouth wide open in awe and Edward, Alice, and Jasper laughing at me for it, although the three vampires did find the place just as interesting as I did.

In the organized chaos of the huge park, there was a roller skating rink, carnival games and rides, a boardwalk along the water with numerous food and drink vendors, a movie screen, bands playing at different points, colorful lawn chairs, a floating water garden, net hammocks over the water's edge, and a multitude of multicolor hammocks hanging all around the trees under those beautiful, vibrant lights. My eyes must have been glittering with stars as I took in everything I possibly could manage while we walked. Several times Edward had to grasp my shoulders to keep me from distractedly wandering off into the wild of the park and after a while he just held my hand to make sure.

"You'll be able to see her outfit regardless, Edward," Alice giggled.

It was this very remark on my clothing that made me realize why Alice had unexpectedly set out an outfit for me earlier. At first I thought she didn't trust my fashion choices all of a sudden, but she simply knew how distracted I would become by the fabulous colors and lights. Glancing down at my own bold, neon yellow jeans and neon pink checkered top, I couldn't help agreeing with Alice's statement. Regardless, I found the comment ironic considering the tiny vampire wore quite a vibrant little Versace frock herself. The yellow, pink, and blue floral dress was far more revealing and form-fitting than I preferred to wear myself, lending to its eye-catching vibe.

Edward sighed in exasperation, but he finally let go of my hand in the beleaguering crowd and I grinned at his tendency to be a worry-wart as we continued on exploring the brilliantly colored venue.

Invested in the seafood of one vendor, I really did get separated from Edward. Alice had excitedly dragged her brother and husband to a game section down the boardwalk a little distance away while I decided on crab or shrimp. Deciding upon crab, I happened to watch as Edward faced a moment of panic and turned to search for me. In addition to calling out to him in my head, I offered a silly little finger wave when the bronze-haired vampire caught my eye at last. Exhaling with relief when I came into his field of vision across the boardwalk, the vampire rolled his eyes at my childish gesture and eventually let himself relax over the game Alice dragged him to.

Laughing to myself over his intense worry, I turned back to waiting for the crab meat I'd chosen. The crowd thickened with happy, mingling people by the time I accepted the container of food and stepped away to grab a napkin and plasticware from the bins on the side of the vendor's cart.

I hadn't even taken the first bite when I felt a terrible sense of intuition and anticipation blast my senses with warning.

A shockingly cold pair of hands muzzled me and dragged me back into the shadows along the cart before anyone even realized what happened, but I was able to scream from my mind.

' _EDWARD!_ '

The name of my best chance at survival echoed and reechoed at high mental volume in my head. I couldn't have screamed any louder or more shrilly if I'd used my physical voice to shout across the boardwalk.

The vampire holding me seemed to pause at the same moment my intuition did, for what reason I could hardly know. All I heard was sniffing, a startled growl, and then silence as the predator pulled away to look at me.

A glimpse of red eyes, fair hair, and masculine features was all I saw before the vampire who'd grabbed me suddenly disappeared as deftly as I had.

Thudding weight and crackling concrete informed me very quickly what must have happened, and my eyes focused with deep gratitude and relief on Edward's curled, protective positioning in front of me. Growling sounded heavy in his chest, the animalistic noise adversely comforting. I knew I was safe now.

The other vampire was on his feet again with a burst of quiet snarling to match Edward. In the shadows of the makeshift alley behind the vendor carts, the two vampires faced each other in fierce defense, belly-deep growls now gracing both of their throats.

Jasper's rich voice cut through the standoff with utter shock, informing me exactly who had chosen me as their prey.

"Peter?"

A mild, easy voice tinted by a southern accent responded with equal surprise, "Jasper?"

Edward did not relax, but kept his eyes and focus trained on Jasper's fair-haired brother-at-arms. His growling had stopped, however, so I took that as a good sign.

Another voice joined the fray, this one also southern in origin. The tone was almost dainty somehow – more fragile than Alice's smooth and delicate tones, yet not as childish as Victoria had been described.

"Peter, what's… Jasper, is that you?"

"Charlotte," Jasper greeted the newcomer, cautious but mildly pleasant towards his old friends as he came to stand carefully between Edward and Peter. "Didn't expect to see you two in Philadelphia."

The former soldier's hint towards his wife's visionary gift didn't go amiss, particularly as the tiny vampire herself came up beside me with as much protectiveness as Edward, but more comfortingly.

"Last minute trip," Charlotte replied stiffly. The petite dishwater blonde stood an inch or two shorter than I did, her shoulder-length hair matted and clothes ragged from their nomadic lifestyle.

"Felt like city fare this week," Peter remarked, a little dryly unless I was mistaken.

"Not on the menu," Alice pointed out firmly, wrapping her arms around me. I didn't argue her embrace – I had a difficult time getting past those deep red eyes across from us. Fighting Vanessa was one thing, but fighting a vampire…? That was an entirely different animal.

"All right, then," Peter allowed, nodding once in understanding. Charlotte was far less accepting of the confrontation, but tentatively followed her mate's acquiescence. Curiously, Peter started to ask, "Is she—"

" _Yes_ ," Edward cut him off fiercely before the unspoken question even vocalized.

Startled by the answer to whatever question he had asked, Peter backed up slightly, lifting his hands in submission. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Not especially accepting, even in light of this lack of knowledge – whatever it was – Edward nodded sharply and stood to his normal posture.

Reaching back without actually looking, Edward coaxed me, "Come on."

Alice gently maneuvered me towards those long, reaching fingers and I more than willingly fell under their grip as Edward swirled us away, back toward the lights and colors and human life outside of the shadows in which Peter and Charlotte lived.

"What did he ask?" I was able to speak finally, my intrigue flaring up as it always did.

"He wanted to know if you were a part of the family," Edward curtly informed me, something in his tone bothering me. Yet I wasn't in the best headspace to fully analyze the situation, so I let it go. A choice I might live to regret, but I had few options to work with.

It spoke to the situation at hand that Edward made no remarks on my mental debate and the unease lasted even when Alice and Jasper returned to us with awkward faces. Their expressions disquieted the choice I made to let go of Edward's offbeat tone, but neither husband nor wife appeared all that willing to speak on what had passed.

Stuck with three very unhappy vampire and a lasting impression of traditional vampires that was unlikely to disappear in the near future, I decided myself on yet another course of action.

"All right, that's enough brooding," I demanded of my companions, toughening up in a way I expected would become a familiar habit after Bella arrived.

"Brooding?" Alice repeated, visibly forcing herself to stop thinking so hard. "I'm offended, Mireille Whitlock."

"Then come on the Ferris Wheel with me," I insisted with more cheer than I felt underneath it all. "I'd like to see Philadelphia from above. It's probably awfully beautiful, especially this whole park."

"Sounds like a plan," Alice agreed, feigning energy and tugging Jasper ahead of us to find the carnival rides across the way.

"Edward?" I prompted the rigid seventeen-year-old, collecting his chilled hand with an easy grasp.

"How do you always do this?" he asked of me instead of a direct reply, drawing in a deep breath only to let it whoosh from his lungs again. "How do you keep coming back to yourself?"

"There's no other way to live, really," I replied, shrugging helplessly. "If I let myself stay down, eventually I'll forget how to stand back up."

Edward stared for a moment at the baldfaced logic, but finally – finally – his lips tipped up into a small smile. "I still say your unique logic should have stopped surprising me long ago. Regardless… I'd be happy to simply accept it this time."

Matching the bronze-haired vampire's smile to a point, I tugged on his hand as Alice had done for Jasper. This time, Edward followed with fond acceptance glazing his tawny eyes as we tried to make the best of our interrupted night of fun.

* * *


	58. Chapter 56: Itinerant - Part II

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
Oh dear… I may have typed up a third part to the road trip… Oopsie! Haha, yeah, I couldn't resist. I just have so much to write about these wonderful characters' histories! So there is one more chapter and then the epilogue. I swear that's the really the end, lol!

I've played around a little on Emmett's family, so it's a tiny bit different from the guide, but it still fits the general description of a 'large Scotch-Irish brood'.

Another large chapter with a ton of information. Enjoy!

**Song Inspiration:** _  
Young Blood_ by Noah Kahan

**Previously** – Mir, Edward, Alice,  & Jazz flew to Bottineau and saw the house where Alice & Jazz first met Cullens. Mir realized Jazz & Alice didn't marry in Bottineau. At airport, Alice talked living in sunny climates. Mir tried to buy a cowboy hat, but Alice refused & Jazz bought one to tease Alice. Mir found a sun hat and the group flew to Houston. First stop was a museum housing a letter Jazz wrote. Jazz showed his family cemetery and Alice cleaned the headstones. Jazz gave Mir a cowboy hat & boots. The group flew to Biloxi and researched Alice's family. They saw Alice's family headstones and Alice felt bitter over her mother's end. Alice showed Jazz the place she first woke. The group flew to Philadelphia and saw the diner where Jazz met Alice. Jazz & Edward mapped a historical tour and Mir shared deep talks with Jazz. The Cullens took Mir to a unique waterfront park. Mir was fascinated and Edward worried over her getting lost. Mir got separated from Edward, Alice, & Jazz and was taken by another vampire. Mir called to Edward and he saved her. Peter was the other vampire and Charlotte arrived also. Edward cut Peter off to answer an unspoken question. Edward took Mir away while Jazz & Alice talked with Peter & Charlotte. The Cullens were upset and Mir tried to be positive. Edward wondered how Mir kept picking herself back up and Mir reasoned you have to keep getting up in order to live. 

> **Chapter 56: Itinerant - Part II**

Rochester, New York wasn't the greatest place on Earth to begin the next leg of our vacation, I realized a little disappointedly, but it was important for at least two major reasons. The first was, of course, that Rosalie became a part of the Cullen family there. The second, while less of a focus compared to Rosalie's terrible death and rebirth, was Edward's return to Carlisle and Esme after his rebellion.

For that much, I was willing to explore the home where the original three Cullens had lived when Rosalie came into their lives so violently. We weren't going to be staying at any hotel, since we only intended to stay in Rochester for a long enough time to view the house and then leave. Many memories, according to Edward, were unhappy at best.

For the first four years, Carlisle and Esme had been depressed and haunted by their seemingly lost son. For the last year, Rosalie's unhappy beginning marred a great deal of memories. For a brief two years during Edward's return, the three Cullens had been exceedingly happy. As regretful and shameful as Edward had felt after he came back, he was – by his own admission – nonetheless joyous during those two short years.

All of this information had kept me very well occupied during our flight from Philadelphia to Rochester, and for once during our traveling I hadn't needed Jasper to sit with me on the flight.

Eyeing Edward's unnecessarily innocent expression in the car on our way to the Cullens' old house, I quickly realized the effort of storytelling had been planned, along with Jasper's subtle calming technique, to allow Jasper to sit with Alice for a time. After the near-disaster with Peter and Charlotte, I did understand, and after sharing a look with Edward over my thought process, I decided not to say a word. The gentle smile on Edward's face was worth the choice.

Parking in front of the old white house at last brought my eyes up to its lovely old-fashioned windows with black shutters, the crisp and clean front door, front brick path, and the cute little shrubs Esme had no doubt kept up with admirable skill.

As much focus as I allayed to the house, I paid no attention to anything around us until we walked in the front door and stepped across the narrow foyer towards the hallway.

The lack of notice was to my detriment and advantage all in the same breath when I looked into the old-fashioned gold and teal front room off the right side of the hall. Forgetting all about the room with its elegant moldings and honey-colored flooring, a gloriously happy squeal escaped me at the welcome sight before my eyes.

"Hello, sweetheart," Carlisle greeted me first, chuckling along with Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett at my reaction when I rushed the Cullen parents with a shared hug.

"I missed you," I confessed brightly, relishing twin kisses to the top of my head.

"We missed you, too," Esme informed me sweetly, extending our hug even after Carlisle released me slightly.

"Hi Rose, hi Em!" I greeted the two with a grin despite our current location.

I loved the company of Alice, Jasper, and Edward more than I could say, but I had missed the other half of the family immensely after more than a week of not seeing them.

"Hey, Penguin Lady," Emmett offered cheekily, a broad grin on his face. Rosalie rolled her eyes at her husband's silly nickname from earlier in the year, but her features remained surprisingly at ease.

"The house seemed very quiet," Rosalie admitted quietly.

"Well, there are four of us gone," I shrugged pleasantly, changing the subject along with my mercurial curiosity. "What made you join us? Or did you always plan to come here?"

Slight discomfort permeated the air before Carlisle answered, "We didn't plan on it from the start, no."

My brilliant grin slowly dropped away, one muscle and nerve at a time, as I considered the hesitance in Carlisle's response. Not understanding at first why the doctor should have such a discomfited reply, I imagined any possible reason for their appearance that wasn't simply a desire to see the four of us again.

Catching sight of Edward from my peripheral vision, I could hardly miss the raging discomfiture and defensiveness on his handsome young face.

"Peter and Charlotte," I deduced flatly within seconds, immediately frustrated by the omission of Edward's actions. "You called everyone here because of it."

"You can't tell me it wouldn't be wiser to have one of us with you at all times during this vacation," Edward reasoned glumly, more with my mental reproach than for my spoken words.

"You can't tell me it wouldn't hurt to be lied to," I returned coolly. "You weren't going to tell me at all, were you?"

Edward fidgeted highly uncomfortably, face pulled into a frown that answered my question without a word.

"When are you going to realize that lying, whether outright or by omission, just creates problems between everyone?" I wondered with a disbelieving expression. "All you had to do was tell me. Just _tell_ me. Why is that so hard for you?"

There was no discussion from the bronze-haired vampire, leaving me to sigh and admit quietly, "As thrilled as I am to see all of you, this feels pretty fabricated now."

"Would it make you feel any better," Carlisle interceded gently, "if the situation with Peter and Charlotte wasn't our primary reason for coming here? We truly did miss the four of you, after all."

"Edward's call was more of a nudge than a reason," Esme added hopefully.

I could hear and sense the sincerity of the couple's words, and truthfully it wasn't any of them that I was upset with. It was Edward. He had taken the initiative to decide on my safety without even bothering to tell me about it, let alone ask me for my opinion on the matter.

Heaving a sigh full of comprehension and stubbornness rolled together, Edward spoke as gently as his father, "I'm sorry, Mireille."

"Forget it," I murmured, feeling a little down as another thought crossed my mind. "Did you lie to me about what Peter asked you?"

The silent pause before Edward spoke gave me the answer long before the vampire himself could reply, "Partly."

"What did he really ask, then?" I demanded, exasperated and irritated as I crossed arms over my chest.

Edward heaved another sigh, this one far more reluctant, but he eventually explained, "He did ask if you were a part of the family… but along with that, he also asked if you were my intended mate."

"Why would you lie about something so huge?" I snapped. "We all know Bella is going to be your mate and it's _highly_ likely Peter and Charlotte will meet her some day. What happens when they realize how you fooled them?"

"Peter asked both questions and I only responded with a single confirmation," Edward argued. "I didn't answer to a particular question. It could have applied to either one."

Scoffing was the best vocal counterpoint I could offer to such a childishly slim chance of rationalization, but Edward was unmoved.

"It's the only way they would genuinely have left you alone," Edward argued strongly, half-dark eyes insistent and pleading with me to see his side of things.

"Charlotte," Jasper cut in suddenly, a grim awkwardness filling his freshly golden eyes. "It was her, mainly, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Edward nodded one firm time. "Peter would have left it alone if you and Alice asked him to. Even for me, he probably would have done so, but Charlotte…"

"Charlotte wouldn't have understood why Mir was off limits," Jasper concluded for his brother, nodding.

"Then the only thing Charlotte considers banned feeding territory is a human who's going to be a vampire's mate," Alice realized with a sigh of her own.

"She thinks every human should be fair game, essentially," Jasper confirmed a little sadly. "It's the view of many traditional vampires."

"If we said you were a friend or a relative, Mireille, she wouldn't have left it at that," Edward rounded out the debate doubtlessly as he turned back to me.

"Okay, I can understand that lie," I allowed. "I still don't understand why you couldn't just _say_ that. You know my mind well enough to understand I won't be frightened off or traumatized. Even my reaction last night should have clued you into that. Whenever we've discussed Vanessa, you haven't hidden any of it from me, no matter how traumatic or dark it was. The only exception was your presence during the first attack…"

Edward refrained from contributing further explanation.

"It's because this is about the supernatural world, isn't it?" I interpreted from his silence, to which the seventeen-year-old inhaled sharply and released the breath just as jaggedly. "You were honest about the Denalis, weren't you?"

"That was different," Edward expelled through gritted teeth.

"How?" I prompted him, trying to keep my temper low so I could understand.

"This is too dangerous!" Edward finally snapped. "Any vampire with the potential to snap at your throat is too dangerous to be alone with!"

"So I can only spend time with Carlisle, Tanya, Irina, and Kate now?" I retorted sarcastically. "Great! There goes my life in Forks!"

"You aren't safe on your own in this type of circumstance!" Edward reiterated despite my logic.

"Well, you don't get to decide that for me!" I exclaimed, throwing out my arms in frustration and letting them smack back against my legs. "Didn't the books make any impression on you? Some of the biggest issues started because you couldn't just be honest about the situation and you made choices for people without their consent. Keep this up and you'll face the same problems all over again!"

"All right!" Esme called above Edward's next comment, halting him instantly. The motherly vampire's eyes had just about lost patience for our squabbling, but she withheld the upset admirably well. "Please, I'm just glad Mir is all right."

"We're all here now," Carlisle took up for his wife, "and we may as well show Mireille whatever sights might be in store."

"Emmett and I can take the lead here," Rosalie suggested neutrally. "If that's all right?"

"I'm prepared for whatever you're willing to show me," I agreed quietly.

"Would it be all right if we joined you?" Jasper asked calmly despite the tension in the room.

"I think Carlisle, Esme, and Edward might need to talk," Alice added. Edward didn't argue, now standing at the window overlooking the pavement out front.

"Of course," Rosalie nodded at her blond-haired brother and tiny sister.

"Then let's get a move on," Emmett finished up our talk sensibly, letting Rose lead the way outside.

Taking the black Cadillac I hadn't noticed upon our arrival, we drove down the streets a few moments while I sat beside Alice in the back seat. Perhaps waiting until we were no longer in range of Edward's gift, or perhaps simply stuck on what to say, my four companions failed to break the silence encompassing us all.

Emmett was the first to do so, thankfully not focusing expressly on the argument between Edward and I as he asked, "Are you really okay, Mir?"

"Of course, Em," I sighed slightly. "You would have known if I wasn't."

"Yeah, that's a good point," the burly vampire nodded easily while Rosalie made a left turn.

"I thought we could pass by my family's old house," Rosalie offered up at the next light. "It has a different owner, of course, but the outside is all you would really need to see. Inside has been redecorated time and again over the last forty years."

"You've kept tabs," I stated rather than asked.

Rosalie shrugged. "At first I was following my family, but then my brother sold it. Now… it's superficial interest, I suppose."

"Do you ever wish you'd have bought it before it changed so much?" I inquired as tactfully as possible.

"I'd rather not have had it in my possession," the blonde confessed sincerely, turning at a very central part of the city. "My parents' grooming is hardly my favorite collection of memories, to be quite frank. Owning the house would only have reminded me of that time of my life."

Unable to dispute the fact, I stayed quiet until we reached the pale blue house that was so clearly a place of modest opulence at one time, no matter how much it had been glossed over with newer fixtures and designs.

"It's a lovely house," I stated simply.

"Yes, it still is, I suppose," Rosalie decided with a hum of satisfaction. "It used to be pale yellow. Personally, I think it looked better that color, but it's not my house."

We found little else to say about the property, so Rosalie gladly drove off into traffic again.

Our next stop utterly stunned me.

Based on what I had learned of Rosalie Hale since meeting her, I wouldn't have suspected her of desiring to visit her family's graves, but there we were at Riverside Cemetery standing before the headstones of Martin Wesley, Sylvia Caroline, and Rosalie Lillian Hale.

Born May 22, 1915 and dead April 24, 1933, Rosalie's headstone drew my most demanding attention to the left of her parents' double-wide tombstone. Another month and Rosalie would have been nineteen years old…

"It spares no effort to point out their priorities, does it?" said Rosalie, affecting a tiny, bitter laugh.

'A daughter too beautiful for this world' read the inscription and I understood her interpretation that beauty was all the Hales had cared about, even in death.

Emmett reached out with feather light touches to Rosalie's arms, offering gentle care that she could refuse or accept according to her wishes. For the first time, I began to see how the jocular vampire had gained the trust of this beautiful woman after all the terror and pain she had been through at the hands of her despicable fiancé and his friends. But then I had already seen softness from Emmett on more than one occasion. If he had given such gentleness to a new friend, then his tender nature surely must have shone like the sun for his beloved partner.

Rosalie turned but barely into the light fingertips tracing her shoulders now, and Emmett wasted no time pulling the statuesque vampire into the close yet easy circle of his big arms. Blonde curls smashed between Rosalie's head and Emmett's chest, but the frozen woman paid them no mind.

"I don't need to see anymore," I muttered low, turning back to where Alice and Jasper waited at a respectful distance.

Jasper and Alice reached out in unison to hold me near, Alice wrapped around my waist and Jasper about my shoulders – their arms comforted me in my disturbed view. While I had known Rosalie's history and the behavior of her parents very well, seeing her reaction to it was more saddening than ever before.

Emmett and Rosalie only slowly returned to our place near the car, the blonde still tucked into her husband's broad, loving arm. As they passed us, Emmett took one hand away to scuffle my hair in a brotherly gesture of comfort that put a tiny smile on my face and surprisingly on Rosalie's as well.

That little smile had clearly given Rosalie a reprieve from herself, for the tall woman took the driver's seat again on our way to another gravesite.

Mt. Hope Cemetery had seen twenty-four-year-old Victor Martin Hale laid to rest in 1941, a casualty of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The graveyard had also taken Luther Phillip Hale under its wing in 1978. At fifty-eight years old, the youngest of the three Hale siblings had still died relatively young.

"Luther battled alcoholism after Victor's death, I believe," Rosalie commented quietly as she stared over the two headstones, aligned beside each other. "His liver finally failed him."

"They were close, I guess," I mentioned softly.

"Yes, they were," Rosalie agreed with a soft smile. "Victor's wife, Gladys, gave birth to their only child a few days after Pearl Harbor was attacked. She gave their son 'Luther' as a middle name. And Luther's eldest was named Victor Hale II."

"But don't forget Luther's baby girl," Emmett rumbled appreciatively.

Half laughing at the odd reminder, Rosalie tilted her head in acquiescence and explained, "Yes, it's true… Luther named his first daughter 'Lillian' after me."

"That's sweet," I smiled gladly for the positive little notes in such a dark family history.

"I do appreciate the gesture," said Rosalie more sadly.

Uncertain of my allowances in such a situation, I let my hand trail up to grasp a tiny pinch of Rosalie's red, red sleeve where it settled against her wrist. The blonde didn't look in my direction, but an upward twitch of her lips let me know I was all right.

Rosalie and Emmett didn't require any moments alone this time, but led us back to the car as one unit to leave the cemetery behind.

Back at the Cullens' old home, we walked inside as a subdued little troop, Rosalie guiding us inside to the sound of thunderous piano at the back of the house. Taken aback by the furious harmony and the mood it foretold of Edward's outlook, I winced slightly as we reentered the front room.

"It's not a terrible as it sounds," Esme laughed through her words, catching my expression all too easily. "He's venting, but it won't last long now."

"I suppose I can handle that," I sighed more easily, although wariness encompassed the idea of confronting the earlier argument with Edward once more. Of course, knowing he could hear my very thoughts on the subject didn't help at all.

The piano canceled abruptly and Edward stood before me in a blur.

"Let's get it over with, then," the bronze-haired vampire sighed, thankfully sounding more amused than agitated as he nodded towards the back of the house.

Hesitation held me back a mere second before I followed Edward as requested. Our feet carried us through the main hallway to the very back of the house. Through a dark wooden door, Edward led me into a large room extended out into the extensive green back yard. The entire room curved out, windows lining the unique structure.

At the center of the windowed extension sat an ebony baby grand piano not dissimilar to the one at the Cullens' current home. The pale blue painted space felt as airy as an elven tree house in _The Lord of the Rings_ , every window draped in sheer white curtains tugged back with delicate gold pulls.

Edward guided me to sit at the piano with him, taking up a soft rendition of something that sounded vaguely like one of Chopin's nocturnes.

"Dvorak, actually," Edward clarified quietly, then he began to speak over the gentle music, "I'm truly sorry for attempting to hide all of this from you. Carlisle and Esme calmed me enough to understand you're right. I feel disappointed to have fallen back into this habit. It's just that…"

Pausing for a moment in difficult thought, the lean vampire worked to marshal his thoughts until he was able to force out the words over a small B-section of the music, "When I left Ashland in 1926… I was so colored by the temptation of the unknown. Every time I hear those tempted thoughts of traditional vampires, as I heard Peter and Charlotte last night, it's a reminder of what I once chose. It reminds me of the monster I was."

"You're not a monster, Edward," I sighed almost tiredly for this recurrent debate. "We talked about this. You were playing God, and of course that was wrong…. But you obviously feel remorse over it. Constantly avoiding your vampire nature, rather than accepting it and living with it, is just going to keep you in the past. It's like me avoiding my parents' actions. If I don't accept they raised me, however badly they did so, then I'll be forever stuck in the past and unable to move forward with my life. That's what you're going to do to yourself if you don't just accept your nature and live past it."

"As much as I appreciate your faith, it hardly stops me from feeling like this beast," Edward replied in a low voice. "The night of your attack last November, I felt like that monster again. I couldn't stop my thirst and instincts from defeating me."

"That's exactly the same kind of 'defeat' as I faced with Vanessa at Girls' Choice," I responded firmly. "I may have protected myself less admirably than I hoped, but it doesn't mean I was entirely defeated. The same with you that night… You may not have been able to do what you hoped, but you were able to stop yourself from giving in to the natural temptation of your vampire nature. We both performed less remarkably than we wished, but we didn't lose everything. Just like last night when you asked me how I keep bouncing back… I keep getting back up because I _have to_ in order to live. If I stopped getting back up, _that_ would be true defeat."

"Regardless if I was defeated or not," Edward sighed as wearily as we both felt with this debate, "Recalling that monstrous face is more than I can bear at times. Knowing that I could very well come so close to becoming that beast again, and knowing that it could be a terrible moment of life or death in which I fail to hold back… That's why I hate discussing it. That's why I can't stand the idea of talking it over with you. It's why I fall back into the pattern of hiding things from you."

Even Edward's music went silent in the ensuing pause, a mile-high barrier of emotion walling Edward off from my reach for a moment. It took a number of minutes to even consider what to say, but I settled for simple honesty as I recalled the way Jasper so sincerely teased me about the vampire world.

"Do you know one reason I always loved Alice and Jasper so much?" I eventually asked of Edward, watching with light humor as his brows rose in curiosity. I was doing a very good blocking job, thankfully.

"They're so honest about what they are. I adore that about them," I answered my own question, half laughing about the couple. Truly, they were more vampires in nature than any of their family sometimes, wild cats compared to the domesticated versions their parents and siblings could be most days. "I appreciate Jasper's morbid vampire jokes and Alice's fearlessness of being herself. In _Twilight_ , she was so open with Bella about hunting, about the temptation of blood, about the way blood affects a vampire's senses… It was something Bella needed to hear, to understand. And it's something I need to hear as well, whenever the opportunity arises."

"Why is being a vampire so… special in your eyes?" Edward wondered helplessly, still not comfortable with the idea of turning a young human being into one of the eternal undead. "I admit, when Carlisle thought he might have to turn you, I was relieved we wouldn't have to lose you… but it was selfish of me. I can't even imagine changing you into one of us right now… pushing you into this eternal night when you have such a brilliant life ahead of you."

While I could understand his lifelong struggle with inner darkness and the idea of anyone becoming what he thought he was, I felt instinctively that it was necessary to make a point before things grew out of hand.

"I know you and Rose would never choose this life for me…" I allowed kindly for the two siblings before I concluded surely, "but it's not your choice. It's mine. It's my life. If Carlisle ever finds a situation where I can't be saved, that's what I've asked of him. I can do that without doubting myself because I've learned the ins and outs of being a vampire as well as any human _can_ know them. I'm making an informed decision. Do you understand that?"

Edward struggled monumentally with the flat outline of my choice, but he did nod at last. "Yes, I understand that much. I wish it was simply a lack of information that made your choice, but I know better… I know _you_ better. If that choice ever comes to fruition – although I hope it won't – then I won't stand in the way. I promise you. Your desires are your own."

A weight lifted from my chest that I hadn't even realized existed until that moment. "Thank you."

"Rose would like to add her agreement on that subject," Edward tacked on with a wry twist of his mouth. "She disagrees with turning anyone to this life, but as you said, it's your choice. She wouldn't stop you in that situation either."

"Are you two the only ones…?" I trailed off, allowing Edward to glean the rest from my thoughts.

"Everyone else agrees with your choice," Edward smiled a bit sadly, but understandingly. "No one wants to lose our beloved human so soon, you see."

Tears pricked my eyes unexpectedly at the deep fondness in that unusual title. 'Our beloved human' held more sweet and tender care than almost any pet name I had ever heard.

"Of course, neither Rose nor I want to lose you either," Edward informed me almost as an afterthought, though his eyes were cast down to the ebony and ivory under his fingers as he spoke.

"I know," I confirmed my comprehension in a soft voice.

Eyeing the eternal seventeen-year-old in his melancholy considerations, I decided on a gesture I had yet to share with him. Barely giving it thought first, I leaned over and wrapped my arms around Edward's lean frame in a tight hug borne of an empathetic care I wished he would apply to his self-esteem.

Chuckling beat through Edward's back beneath my arm as he returned my embrace, slender yet muscular arms caging me around the shoulders.

As I pulled back, Edward smiled with a little head tilt and asked, "What was that for?"

"I think you need it more than you believe you do," I said, shrugging.

"Hmm… maybe, maybe not," Edward grinned slightly at the sappy nature I would never be able to stamp out – not that I wanted to.

Laughing outright at my thoughts, Edward shook his head and moved back to finishing his music with a trill of new energy even for such a slow and steady piece.

"Sometimes, Mireille, you're wonderfully foolish."

There were no words for the oddly sweet sentiment, so I shook my head in a mirror of my bronze-haired companion and simply enjoyed the end of his small concert.

That night after I had eaten, Carlisle suggested driving rather than flying to our next stop, finally making it into an actual road trip. Since I had little desire to fly yet again, I happily agreed with the choice before anyone else could speak, leaving the family laughing at my eagerness to avoid another plane.

As every drive before it, we made the lengthy trip in half the time thanks to the wild speed of vampire driving. Yet the ride entertained me in every way – so much so that I never fell asleep as Carlisle and Esme hoped I would. Left with two exasperated parents as we rolled into Hunter, Tennessee, I just shrugged sheepishly, still feeling wide awake.

Despite my wakefulness, no one listened when I asked to just start seeing whatever they were planning – although I realized that Emmett's family graves and old living spaces in Gatlinburg further south were probably on the agenda. We headed right to the Cullens' old house on the far east of Hunter. Nestled into the woods, the simple brown house – another one the family still owned – once again stood much smaller than I was accustomed to where it concerned the Cullens, but it exuded a quaint, rustic charm even with Esme's elegant touches to contend with.

Yet again no one listened when I denied wanting to sleep, and Carlisle's eyebrow rose quite high when I tried to argue the point. Not forced by any means, I nonetheless sighed in resignation and took my rest of the sofa, since there were no beds in the house.

In the morning, once I had eaten breakfast and reluctantly admitted the sleep had been nice to undertake, we all drove down to Gatlinburg. At the edge of the forest, we left the cars locked up and waiting for our return. Everyone set out with Emmett to the place where his family's old house once stood. As it was deep in the woods, no one argued when I had earlier changed into more protective clothing against the possibility of bugs, poison plants, or forest debris.

The remains of the house stood with the same ragged wooden mess as Jasper's family home on the outskirts of Houston, albeit a little less demolished since it had been lived in much later. Rosalie and Emmett walked on either side of me as we explored the old land the McCarty family shared.

"Ma was stubborn about staying in this old place, even though money got tight when two of my brothers died two and three years after me," Emmett told me informatively as we walked along. "That was why Edward helped me out; he gave me more money than we ever had in my human days. So I left it on the doorstep. They were all able to keep living here pretty comfortably, at least until my parents died. They all moved into the city after that. Probably tired of the backwoods."

"How many siblings did you have?" I asked comfortably of the big vampire. I knew Emmett, of all people, would be okay talking about his long-dead relatives.

"Six brothers and four sisters," Emmett answered promptly and I stopped in shock with wide eyes. The big guy stopped too when he realized I wasn't at his side.

"Eleven kids?"

Rosalie caught my eye with definite amusement and understanding as Emmett realized what the issue was. In the midst of Emmett's booming laughter, I shook my head and merely muttered, "Ow."

Along with well-humored Esme, the rest of the family joined Emmett in laughing when they heard my remark.

"Well, as much as I love children," Esme remarked, laughter still coloring her voice, "I have to agree, Mir. Ow, indeed."

Recovering while the others started to laugh, too, I inquired with continuing curiosity, "What were all their names?"

"From oldest on down," Emmett started, then began to rattle off his human siblings' names, "Franklin, Warren, Clemmie, me, Jerome, Grover, Marjorie, Randall, Neoma, Harlan, and Vivian."

"Clemmie?" I wondered at the odd name.

"Short for Clementine," Emmett explained simply, then suddenly pointed across the tree-covered land. "There's the graves over on that side. Ma and Pa are there. Most the siblings aren't, but Franklin, Grover, and Vivian are. And of course I am, too."

All six of Emmett's immediate family buried in that yard had graves marked with the thinnest, most basic type of stone and only names and dates. Emmett's middle name had been added to his for some reason, but I doubted he knew why, since he was 'dead' supposedly at the time.

"It's nothing much," Emmett shrugged, totally at ease. "I've never been back here. Never needed to be… I'm happy with what I have. But Rosie figured it's something you should know about."

"Thank you," I smiled at the bold couple appreciatively for their thoughtfulness.

"All right, that's enough sad stuff," Emmett announced loudly, turning away without a worry. "We're going to have some fun now. Just like I did when I lived here."

"Emmett…" I stepped back warningly, backed by Esme's reproachful expression as he grasped my shoulders reassuringly.

"I'm not taking you out drinking, smoking, and gambling," Emmett snorted with an eyeroll, mussing my hair just because he could. "And I'm sure as hell not taking you out to the girls' rooms on the other side of the pub house. Both my mothers would have my skin for a blanket if I tried anything like that."

Giggling at the blunt way Emmett spoke of his wild, unseemly human youth, I didn't respond and let Rosalie and Esme lead me away from the old ruined cabin home Emmett had grown up in.

Emmett wasn't lying when he told me he wouldn't imitate his human idea of 'fun' and I was pleasantly surprised to be taken to a sky lift and a mini golf establishment. The sky lift had amazing views of the forest and the mountains, while Emmett frequently messed up my putts on purpose during mini golf. Yet I couldn't help laughing at the silly ways he chose to do so. From blowing at the ball with his powerful lungs to stomping the ground with his immense weight and strength, nothing was too low or ridiculous for Emmett to try.

The last piece of fun was something Emmett admitted trying with his human friends on those crazy weekends he spent in town with them.

"A mountain coaster?" I queried confusedly. "They had a ride like this?"

"Noo…" Emmett nodded awkwardly, scratching his head. "No, it wasn't a _ride_ really…"

"You didn't steal mine carts, did you?" I concluded exasperatedly yet laughingly, lifting an eyebrow at the crazy idea. "And just how drunk were you?"

"Three sheets to the wind!" Emmett rumbled proudly with heavy humor, booming with joy that made us all laugh even as we rolled our eyes and regretfully joined him on the cart ride.

Emmett sneakily maneuvered his mother into a cart with him, something which kept us in stitches over the caramel-haired vampire's highly repressed nerves. Carlisle was the worst offender, unable to cough loud enough or genuine enough to cover his laughter. Esme glared fiercely yet playfully at her husband for his amusement, which only increased everyone's humor.

Rosalie pushed reluctant Edward into a cart with her while Alice nudged Carlisle into one as well. Jasper was kind enough to offer reassurance through his gift when I felt my own panic creeping up, so I was glad he rode in a cart with me for the wild ride.

Thankfully driving again on our way to the next place on the Cullens' list, I fell asleep easily this time and when I woke up, I found myself watching an unknown state welcome sign passing by at a far slower blur than normal. Frowning in my state of half wakefulness, I looked up to the front seat and found Esme driving for a change.

"Where are we?" I asked of the chilly shoulder I leaned on. Peeking up at the owner, I realized I'd been resting against Carlisle.

The golden-haired vampire smiled warmly at me and replied, "Columbus."

Waking more thoroughly, I stated, "So that's why Esme was driving."

"Nothing so poignant as all that, dear," Esme laughed at my lifelong expectations of symbolism and deep meaning. "I just wanted to give you more time to sleep, so I took over for Edward."

Edward snorted from the passenger seat ahead of me. "I think she just wanted to drive."

Although laughing helplessly, Esme smacked her son's arm in exasperation.

Columbus, Ohio wasn't anywhere near as spectacular as places like New York, Houston, or Philadelphia, but as we eventually pulled down a long country lane, the nature of Columbus provided beautiful, lively green trees full and bushy under the cloudy sky. To my great disappointment, it was far past the season for cherry blossoms, but these verdant green trees looked lovely just the same.

"Despite the apparent lack of flowers, Mireille," Carlisle said indulgently, his thoughts very much in line with mine, "these _are_ cherry trees."

Nodding even as I ignored his humor at my expense, I appreciated the lush lane when we finally pulled to a stop.

"My parents' house has long been converted, but overall it still looks similar," Esme informed me, repressing a smile over Edward's information. "It's just over there."

Following Esme's pointing finger, I looked down a dirt drive to a large, white, two-story house that had definitely been modernized from its likely Victorian roots. Farmland spread out beyond the house itself in a broad plain of corn and other plants, but all around the estate itself stood a riotous selection of trees.

"It's not much," Esme shrugged. "I don't remember ever truly liking it, truth be told. I felt very constrained there."

We said little else and Esme drove on, stopping one more time on the tree-lined lane to lead the way inside a small cemetery. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett waited patiently a ways behind us while we explored the graveyard.

"These are my parents, Julius and Caroline," Esme explained near the back of the enclosure, gesturing at two sharp, square headstones inscribed with their names, dates, and very simple scriptures. "Cold and austere to the last, Father."

At first I thought Esme was commenting on the headstones' simplicity to me, but I quickly realized that in actual fact, Esme spoke directly to her deceased father's tombstone. Catching Edward's restraining gaze, I stayed silent and stepped back with the lean vampire while Carlisle moved to wrap an arm around his wife.

Esme leaned into Carlisle, relieved, and added, "I don't know why I always blame Father. Mother was no better."

"Perhaps, like Mireille," the doctor considered kindly to both of us, "you couldn't help bonding to the woman who mostly raised you."

"I suppose that's true," Esme sighed heavily, ducking her head under Carlisle's chin.

Upon some unknown signal, Edward nudged me back towards the car. Seeing Esme's sadness, I agreed without an argument.

As we walked away, I heard Esme conclude, "I don't want to stay here."

"Then we shall go," Carlisle murmured deep in his chest, kissing his beloved's temple with incredible sweetness.

Even so, the couple didn't immediately follow us to the vehicle, but in time Carlisle lovingly pulled his wife back to the present and the waiting car.

For the next leg of our trip, Carlisle drove instead and it wasn't until we reached a local hospital that I understood why.

"Is this the same building you worked in?" I wondered quietly, still conscious of Esme's disappointment with her parents' actions and lack of support.

"Only a small part of it has remained in tact," Carlisle offered. "Mainly the offices. Not that it's a surprise – they saw the least use over time, I'm sure."

"I guess that's a good thing," I suggested doubtfully. "On the one hand, they were tending patients rather than fobbing them off. On the other hand, the fact they had that many patients could be troublesome."

With a chuckle over the thought, Carlisle nodded. "True, I suppose… I would show you the house I lived in while I worked here, but it was part of a demolition to build the nearby shopping district."

"That's no fair," I pouted unnecessarily as we drove back the way we had entered. Or at least as far as I remembered.

It was on that route that I saw a sign for a special place I thought might cheer Esme up somewhat.

"They have a conservatory?" I wondered aloud, excited for the idea.

"It's not far, actually," Edward threw in, appreciating my gesture for his mother. "Would you like to see it?"

"I do love flowers," I confirmed cheerfully.

"Carlisle?" Edward asked of his father while eyeing his quiet, pensive mother concernedly.

"I think that's permissible," Carlisle teased in spite of his own concern and took the streets to reach the conservatory in record time.

At first, Esme was unresponsive to the green environment, but once we entered a rose garden section, her keen senses happened to pick up on the scent rapidly. To my great joy, she began to discuss the flowers with me more knowledgeably and interestedly. By the time I felt hungry again, we hadn't covered much ground and agreed to return the next day.

The many beautiful flowers in the conservatory were a lovely way to begin the second day in Columbus. Even better was a visit to park as an end to our stay, the well-trimmed green absolutely stuffed with cherry trees. Blossoms or no, they were wonderful trees to look at.

Esme's choice to coerce Carlisle into climbing up with her pulled full-bodied laughter from my lips and Edward's grin could not be dampened at his parents' unexpectedly playful exhibition. Even when Carlisle and Esme shared a deep, lively kiss at the base of their chosen tree, Edward just shook his head wryly while I sighed in sugary happiness.

The eight of us next drove to a very promising city – Chicago, Illinois. Edward either snorted or laughed at me for most of the 3 hours speed-driving to his native city, but it didn't diminish my excitement in the least. I had always wanted to see Chicago in my first life, second only to New York City.

The city seemed less enormous than I imagined from the outskirts, but as we drove further through the increasingly busy streets, every structure grew in both size and quantity. Carlisle drove into a very busy district of the more central area of the city.

"We're in the eastern central section," Edward commented helpfully. "Nearer to the waterfront than not."

Nodding at the information, I watched a row of old brownstones pass us by until Carlisle slowed and pulled into the driveway of one on the far end.

"Was this yours?" I asked of Carlisle, excitement growing in my thoughts to the point that Edward laughed out loud at me.

"It still is," the doctor answered with suspicious humor as he eyed his first son.

"Mireille is positively seething with symbolic enthusiasm," Edward teased aloud, golden eyes gleaming at me with keen amusement.

"Ah, I see," Carlisle chuckled his understanding. "Well, you're in the right place, then, Mir."

"Don't I know it," I ruefully responded, scowling briefly at Edward before we got out of the car. Everyone stood on the pavement with an apparent sense of expectation, which left me twice as curious what awaited me in the windy city.

"Come inside before you burst a blood vessel," Edward sighed, voice retaining a tone of laughter beneath the surface.

Not waiting for anyone, I followed Edward up the porch and to the front door. I wondered if he had always had the key or I was just slow to notice him accept it in the car at some point.

"I've had it since Columbus," the bronze-haired vampire explained, holding open the door for me to walk ahead of him into a surprising – or perhaps not so surprising – space.

The front room had been only sparsely furnished and the entire living space exuded a very empty, lonely air I attributed to Carlisle's life before he found Edward in the hospital.

"It's very… Spartan…" I mentioned quietly, taking in every faded piece of wallpaper and discolored patch of cloth with a swift eye. None of the pieces appeared to have been removed upon the two men's departure for Ashland.

Chancing a glance back at the Cullens for confirmation, I was startled to find only Edward behind me.

The confusion must have shown of my features, for Edward said vaguely, "I thought you might need a moment to appreciate the atmosphere."

A tickle of tenderness thrilled in my mind for the kind gesture. Trust Edward to anticipate my feelings about Carlisle's loneliness and isolation for all those decades before.

' _That always makes me sad_ ,' I thought for his benefit, shrugging haplessly. ' _I can't seem to help it_.'

"I understand, believe me," Edward tilted his head with the same helpless measure of feeling, leaving me to continue exploring the house in silence.

"Why is there a hole in the wall?" I queried with brows lifted high on my forehead as I noticed the large splotch on an otherwise decently-kept structure.

Chortling all of a sudden, Edward forced himself to calm and explain, "When Carlisle first informed me I might be a mind-reader, I wasn't very happy about it."

"So you punched the wall?" I inquired disbelievingly.

"No." Edward shrugged simply, and I could feel there was a catch to the straightforward answer.

Smirking at my expectations, Edward added, "I ripped off the wall sconce."

Laughter bubbled in my chest at the anecdote, despite its darker connotations, but Edward merely smiled for my humor.

The upstairs looked little different from the downstairs, a chair in the corner, faded wallpaper, short candle holders on a side table… except that instead of a sofa, there was a brass bed with a ratty mattress that definitely should have been changed ages ago, no matter if anyone lived there or not.

Exhibiting a small bark of laughter at my convolutions, Edward elaborated, "It's not dirty in any way, just old. Carlisle had to replace it after I was turned anyway. Blood and gore, you know?"

"Dust collects," I replied, pointedly ignoring his last morbid, acerbic comment. "Haven't you ever been back here?"

"Not often," said Edward, glancing around that space where his second life had begun with familiarity in his topaz eyes. "Even then, it was just to make sure no one had started squatting. The most memorable times were when I came back to claim my 'inheritance' so-called. We cleaned up a bit then."

"So maybe three times, maximum?" I deduced, nose scrunching with distaste at the long untended air of the brownstone.

"More like once a decade," Edward clarified amusedly. "It's just that those few times were the most memorable, not that they were the _only_ times. Though if Esme had ever joined me, I'm absolutely positive it wouldn't look like this now."

Thoughtful humming left me in response and I finally felt satisfied as to the house's interior. "I really can't believe you spent your first year as a vampire in this place… Was the city as built up then, as it is now?"

"Mostly," the lean vampire agreed. "Where it concerns population, at least. The buildings obviously were a very different matter, but the people were very populous at the time."

"I have a new respect for you right now," I confessed. "You never hurt any humans here, did you?"

"None," Edward concurred matter-of-factly. "Carlisle was able to stop me whenever I came too close to losing it."

"Regardless of Carlisle, that's still pretty impressive," I pointed out firmly. "You could read minds, you had your speed, and you had newborn strength. Plus your speed was enhanced by that strength, so I'm pretty certain you had to have a good bit of willpower mixed with Carlisle's restraining arms."

"That sounds reasonable enough, I suppose," Edward consented, smirking again.

Our return to the main floor was greeted by the rest of the family sitting or standing calmly. Esme eyed the house with a critical eye, but clearly her thoughts were not much different from any other time, else Edward would probably have commented.

"You were both impressive to have survived this way," I told Carlisle and Edward, repeating my earlier sentiment. "Edward bombarded by thoughts and humans, and you bombarded by Edward's gift, speed, and strength. Must have been a crazy experience."

"Oh, it was," Carlisle admitted ruefully, widening his eyes to express the broad extent of his agreement and leaving Edward chuckling. "I can't tell you how many talks we shared in this very room to keep Edward distracted."

I recalled Edward saying something similar during our game of twenty questions months and months earlier.

"You do have an excellent memory," Edward muttered wryly and everyone laughed at the remark, the sounds of a family echoing throughout the once-empty house. A smile crossed my lips when I realized Carlisle's loneliness was long over and his home, no matter where he lived, would never be isolated again.

* * *


	59. Chapter 57: Itinerant - Part III

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
Sorry for the wait on this chapter, but I've had some health issues the past couple weeks, although they're finally resolved. Thank God for that.

Only the epilogue left after this, I'm sad to say. It may be a little longer wait before I post that, but only because I want to have the sequel's prologue completed first. I'll leave a note on this story's epilogue to let you all know the sequel is ready to rumble!

More fun Cullen history in this chapter! When I get going on these guys' pasts, I just have so much to write about!

**Song Inspiration:** _  
Shadow & Light _by Martin Luke Brown

**Previously** – Mir, Alice, Jazz, Edward went to Rochester and Carlisle, Esme, Rose, Emmett showed up at the Cullens' old house. Mir realized Edward lied about Peter  & Charlotte. Edward admitted he told Peter that Mir was his mate. Mir & Edward debated his lies. Rosalie showed Mir, Alice, Jazz her old house and family graves while Carlisle & Esme talked to Edward. Rosalie recalled facts about her family and Emmett & Mir comforted. Back at the house, Mir & Edward discussed his past choices and vampire nature. Edward & Rose conceded Mir's choice on vampirism is hers to make. The Cullens drove to Tennessee and Mir slept at their old house. Emmett showed his old family land and graves, but quickly led everyone to have some fun rather than feeling sad. Mir slept on the way to Columbus and Esme showed Mir her parents' land and graves. Esme was emotional over her parents' coldness and Carlisle comforted. Carlisle showed Mir where he used to work and Mir suggested a conservatory visit to lift Esme's spirits. Everyone went to Chicago and Mir felt excited. Mir saw Carlisle's old brownstone and felt sad over Carlisle's lonely years. Edward & Mir discussed his early days with Carlisle and Mir realized Carlisle would never be alone again.

> **Chapter 57: Itinerant - Part III**

Esme and I shared a very keen desire to clean up Carlisle's old brownstone and make it partly livable, particularly since I was going to sleep there for an evening or two. While the rest of the Cullens all took up general cleaning and repairs, I went out to local stores with Esme to shop for a bed frame, along with whatever furniture she purchased to handle eight people sitting at the same time. Sleeping on a brand new mattress and pillow that night left me sleeping wonderfully and I woke in the morning rested and at peace.

Coming downstairs in the far cleaner brownstone interior, I couldn't repress a chuckle at the hole in the wall Edward had contritely agreed to repair the previous evening. Over the expertly patched wall, Esme had been sneaky enough to add a new sconce almost exactly the same as the old one, except it was now an electric light instead of a candle holder.

"You've thought enough about that, I believe," Edward remarked a bit petulantly from beyond the main room.

"Have I?" I returned cheerfully, heading into the formerly disused kitchen and dining area to find Edward and Carlisle sitting at the beautiful dining set Esme had purchased.

"Absolutely," Edward concluded with a roll of his eyes for my teasing pleasantry.

With an ongoing smile I settled in the chair beside the irritable seventeen-year-old, since I knew he would probably watch me eat as he typically did. Edward shook his head, but my thought left him smiling slightly when Esme set a plate in front of me.

"Good morning, Mir," Esme and Carlisle both greeted me amusedly, the former gently rustling the ends of my hair as she walked past.

"Morning, Esme, Carlisle," I smiled at the couple as Esme joined her husband across from Edward and me. "Where are the others?"

"They're setting up your first stop," Carlisle answered.

"I can hardly wait," I smiled more broadly and thoroughly savored my meal before Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett returned to the brownstone with brighter dispositions.

"Are you ready for the first hot spot?" Alice inquired brightly, dancing over in white lace ankle booties to take the seat on my other side with her blue, brown, and white striped summer dress swirling briefly around her thin frame.

"I've been ready," I affirmed gladly and stood with the tiny vampire in eagerness to begin my Chicago overview. For a second I wondered at the blush sandal heels I had unthinkingly put on to match my blush, coral, and aqua sun dress, but Alice waved me away.

"There are plenty of places to sit where we're going," the small woman explained easily. "You won't be hurting for the heels."

Accepting the advice without worry, I followed Alice and Jasper out of the room and then to the car. Surprisingly no one else joined us, but I shrugged it off and enjoyed the trip further into the city.

Our final destination was Garfield Park Conservatory. Every time I saw a greenhouse conservatory, I felt cheered by the elegant glass panes and the lovely flowers and plants inside. Before I could really enjoy much beyond the entrance, Alice dragged me off with Jasper chuckling as he followed behind more calmly. Finally we paused in the desert room, full of cactus, desert flowers, sand, and an enormous variety of other plants and greens that thrived in the dry heat. Meandering through the desert garden for a time, I found I admired the growing things of the desert more than I ever imagined.

"What do you think?" Alice wondered with seeming nonchalance after a while, glancing around at the space with an excellent attempt at being disinterested.

"It's a great space," I spoke, suspicious why this spot was so important. "I really like the cactus… but what is this room important for?"

"You know how we never tied the knot in Bottineau?" Alice questioned me casually, but all the casualness in the world couldn't have stopped me from drawing certain conclusions.

"You were married here in Chicago!" I exclaimed in shock and glee at the same time. "In this room, even?"

Grinning madly, Alice offered vigorous nod. "Edward had to 'inherit' his estate again, so we moved here next. This desert space was _perfect_! Honoring Jasper's heritage and giving us a natural place to marry. We were so used to the outdoors at that point, so it felt fitting to be in a place so full of nature yet not have to worry about rain. Granted, we had to wait for nicer weather so we didn't seem odd marrying in a chilly greenhouse, but then that's why we didn't marry until the end of April."

"This is so wonderful!" I clapped as enthusiastically as Alice ever did. "Tell me you had pictures taken?"

"Yes, thankfully," Alice laughed. "I would have been so depressed if we'd been unable to do so. They're at home, though, so you won't be able to see them until we go back."

"Ohh," I groaned in complaint, to which Alice and Jasper laughed in harmony. With determination, I added, "I'm writing that down before I forget. Who knows what distractions we'll face when we get back. I don't want to skip out your wedding photos, for crying out loud… Oh, hey, wait!"

"What?" Alice wondered in surprise, humor fading into concern along with Jasper's frowning features.

"Alice Cullen…" I began in absolute, utter shock of the worst kind. "I have never – and I mean _never_ – noticed your wedding ring."

"Oh!" Alice gasped in much deeper surprise, staring at me with wide golden eyes. "Oh my goodness, how could you never have _seen_ it? I don't wear it during school, obviously, but for heaven's sake, I've worn it a hundred other times since you've been here!"

"You always notice the fine details, Mir," Jasper even wondered with a raised brow.

"I guess because you didn't wear it all the time, I might have thought it was a fashion statement, not a wedding ring…" I concluded with a heavy frown. "I'm not sure that's entirely likely, but I can't think why else I wouldn't have taken notice of your ring… Gosh, I don't what Rose's ring looks like, either!"

"That's even more unbelievable!" Alice laughed outright, shock fading somewhat. "Her ring is enormous!"

"I don't know," I sighed, shaking my head irritably. "I know I saw Esme's, at least. When I first saw you guys in the sun, I was looking right at it. She has the prettiest engagement ring I've ever seen… Oh well, come on and show me that sparkling diamond."

An expression of mischief crossed Alice's elfin features, but before I could comment, she had offered her left hand up for my inspection – there wasn't a diamond in sight.

Gasping in elation and shock at the sight before me, I turned away long enough to drag the tiny vampire over to a bench so I could examined her amazing ring as long as I wanted without my feet paining me. Alice laughed aloud with Jasper over my exuberant eagerness.

I grinned broadly in response, excitedly taking in the thick, intricately designed gold ring – obviously an antique – with a huge oval yellow sapphire at the center and two round, fiery red garnets on either side. The artful old-fashioned ring called to mind royal courts, gracious ladies, regal gentlemen, and fine clothing swirling in cultured dances.

"It's magnificent!" I raved over the beautiful jewelry impossibly quietly so that no one would chance overhearing, but my eyes were riveted to its glory. "That's such a beautiful design on the band and those jewels, wow! And of course my brain is working overtime on all the symbolism. The red and gold representing your vampire lives, obviously. Plus the red and gold were your past and your future. Two garnets and only one topaz makes perfect sense because you were separate at the time when you had red eyes, and then with gold eyes your worlds came together!"

Alice couldn't stop giggling at my effusive comments while her hand remained captured in my grasp, but Jasper sighed in his amusement and sat on my other side to join the discussion.

"It was made sometime between 1860 and 1865," the Texan vampire informed me wryly, adding to the ardor I already carried for the unusual wedding ring.

"The symbolism just adds up!" I sighed happily, the grin never leaving my face.

"Plus, Jasper actually surprised me with it," Alice finally found the will to stop giggling and add her thoughts on the subject.

"Really?" I half squealed, looking up at Jasper with admiration and appreciation.

Chuckling, the honey-blond vampire nodded in affirmation. "Yes, I did. I can't even tell you how much hard work it took to keep that from her until I finally proposed."

"I was certainly stunned," Alice smiled warmly at her husband, letting the thought trail into silence.

"Do you have a band, Jasper?" I wondered curiously in the quiet. Most men hadn't started wearing wedding rings as a rule until the latter half of the twentieth century, so I wouldn't be surprised if Jasper didn't either, but I still wanted to ask.

Rather than speak, the former soldier slipped his left hand beside Alice's in my hands.

"Oh my," I breathed, fingers slipping over that lean hand with amazement. Jasper Whitlock did, indeed, wear a wedding ring.

On his long left ring finger sat a beautiful art deco ring made of silver. From a straight and simple base, the band curved up into intricately detailed wing-like shapes on either side of a large, rectangular, brown and black spotted stone settled in a silver base.

"How wonderful!" I repeated my fervor from a few moments prior. "It's masculine and somewhat simple, but still interesting to look at. I love the art deco design… What stone is this?"

When I glanced up, Alice paused only briefly with an impish grin before answering, "Jasper."

I was confused only for a second until I realized what Alice meant. "Oh my goodness! What a neat stone to find."

"Also, it was actually created in the 1920s," Alice offered cheerfully. "I thought since Jasper gave me something from his time, I should buy him something from mine. It took forever to find this little gem, though. It was quite unusual. Perhaps more unusual than mine."

"I really should have known you two would have something this unique for each other," I remarked almost sheepishly. "I love your rings so much."

"Thank you!" Alice accepted my praise joyfully. "Now, we better get back. Edward has something to show you next."

"This is so much fun!" I clapped giddily, all too gleefully following the two mystical vampires out to the car.

At Carlisle's brownstone, Alice made me stay in the car and simply wait until Edward slipped into the driver's seat, his face marked with complete annoyance. "I wanted you to have lunch first, Mireille, but Alice is hiding a vision from me, so I couldn't possibly convince her."

"That's all right," I allowed with a shrug. "My stomach hasn't growled yet, so…"

Snorting over the rationalization, Edward shook off the agitation with Alice and backed out of the drive. We drove for a number of minutes, weaving traffic and several turns before Edward spoke again.

"I have been informed this is necessary," the bronze-haired vampire elucidated, hand outstretched with a piece of fabric.

"A blindfold?" I inquired with a lifted brow, but shook it off and complied. I trusted Alice.

It was strange sitting in the car without seeing, but Edward stopped quicker than I expected, turning into a drive from what I could sense.

"You'll have that blindfold off soon," Edward told me, parking at wherever our stop was. The driver's door closed and then my door opened next, my companion suggesting, "I'll help you out of the car."

Not only did Edward help me from the vehicle, but he walked me around grass, pavement, then grass again, before we stopped.

"All right," said Edward, taking a breath. "Ready?"

"If you say so," I replied, laughing lightly.

Scoffing even as he chuckled, Edward worked at the blindfold behind my head. "Keep you eyes closed for a moment. You'll need to adjust to the light."

Once we both agreed my sight was adjusted, at last Edward tilted my head back up with a gentle finger under my chin and announced, "You can open your eyes now."

Doing as he proposed, I opened curious blue eyes and cast them upon the depths of a fairytale.

"How _lovely_ ," I articulated on a soft breath, admiring the beautiful, enormous Victorian home from the lowest stone foundation to the highest turret point – yes, I repeated to my self amazedly, it had a _turret_.

The entire property was surrounded by crisp white fencing taller than Edward stood. Just ahead me, the front walk had been gated by a white trellis arching over our heads. There were niches aplenty and nooks galore all over the impeccable yellow home, little gothic elements mixed with the elegance of afternoon tea in the summertime. It seemed as though I stood in front of Green Gables, so stunned did I feel by the historical, fascinating, downright pretty house before us.

Edward laughed delightedly at my astonished thoughts as I continued to twitter all in my head – my mouth had yet to catch up with the shock enough to speak further.

"I would venture you like it, but it seems quite obvious," Edward continued to laugh through his words, urging me through the trellis entry with a gentle hand while he opened the gate with the other.

My steps remained at a thorough tortoise pace the entire walk up to the front porch – a gigantic structure that wrapped around the lengthy right side of the house, bordered by a lush emerald lawn bedecked with a multitude of beauteous flowers and plants.

"How is this real?" I finally found my voice, soft and ethereal as it was, and gazed with rapture at the well-kept home in which Edward had grown up.

"By a great deal of care and support," Edward responded simply, leading me up the front steps with a remarkably patient demeanor.

Engrossed as I was in examining the Masen family's home, I looped my arm through Edward's elbow so I wouldn't walk into something by accident. Chortling from Edward made me grin over the silly idea, but it was true nonetheless.

All the trim and windows done in white emphasized the asparagus green front door as Edward unlocked it and allowed me through first.

Had I enjoyed the exteriors, then surely I absolutely adored the interior when it eclipsed my vision in the front foyer. In many ways, I felt like I had stepped into a dollhouse. Wallpaper of every color and style bedecked the various walls with glorious tones and patterns – and these were only the walls I could see from the front of the house.

A living area – or was it technically a parlor, I wondered? – occupied the front corner opposite the door, awash in denim blue paint. Through the main room's doorway I took notice of a beautiful red floral dining room with a magnificent cherry wood dining set. Straight down the front hall, past a central oak staircase, I saw a carmine-colored room and beyond that doorway another room in white and muted sea green.

There were nooks, niches, crannies, deep archways, heavy tapestries, tasseled draperies, and high ceilings everywhere I looked. Every intricate detail my mind could fathom, from drapery and valances to bold floral prints and carved oak hardwood, even ornate moldings and gloriously large windows, filtered into my head while we walked at snail's pace through the foyer and into the front room.

"As you suspected, it's technically a parlor," Edward indulged me with a smirk.

Smiling wryly, I let his humor be and studied the front parlor with its twin bay windows, ladies' chair and gentlemen's chair, draped center table, sprawling fireplace, and cabinets full of knick-knacks I suspected were replicas or modern purchases. The cabinets and shelves had likely been meant for bric-a-brac that had probably been safely stored years earlier.

"All correct," Edward confirmed with a nod. "The furniture is original, however. Esme has been very kind in the upkeep of everything. Without her, this would be a museum of ruins."

"What's that reddish room opposite the dining room?" I wondered curiously.

"It's a smoking room," Edward explained more reasonably, guiding me forward to said room. "After dinner, the ladies would retire to the parlor for tea and usually gossip. But the gentlemen would head into the smoking room for liquor, cigars, and typically business talk."

The smoking room was smaller by far than the parlor or dining room, but riveting in its red colors and dark cherry wood. Through the next doorway, the muted sea green room I had briefly seen turned out to be a long room dedicated to kitchen, pantry, and breakfast nook. Yet another room lay beyond that, the enormous great room with its large windows, sprawling fireplace, and shelves I imagined were meant to hold books.

"Right again," Edward agreed with a smile. "My father mostly had law books in these shelves, unfortunately, but I kept them. If nothing else, they're of historical authenticity."

In light of Edward's slightly unhappy admission, I continued to look around without comment or thought. My wandering feet led us back through the kitchen area and up the back stairs to the next level. Bedrooms and bathrooms filled the second floor, clearly an upgrade compared to the bed chambers and absent bathrooms of old. Along with the personal rooms were other rooms holding no apparent purpose I could see.

"I believe one space was a school room from when I was very young," offered Edward. "Another was my father's office. I can't say he used it much; as we both know, he wasn't home as often as he should have been. At any rate, the blueprints only list the other rooms as additional and I have no memory of them being used any particular way."

Edward appeared rather put out by his father's lackluster family time, more than I had previously realized.

"It's not that enormous of a problem," Edward chuckled over my concern, but with that I only felt it grow.

To the bronze-haired vampire's sigh I responded gently, "You know it's okay to feel hurt, don't you, Edward? Carlisle won't feel left behind if you do. He knows you love him and he won't love you any less for wishing you had more love from your biological father."

Edward turned to me with exasperation in small measure on his features, but his words were honest, "Mireille, I feel less hurt than I feel disappointment. I barely remember the man I called 'father' for my seventeen human years. Not because of the transformation overriding and blurring those memories I had, but because there were almost no memories to recall in the first place. What little I have retained of the elder Edward Masen is relegated to arguments over joining the army, disputes over following in the footsteps of his legal career, a sarcastic discussion of my seventeen-year-old marriage prospects without a proper career on the horizon, and a self-righteous speech on the price of music lessons because I preferred practicing baseball over practicing the piano…."

Catching himself before he spewed more distasteful words, Edward breathed deep and let it out slowly, calming enough to add quietly, "Carlisle was – and is – there for me in every way a father should be. He showed me that I was worth any cost without spending a penny… For the unconditional love he has offered me, I may as well have been born to him. No matter how angry and rebellious I could ever be, that is the truth I have lived by all these decades. I only regret it took reading a book to remind me just how _much_ Carlisle means to me."

Struck could not begin to cover how I felt in the wake of Edward's speech. Touched was surely closer, although even that hardly matched the sentiment and emotion that flooded me.

"Softie," I murmured loud enough for Edward to hear.

A throaty chuckle filled my ears with warmth as Edward amused himself with my teasing sentiment, so different from the seriousness of our discussion.

"Would you mind skipping the rest of the house for today?" Edward eventually wondered, humor wound down to a mild, apologetic smile. "It's just… difficult right now."

"Let's go back to the brownstone," I suggested acceptingly, tugging a very relieved vampire back to the stairs with understanding.

For reasons unknown to me – or, it seemed, to Edward – the moment we two returned, the chess board Rosalie and Emmett had abandoned caught both our eyes. For an entire evening, Edward and I played each other at chess, eventually drawing the entire family to watch three long games where we battled blocking my thoughts and making moves against the other's pieces on the board. While I lost all three games, the intense challenge each one presented made up for the loss.

Despite the difficulty Edward had faced in his family home, he was completely ready to return the next morning and freely explore the entire house with me at whatever length of time it took. We had a lot of time to spend, too, since Esme wanted to renovate the brownstone more deeply and surprise us with the changes that night.

Dressed in jeans, a simple white button-up, and brown oxfords I didn't mind getting dirt on, I joined Edward at the Masen home once more.

We returned to the second floor to finish viewing whatever rooms I had missed, but as much as I liked the beauty and history in every room, it was the third floor that took the cake for interest.

"These rooms were my playroom and schoolroom as a child," Edward told of a red toile room at the far end of the hall that edged into two smaller spaces covered in red and white checkered wallpaper. There were a multitude of twisting little angles to the ceilings and walls in the three areas, all of which fascinated me no end.

After a few more rooms with no memorable purpose Edward could recall, we finally made our way into one of the smallest rooms in the house.

"This was my room," Edward explained, bringing us into a green, blue, and yellow wallpapered room. The floral print did nothing to detract from its masculinity, the earthy scheme matching Edward's natural mixture of academia and adventure in some strange way.

Reexamining the space in which we both stood with its sloping ceiling, a desk crammed into the left window between the jutting ceiling sections, and a long, narrow bed pushed against the far right corner with the highest height, the only thing I could think to say – rather incredulously – to Edward was, "This is too tiny for you!"

Emitting a loud barking laugh, the tall young vampire stepped forward and stretched his long, lean arms from wall to wall across the width of the room in teasing humor. His elbows bent enough to tell me that his reach was too long for the narrow area.

"It _was_ a bit cramped, from what I remember," Edward admitted, still chuckling when he pulled away from the walls.

The only response I offered was a shake of my head as I sat on the bed with continuing disbelief at the cramped quarters Edward had been put in as a growing teenager.

"I want to show you something," Edward brought up out of the blue, coming over to the window opposite the bed and opening the well-kept frame. The lean youth climbed out onto the wide ledge with quick grace, turning back to duck in the window and beckon me with long fingers.

"I'm not climbing out there," I denounced immediately, bringing a short laugh from Edward.

"I'll be right here," Edward offered simply.

With that remarkably encouraging thought in the back of my mind, I reluctantly rose from the bed and stepped across to those waiting hands. Accepting Edward's infallible grasp, I slowly finagled my body under the open glass and onto the precarious ledge beside my companion.

Chuckling again over my paranoia, Edward made sure I stood as well-balanced as I could get before he stepped into what seemed like empty air. Chuckles turned to a smirk when I gasped in shock, even as the bronze-haired vampire connected with something solid. Daring to glance a little further forward, I saw a ledge matching the one I stood upon.

"Follow me," Edward insisted confidently, reaching out once again.

Sighing exasperatedly at this secretive little game, I firmly gripped his hands and even more slowly moved behind him onto the lower ledge. Inch by inch we traveled ledges around the side of the house, my eyes so deeply riveted to Edward's ready hands that the eternal seventeen-year-old laughed with great exhilaration.

Finally we reached the end of the inching path, at which point Edward knelt carefully and opened up a section of the roof.

Mouth agape, I wondered mentally why in the world there was an opening in the roof as Edward slipped inside the dark space and stood looking up at me just beneath the edge of the opening.

"Just a bit of fun my grandfather thought up," Edward answered my wonderment, grinning as he offered up his hands one last time.

Eyeing the stretch of space from ledge to roof opening, I hesitated monumentally.

"Would I let you fall?" Edward inquired, brow lifted with a more serious air than I expected.

"No," I answered immediately, no hesitation clouding my voice despite my misgivings about that precarious distance.

"Then come on," Edward urged, hands stretched steadily towards me.

Taking a breath and considering those able hands, I nodded and eased myself towards the hatch in the roof. Once my feet hung through the opening, Edward gestured for me to jump. This was the hardest request to follow, but the crooked grin that bloomed on that handsome face settled my thoughts.

Eyes wide open, I pushed myself up and over the edge, landing in the cold circle of Edward's arms. Swooping in my stomach forced a tiny squeak from my throat just before impact.

"See?" the vampire in question pressed regardless, eyeing my momentarily stricken face with humor I could at least appreciate. "Was that really so terrible?"

"My mind says no, but my knotted stomach says yes," I confessed, swallowing the second of nervousness now that I was safe.

Snorting amusedly, Edward shook himself and set me down on solid ground.

Beyond a raised section of hardwood floor, I could see nothing until Edward disappeared and switched on a light. Revealed by the illumination was a charming little room wallpapered in deep green and blue. Similar to Edward's bedroom, this small room appeared earthy, academic, and adventurous all at once. The feeling only became enhanced when I took in the eclectic mixture of items Edward had apparently never retrieved from the space, although they appeared to be well taken care of.

"Is this an attic?" I asked, examining children's books, wooden toys, figurines, and other hobbies all from a century earlier, including an aged baseball bat and worn leather catcher's mitt.

"Not in the common sense of the word," Edward answered. "If you notice, the ledge is only wide on this side of the house. This is a secret room; there's no door inside the house to reach it. You can only climb that exterior ledge to do so. Samuel Masen built this house in preparation of my father having a family. I'm not sure why he added this little room, but it was definitely his handwriting on the sketches, the same as all the rest. I suppose he knew from experience that children would be adventurous and curious."

"Is this the Samuel that your mother refused to name you after?" I questioned humorously.

Half-laughing at my remembrance, Edward nodded. "Yes, the very same. Samuel had this house built so my father would have a large, wonderful place to raise children. I don't think my grandfather expected his son to spend so much time on the law rather than having more children, hence the size and number of rooms in the house. All the houses were spacious like this, from what I know."

"All of them?" I repeated, brow dipping low.

"Samuel built one for each of his children," Edward clarified patiently. "My father was the second of four – with two brothers and one sister. None of whom ever saw our family that I can remember. They wrote occasionally, usually to scold my mother for something she allowed me to do that wasn't as high society as they approved of. Baseball, for instance."

"Is that why your father argued in favor of music rather than sports?"

"Probably," Edward shrugged carelessly. "No matter. My mother kept her own mind all her life and those letters typically ended up rather strongly crumpled."

Emitting a tiny laugh at the thought of Elizabeth Masen's fortitude and independence, I turned away from inspecting Edward's childhood odds and ends.

"Thank you for showing me," I offered with a smile. "I love little nooks and niches like this."

"I loved it as well," Edward agreed, matching my smile. "The first time I found it was an accident, as it usually is for children. Being a daredevil isn't something I just happened to pick up as a vampire. I loved exploring the house from the outside and eventually I climbed up to the roof and happened over the hatch. I used to hide here when my father wanted me to practice piano, I'm ashamed to admit."

Much fuller laughter escaped my mouth at this pronouncement. "Well, you play marvelously now."

"I'm glad I learned as a human," Edward chuckled amiably. "Music has been a balm to my soul many times in this existence, as you well know."

That I did know, but my thoughts were adequate without more conversation to fill the comfortable quiet. Edward didn't have any clear memories of the objects in his grandfather's idea of a hideaway and we ended up leaving the beautiful house to find lunch.

"How did you inherit your family's property if you were supposedly… you know?" I wondered of Edward with a frown as we waited for my meal. "I mean there are actual graves, aren't there?"

"While I was in the midst of the transformation, our burials were already underway," Edward explained. "Most bodies were buried very quickly because of the epidemic and my parents already had their funerals planned so there were no headaches in an unexpected situation. By the time Carlisle and I were able to deal with my miraculous recovery a few weeks later, our headstones were in place even as the house was still in the middle of red tape. My father was rather clever with his legal wording if we all passed on. The law office argued with the city over it until I called and claimed possession of the house. My parents' wills were at least quite clear on my inheritance in the event of their death."

Nodding in understanding, I gladly let the morbid subject go to focus on my food and let Edward released some of the pain I could see growing in his eyes.

Given Esme's desire to surprise us with the restoration of Carlisle's old brownstone, Edward and I searched out things to do in the city once I had eaten my fill of deep dish pizza. Shedd Aquarium stood out as a magical place with whales and dolphins leaping from the water and waddling penguins putting a never-ending giggle in my throat, much to Edward's dismay and amusement both.

Together we skimmed the highlights of Adler Planetarium, the gothic Chicago Water Tower, Sears Tower, and the Chicago Theatre. Our last stop as night fell led us around the enormous Buckingham Fountain, splendorous and beautiful in the early evening as colored lights began moving and changing on the large water structure. Simply two young people among a vast variety of visitors watching the lovely display, Edward and I drew no unnecessary attention and weaved through the crowd with calm ease.

Esme's phone call drew us back to the brownstone in peaceful moods to find the entire place transformed into a mixed Victorian and Baroque paradise in rich hues of green, red, blue, gold, and brown. From ceiling to floor, the ivory trim and facings proved elegant, opulent, and ornate.

Carlisle eyed Esme with shrewd understanding his wife didn't bother avoiding. Instead, Esme grinned playfully at her husband, clearly unashamed and utterly delighted to have drawn inspiration from his origins.

Along with Edward and his already-humored siblings, I failed to restrain a fit of quiet laughter.

The very next day, Carlisle and Edward were pushed out of the house to share a run as they used to during Edward's early years as a vampire. Mostly that was because they were going to share a surprise I had planned with Alice for two important events.

Edward's birthday happened to fall on Father's Day.

After Edward's sweet words about the only father he ever truly knew, I found the irony all too adorable, although I restrained that particular thought from Edward's mental hearing.

Every one of us had something to thank Carlisle for, but there were precious few shared interests we could all agree upon that would also celebrate Edward's birthday. It was while exploring the brownstone out first night, during one of Edward's tales of his first three years with Carlisle, that I had gained the idea.

"You taught Carlisle how to play baseball?" I had giggled for reasons unknown to me after Edward's story of the first baseball game he and Carlisle attended and the aftermath, which landed Carlisle out in the woods learning the game from his new son.

It just sounded funny for Edward to be teaching something new to his father of two-hundred-plus years, but it made sense all-in-all. Carlisle had been stuck in the past until he began growing up – socially and culturally, at least – along with Edward. I had laughed out loud when Carlisle sheepishly admitted having trouble pitching the baseball straight at Edward when practicing. He had learned in time, but Edward found many reasons to laugh at his gentle mentor during those old days together.

"Ready?" Alice asked of me, excitedly setting her packed purse on the sofa while we awaited Carlisle and Edward's imminent return.

"Completely," I answered more calmly despite my own eagerness.

The door opened before we knew it, leading to a chorus of "Surprise!"

Edward shook his head as Carlisle laughed lightly over the small blue and green wrapped presents on the gold coffee table between us. There were no other decorations, as we had decided not to muss the fresh interior in any way.

"Thank you," Carlisle was the first to speak, smiling with a sense of appreciation and understanding that this was not a 'fuss' as he had once called it. Besides, he wasn't getting out of it with Esme and me heading the mini celebration.

"And this was your idea?" Edward suggested more sardonically than his father, eyeing me caustically as happiness flowed through my brain.

"Yep," I retorted even more disgustingly cheerfully, smiling broadly at the bronze-haired youth.

"I knew it," Edward snorted quietly.

"Stop being melodramatic," I commanded the seventeen-year-old. With firm purpose, I stepped to the coffee table to retrieve Edward's green-wrapped gift and hand it over. "Happy Birthday, drama queen. Now open it."

Glaring vociferously under his family's raucous laughter, Edward nevertheless tore off the paper and opened his box the same time as his much more appreciative father. Both men stared for a second at the paper in their hands, but concluded their surprise by sharing a look of sly gratitude and nostalgia.

"I figured since yours and Carlisle's first game was at the former Cubs Park, we could honor that by attending a game at Wrigley Field," I told them, smiling wider.

Edward didn't argue a Cubs game, least of all as a means of honoring the father-son relationship he had so recently praised. I had never been so excited, happy, and amused all at once as we watched the Chicago Cubs play the Oakland Athletics to a final score of five to three. The three Cullen brothers and Rosalie argued loudly about the Cubs' chances against the Athletics, even in the ninth inning when it became fairly clear the A's were going to lose. Carlisle ended up laughing and chuckling at the four of them the entire night, all the while engaging Esme, Alice, and I in various discussions about the game itself or how well a particular player had engaged in their position or what changes had been made to Wrigley Field since his and Edward's first visit.

From Edward's expression as we left, one didn't have to guess how elated he was to have attended a winning Cubs game. At the game he and Carlisle attended in 1920 (with much caution, it may be said), the Cubs had lost against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a horrific twelve-to-one final score. We didn't talk too much about that unfortunate incident, however, instead all enjoying a night out together.

Before we headed out the next day, Edward asked me to join him on one more excursion. Seeing as Alice had offered me an unusually dark, upscale outfit of black slacks, black heels, and a black collared blouse with lace shoulders, I felt pretty certain where Edward intended to take me.

Aside from Rosalie's family in Rochester, none of the other Cullens had such nicely maintained gravesites for their relatives. The black iron fencing at the exterior of Graceland Cemetery, while gothic in feel and sentiment, nonetheless gave a clean and protected sensation the moment I stepped through the front gate with Edward.

We wandered slowly but with certain intent across the green lawn, moving past serene Lake Willowmere, as the map called it, and monuments of definite beauty despite their sad purpose. At last Edward slowed further, coming to a stop under several shade trees.

"Mireille, meet my human parents," Edward introduced me, swiping a graceful hand across the width of Edward and Elizabeth Masen's double-wide headstone.

Adorned with flowers and leaves around the edges, the Masen family's heavy gravestones were cluttered with the debris of nature, although dirt and chaos covered the younger Edward's headstone far more profusely than his parents' marker.

"I didn't bother to clean it," Edward shrugged as he noticed my frown, the young man turning with a collected façade to face the parents who once raised him and ignoring his own unnecessary tombstone.

Alice came to mind of a sudden and I knelt without a second thought to mimic her unknowing example. Before Edward could protest, I reached out with delicate strokes to dust away the nature from Edward and Elizabeth. Theirs was simple to clean; a few swipes and the already well-kempt stone looked good as new. Still bent before the two stones, I took a deep breath.

"Hello, Mrs. Masen," I greeted the long-gone mother quietly, smiling at 'Dear Mother' on her half of the marker as I recalled how she loved her son, the way she wanted Carlisle to protect and save him. Turning slightly, I reached out to clean the lonely headstone atop Edward's empty grave as I spoke, "I know I've seen a lot of the family's relatives who have gone on, but I feel like I know you a little better than the rest, so I hope you don't mind me talking to you."

Taking another breath for courage, absurdly aware of the hitched inhale behind me and the thoughts I didn't withhold, I renewed speech with a much softer voice, finally finished digging dirt from the letters of Edward Anthony Masen and the birth date of June 20, 1901.

"I don't have much to say, I guess," I admitted with a half laugh, now rubbing dirt from the crevices in Edward's alleged date of death. "Just thank you, really. Thank you for raising your son to be a good man. Even if his father wasn't there for him, you gave him the strength to live beyond that disappointment and be a better person. I'm glad you did. His new family loves him very much and he's a wonderful friend to me. No matter how he feels about himself, I know he deserves a happy life. I want you to know how much I appreciate him and that I'm so glad he's not lying under this headstone now."

In one last gesture, I cleared the remaining soil from young Edward's simple inscription 'Beloved Son' and considered my work complete.

I hardly stood to my full height when two arms clutched me in a gripping embrace, my face crammed into Edward's gray-clad shoulder. Wrapping my arms around the seventeen-year-old's lean waist, I allowed us to sink into a deep, heavy silence that encompassed us somehow, even amidst the noise of Chicago so close to the cemetery in which we stood.

Leaving that bustling city where Edward had grown up in two very different ways wasn't really my choice, but we couldn't spend weeks and weeks there. School would begin in September and there were friends waiting back in Forks. Time wouldn't wait for us to dwell in the past.

Thus we found ourselves in tiny Ashland in the north of Wisconsin, walking through a small red house out in the woods far from the heart of town. From the tiny front room to the room where Esme painted in the back of the house, to the place where the piano had been, even Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Emmett were silent while taking in the stories and chatter of the three founders of their brave and unusual family.

Unfortunately Esme's old house, the church where she so often heard the bells ring, and the hospital where Carlisle worked had all been demolished decades earlier, but at least we could see the most significant of the structures in Ashland.

"This is exactly what I would have imagined," I smiled pleasantly of the charming place where Carlisle brought Esme into his and Edward's life.

"It's an endearing little area," Esme agreed warmly, hugging me comfortably to her side as we walked along the yard. The water was so close I could almost smell the breeze up off Chequamegon Bay, inlet from Lake Superior. "I used to think how much I would love to raise my baby here."

Chancing a glance at Edward, Esme allowed with a fond tilt of her head, "I suppose I did, in some ways."

Edward laughed at the insinuation, but he didn't argue his second mother's great love and the healing he had enabled her to feel all those decades ago.

Our second stop further in town was much sadder in nature, although still relative to our location.

Baby Jonathan Platt had been laid to rest in a quiet, tree-covered section of the cemetery. As Esme told us when she knelt before the baby boy's grave, Carlisle had paid for a new headstone after Esme's change and added the inscription Esme couldn't afford in her last few days of human life.

'Sweet child, you are always with me' read the engraving, an obvious sign of Esme's deep pain so soon after losing her precious baby.

"I wish so much he could have known such a loving family as we have," Esme murmured. Were she human, she would have been crying. Carlisle pulled his wife into an embrace with gentle care, brushing caramel waves softly.

"I don't mean to focus so much on what's gone," Esme murmured for us all to hear. "You all mean everything to me and I wouldn't trade a single moment with you…"

"I don't think it's wrong to celebrate the baby who made you into the mom you are today," I told her gently, only then realizing how unkind the words might actually sound out in the open. "I know that sounds cold. I'm sorry—"

Esme clutched me in a sudden bear hug, taking just enough care to avoid crushing me. As it was, her hug nearly cut off my air flow before she pulled back to look me in the eye.

"You're _just like_ Carlisle," Esme spoke emphatically to me, her eyes intense with humor and love. "Always spouting wisdom and then apologizing as if you're wrong for being thoughtful."

Sheepishly I shrugged and returned her hug more calmly. "Sorry?"

Everyone laughed over the irony, breaking the darkness of Esme's loss and leaving us all to abandon the cemetery with peaceable intent and move on to the Soo Line Memorial and Ashland's small historical museum with fascination of the town's history and artifacts.

One last stop on our great summer vacation brought us out of Wisconsin and on the road towards Munising, Michigan. While the Cullens didn't have any particularly memorable events in Munising, it was a picturesque place filled with a lot to see for someone who had never been this itinerant and it was also an excuse to take me to the state where I was born.

Passing by Teal Lake in Negaunee prompted a side trip I barely allowed my gift to point me towards, but I could hardly prevent myself from asking Carlisle to continue down M-28 rather than taking County Road 480.

I felt so strange being in the very same state I had spent my whole life in, so it was it no surprise when I felt ten times as strange traveling to Marquette of all places.

"What's so unusual about Marquette?" Edward was forced to inquire when I blocked my thoughts as extensively as I knew how.

"My grandparents."

"Oh," was all the bronze-haired vampire said, he along with his parents allowing my silence to continue uninterrupted until we reached the aforementioned city.

Logically I didn't expect to find my grandparents' house and gravesite in the Cullens' world, but some part of me felt the irresistible pull of curiosity dragging me under. At least the town itself would look familiar somehow; for whatever reason, I was drawn to nostalgia both by my own mind and by my odd gift.

As I guided Carlisle down familiar streets I had never actually driven before, past familiar street corners with familiarly colored houses to what my memory supplied, my anxiety began to grow. This was an unprecedented experience. Surely nothing could be _that_ similar to the world of my birth?

"Calm down. It's going to be fine," Edward reassured me patiently and smoothly, grasping my hand in consolation. "Many things are exactly the same here, remember? Music, movies, television, actors, musicians, artwork, world leaders, climates, historical events… Who knows? Maybe there are some of the same average citizens, but they have led slightly different lives because of the differences between realities."

"That's true," I accepted but barely, already biting my lip in anticipation of seeing a house I wasn't sure I felt ready for.

"We're all here," Edward comforted once more, squeezing my hand. "Just stay calm. We won't leave you to face it alone no matter what it stands to become."

Finally something genuinely reassured me, leading me to stop staring worrisomely out of the back window and turn to face Edward's concerned but caring eyes, my panic restrained by a mere thread.

Yet as Carlisle slowed to a stop in front of an address I remembered even years after leaving it for the last time, the panic began to expand beyond Edward's assurances.

The small house and its white trim and rich green siding looked exactly as I recalled from my childhood, right down to the multiple angles of the roofline, the single white door off to the far right side, and the twin trees directly in front of the house. I had played around those two tall trees and run in and out of that precise side door more times than I could count. The large, sloping emerald yard with its grapevines and fruit trees and willows hanging over the grass had hosted many a play date with my grandparents.

How was that possible? I wondered futilely at the incredible, uncomfortable similarity in this alternate version of the home my grandparents had owned in an entirely different world.

Someone sat on my other side and I realized only slowly that I was beginning to hyperventilate. Able to turn by some miracle of mental strength, I found Jasper beside me as he took the hand Edward wasn't holding. Carlisle and Esme both gazed worriedly at me from the front seats, but let their empathic son do his work.

"Easy, Mir," Jasper spoke soothingly and offered a well of calm I couldn't fully comprehend for a moment.

"It's just a house," Edward murmured understandingly, pressing firm circles on the back of my hand. "There's nothing here to do with your family. It's just colors and shapes."

After a time of Jasper and Edward's ministrations, my mind relaxed just enough to see beyond panic and accept even the tiniest of differences between my old life and this new familiarity. There were different shrubs along the front of the house, a couple of different bushes and trees around the outer edges of the property, and an absence of the small square paving stones and wooden flower boxes my grandma had loved so much.

"That's it," Edward urged quietly, nodding slowly as my thoughts regained coherency. "It's not the same place. You're all right."

Finally eased, I took a deep breath and released it the same time that Jasper released my emotions back to my care.

"Thank you," I told the gifted vampires on either side of me. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't expecting that."

"It's nothing you need to apologize for," Jasper insisted, shaking his head.

"Can we leave?" I pleaded of Carlisle, to which he nodded.

"Of course we can," he smiled sadly and turned back to the wheel while Jasper returned to the car with Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett.

Only when we returned to County Road 480 and finally made the move towards Munising did I relax as entirely as I had earlier hoped to. None of the Cullens spoke of my emotional reaction to the city of my dearest childhood memories, but instead threw themselves into showing me not only the pale green house they once lived in, but all the beautiful sights around Munising.

It had taken quite a loaded promise from Edward to get me into a kayak with him, but the bronze-haired vampire finally convinced me with the same calm confidence he had used to ease my earlier panic.

Thankfully my heart and mind were bolstered by the beauty and grandeur of Pictured Rocks National Shoreline and Grand Island as we kayaked around the area. More to the point, Edward kayaked and I attempted to mimic him. Most of the time I failed and Edward would use his monumental strength to maneuver us around without my weak aid.

We traveled to Miner's Castle, Lover's Leap, Chapel Cove, and Grand Point, always in awe of the numerous waterfalls lining the shoreline and colorfully eroded rock walls. I laughed at the knowledge that one set of waterfalls had the same name as our very own Texan soldier.

"Jasper Falls?" I echoed inquisitively, eyeing the vampire across from us with a grin, to which he snickered along with Alice's giggling.

My fun and enjoyment dampened upon the end of our kayaking adventure when Rosalie asked – very gently and kindly, it may be said – if the family could experience Lansing, where I had mostly grown up.

As reluctant as I was to face another case of déjà vu, I knew the Cullens had faced as much emotional distress or more when showing me their pasts. None of them had faltered.

The least I could do was return the favor.

* * *


	60. Epilogue: On The Road

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of _Twilight_. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities. This is NOT a dream story. Everything that happens in the world of _Twilight_ throughout this story is real and will never be “just a dream” for the characters.

**Chapter Numbering:**  Because AO3 doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link AO3 displays **.**

**Notes:**  
The prologue of _For A Reason: Accordance_ is now posted! When I post Chapter 1 of _FaR: Accordance_ , I will reply to reviews from the FaR I epilogue and reviews from the FaR II prologue at the same time.

Thank you for joining me on this wild, crazy journey. I thought it would be fun to end on a nostalgic note, so I have a question for everyone… If you could choose your three favorite moments/scenes from _FaR: Inauguration_ , what would they be? You can leave it in your review or you can message me, whatever you like!

**Song Inspiration:** _  
The Way I Was_ by Aubrey Peeples, from _Jem and the Holograms_ (Fun Fact: Aubrey Peeples is my appearance inspiration for Mir.)

**Previously** – Cullens repaired Carlisle's brownstone. Alice  & Jazz showed Mir where they married and Mir realized she never saw Alice's wedding ring. Mir admired Alice & Jazz's rings. Edward showed Mir family home and Mir loved the house. Edward told of human father's distance and what Carlisle means to him. Edward & Mir returned to brownstone and played chess. Edward & Mir toured the rest of Masen home, Edward showed Mir secret room, and Edward told some family history. Mir & Edward explored sights in Chicago and returned to Esme's Baroque/Victorian restoration of brownstone. Cullens celebrated Father's Day and Edward's birthday with a baseball game. Edward showed Mir family's graves and Mir cleaned headstones. Mir talked to Elizabeth and thanked her for Edward. Edward hugged Mir for words/gestures. Cullens went to Ashland and showed Mir house where Carlisle turned Esme. Cullens saw grave of Esme's baby and Mir comforted. Mir shocked by Marquette house exactly like grandparents' home. Cullens to Munising, Edward convinced Mir into kayak, and Cullens explored Pictured Rocks. Rosalie suggested seeing Lansing, where Mir would have grown up.

> **Epilogue: On The Road**

From picture-perfect Munising to busy, urban Lansing, the long and tree-lined way expanded in nearly a straight line towards southern Michigan. As we moved from U.S. Route 127 to Interstate 496, then exited the highway smack in the middle of the city, Lansing looked as much the same compared to my memories as Marquette had little less than a week earlier. Wariness bled into my veins like sand as I continually chose exactly the right corner to turn down, leading us closer and closer to a house I prayed was not as familiar as the cozy little green house in Marquette.

I held my breath as we pulled down the last street, only able to release it when the house came into view.

Cream. A cream house with olive trim and two rectangular windows on either side of the front porch…

Breath whooshed from my lungs with a vengeance.

"It's not the same?" Edward clarified, confused by my broken, chaotic thoughts.

"Oh, it's the same place," I admitted warily, eyeing the upscale property with trepidation.

It looked perfect, of course. Perfectly manicured lawn, perfectly painted siding, charming little brick path, and symmetry where at all possible – not a brick or a shutter or a bush out of place as you walked up to that front door with a sense of warm welcome.

No, this was not the same place.

This was not my parents' house – I could feel it in my bones.

Todd and Amy Holden had never made anywhere feel this welcome. Not even for their child.

There were so many times I had walked in and out of the same front door, dressed as strictly and perfectly as my mother wanted me to be. So many times I had walked through across that black-tinted wood laminate, past those pale gray walls, wondering if my outfit was just right or if my hair was styled up to my mother's standards or if my parents were arguing about something that didn't go their way.

Innumerable conversations floated through my head, none of them good. I had so long treated them as something 'other' and pushed them into a corner so I wouldn't have to face the pain of those countless times I had become a second-best option for my parents when their façade became too difficult to manage alongside their daughter.

Growling rumbled through me vicariously as I stared over that beautiful yet wretched house. Glancing back at Edward was the only thing that tore me away.

Topaz eyes had turned molten black with disgust and fury over the memories washing my mind with numb pain.

"Let's go," I insisted doubtlessly, refusing to look back at the house that caused so much unhappiness in both of my lives.

Carlisle drove off without a word, leaving my past behind me in all but memory.

Once on the road towards the highway, I felt a sudden burst of clawing intuition that startled me out of my wits.

"What the…?" I wondered suddenly, trailing off in shock at the urging I then felt.

"The university…" Edward's words trailed into silence as well as he considered my unspoken worries and fears.

An inexplicable strangeness dogged me about the university all the way up near Lewiston, and that long arcing county road that traveled right through the heart of the campus. Perhaps because I had miraculously disappeared there? I didn't know. All I knew was the thought of that lonely stretch of campus between the library and my dormitory created intense anxiety – the likes of which I hadn't felt since the fearful situation in the girls' bathroom months earlier.

"County Road 612 cut across your campus?" Edward verified of the errant thought that had passed through my mind, bringing a tight sigh from my lips.

"Yes, it did," I confirmed unwillingly. Why it troubled me so, I could hardly put into words.

Perhaps, as I belatedly realized, I was afraid of disappearing again. The very idea of losing this beloved life I had gained put fear and grief deep in my chest.

"You won't disappear," Edward affirmed more stringently than I had heard in weeks, grasping my hand with positive force. "I know it somehow. Use your gift. Please?"

Sighing sharper and rougher than before, I sat up straight in my seat and used Alice's teachings to imagine walking along the very place I had first begun this extraordinary journey with the resilient, good-hearted, once-fictional people around me.

As sure as anything I had ever felt, my gift spoke not to another sudden disappearing act. That sensation of anticipation told me I was meant to walk along the path. Yet when I imagined, however painfully, the act of actually disappearing as impossibly as I had done in my first world, my gift swung back with unerring consistency and persistence akin to a baseball bat hitting my soul straight out of the park.

I would not disappear.

"Carlisle, get back on US-127," Edward informed his father triumphantly. "We're heading towards Lewiston."

Lifting an eyebrow was the extent of Carlisle's disapproval for Edward's assumptions as the doctor turned to me in question.

"It's all right, Carlisle," I approved the move despite my ongoing anxious feelings about the entire experience.

Taking a good, long study of my features, Carlisle nodded his acceptance, taking us back to the highway and the northern part of the state.

The trees were the first problem, I confessed only for mine and Edward's understanding when we finally made the turn onto County Road 612. So many trees, just like the campus I once walked, except for that lonely stretch…

"It's going to be fine," Edward reassured quietly, squeezing my fingers with easy pressure. "I don't even know if there's anything in this area, let alone a university. We've never lived near here before."

When we encountered the entrance road to a college named Rocheville, I nearly had a panic attack but for Edward and Esme's calm presences taming the fire of fear. Similarities hit me in the face as we drove further through the college's large property, exhausting nerves manageable only because of the differences Edward pointed out to combat my living memories.

Once we parked at the library, I started to breathe strangely. Carlisle sighed nervously over my acute emotional condition, leading him to park more sharply than intended so that Jasper could join Edward and me in the back seat for a moment.

Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme all stood from the cars, leaving us to Jasper's ability. My anxieties quieted unnaturally, but I felt the ease flood me with relief and gratitude. Wordlessly, Jasper and Edward maneuvered me out of the back seat without losing contact with either of their hands.

"Come on, darlin'," Jasper encouraged gently as we stood at last.

"We're all here with you," Edward assured me softly.

Given a solid support from all seven of the Cullens, I breathed from my toes and brought it all the way through my body as Carlisle had once told me to do before I realized who he truly was. I walked ahead with Edward and Jasper, leading the way to that familiar spot. Our steps halted every so often, but I never turned back.

At last we passed a copse of trees that seemed perplexingly familiar and I took another deep breath to keep moving to the very place I last recalled walking before my sudden disappearance. That crux of five different sidewalks drew my mind like a moth to a flame, trees far off and blowing in the forgiving breeze. With a small gasp, I stopped at precisely the place I remembered. A single evergreen stood eerily crooked against the early evening light, matched branch for branch to the very last tree I had seen with my own eyes before appearing in another world.

At the precipice of my first life, or so it felt to me, I brought to mind the ongoing questions that had never ceased to confound me, no matter how many times I contemplated their value.

What am I doing here? Why me?

For nearly twenty-one years, I had lived a singularly dull and shapeless life spent following uncharacteristic orders from my parents or doing nothing more each hour than breathing the monotonies of daily life over and over again.

For nearly eight months, I had lived a colorful, fascinating, vivid life among people who had proven over and over again that they wanted the best for me and showed me how to be so much more than an automaton walking through each day without interest beyond paying bills and working.

When I stepped off the path and into a new world, I was Mireille Holden; that scared, beholden girl who now looked so strange and unfamiliar. That girl, so afraid and insecure and thoroughly ashamed to be her own quirky self, was gone.

I didn't mourn her. With relief and peace I let her drift into the past along with my parents' loveless, selfish ways and the life of indecisive mediocrity I once led.

That sad girl had no place in my life now. I was no longer afraid to be the new and improved me; the woman who stood up from fear and faced whatever life could throw her way.

I was no longer afraid to be Mireille Whitlock.

Everything life could offer was now on the road of possibility and from that moment on, I intended to make the best of every mile I walked.

* * *

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed _Chapter 57: Itinerant – Part III_!

See you in the next installment, _For A Reason: Accordance_!


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